This is one of several stories that highlight the saga of Hot Wheels and Twinkle Toes. A biker odd couple that ventures along our highways marveling and
commenting on the beauty of this wonderful land we call America. Twinkle Toes manages the black Harley Davidson Softail Classic, the directions, and the sights. While Hot Wheels the disabled regal queen of the passenger seat
conquers the ensuing chaos and calamity that befalls them. Together they forge a fiery steel of spirit and determination that leads them safely to the next biker rally or point of interest. The steel steed that whisks them from place to place is an exceptional piece of machinery , not only because of its beauty and speed but because it has a special wheelchair Carrier attached to its rear frame. This was specially designed by Twinkle Toes who knew that the only way Hot Wheels could truly participate in their adventures and feel the freedom of riding was by taking her wheelchair with them. Hot Wheels has suffered from Spina Bifida from birth and does not have the use of her legs and feet. When we ride together her disability is no more than a minor inconvenience on the road of life ,just like passing over a pothole. Their last trip was to Deals Gap, N.C.– The Tail of the Dragon.
The Tale of the Dragon
As told by Twinkle Toes.
They say that dragons are impressive mythical beings that conjure up images of a bygone age. Well I am ready to confirm that statement. The Dragon is alive and loose in all its glory in the mountains of North Carolina.
We read about the dragon from its website at
www.tailofthedragon.com The lore of it’s 317 turns in 11 miles sent shivers up our spines and a challenge was born. We decided that it’s time to tame the Dragon and claim it’s defeat and if possible to bring a piece of it home with us as a gallant moment of our battle against an ancient giant.
Our four-day quest started out in North Brunswick, We began on Rte 287 N to 78W to 81 S. If only we had a sage to guide us instead of a 2003 atlas. By
choosing the scenic route through the Blue Ridge Mountains at Port Royal we
virtually added another 24 hour to our trek. Don’t get me wrong; they were awesome and inspiring and an integral part of the plan, especially for Hot Wheels who had never seen the Shenandoah Valley from such a vantage point. There is only one thing I can say if you travel the Skyline Drive; just remember that the speed limit is 30 mph and don’t forget to add scenic stop times. So if you plan to reach out and touch the clouds along those wicked curves add another day to your trip so you can enjoy your little piece of heavenly majestic bliss.
We climbed the majestic Skyline Drive from Front Royal to Charlottesville VA where the elevation started at 1500 feet to well over 3000 feet. All along the way we, Oohed and Ahhed. The magnificence of the vista’s hues combined with the altitude and swaying turns had us so mesmerized that we didn't notice our gear
falling over and being dragged along the asphalt behind us. It wasn’t until some good Samaritan who we thought was just beeping at us to acknowledge our
wheelchair rig as they passed, which has happened before, did we realize that he was actually alerting us to our gear being eaten up and destroyed before we even reached the Dragons Lair. After exchanging ego bruises on whose fault it was, we kissed and made up, took more photos and decided this was wayyyy too slow for our agenda. So we said Sayonara to the Skyline Drive at route 64 and headed North.. About 30 miles later we reconnected to the glorious, fast paced and stately two lane black top of Route 81 South, Thank God! All the way down cruising at 70 mph we could see the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains paralleling our sojourn to the mythical land of dragons.
Another great place to visit is Sellersville home to Pigeon Forge. At the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains it’s a interesting place for a day of fun and diversion. The main road to Pigeon Forge is lined on either side with souvenir shops, outlets,
restaurants, helicopter rides, miniature golf courses, and that family vacation
wonderland called Dollywood. It’s a couple of hours to Deals Gap N.C. and where the Dragon rests and laughs at his magnanimous foes. There are hotels, motels and log cabins to rent, not to mention campgrounds etc. This is a great place for your base camp. There is nothing warmer then the southern hospitality and the area eludes with yes Ma’am and you all, and of course grits are optional.
From Pigeon Forge we drove up to Maryville on Rte 321, then connected to Rte 129 and then to Rte 28, were we would find the land that time forgot. Once we passed through Maryville you could feel the breath of Dragon on your face. Short S turns start wetting your appetite as your gaze falls on the lake to your right. The anticipation starts to create sweat buds all on your face and hands. You then notice an electrical tower sitting alone in the middle of the lake stiff and full of electricity for the mountain folk. There’s a macabre sense of dread as you imagine what terror those lines could create if they fell and mingled with that cool cold country water below. It’s just past this quiet gap that you start to hear the high pitch of roaring engines. The excitement intensifies as the road starts to become shielded by the trees to your right. You feel the gravity pulling you down as you start to lean left as you ascend upward. There are no signs to alert you as you enter the Dragons lair. On your right as you climb the twists and turns and the shaded beauty of the trees hide the elevation from your sight. As you lean left to stay on your side of the turn’s
yellow line you then have to lean right to get upright. That’s when you notice the sheer drop on your right and the anguish starts to build in your chest. Whose idea was this, you start to question, but you are too busy trying to keep the bike upright to answer. All you can feel is the leaning of your body left, right and left again
almost automatically.
This is where the Dragon begins to lull you into a sense of overconfidence and swells your ego with feats of danger and daring. You begin to focus more intently and the world around you begins to disappear with each downward turn. The
mystical path that you have chosen with its natural beauty and pathos dims to a
silence where you can literally hear your own heart beating. At that solitary moment where victory feels so close the dragon unleashes its fire of fear. The crotch rockets that have been silently lurking behind you watching and waiting for you to become one with the dragon decide its time to run along side of you. And, as if to steal your prize and glory they throttle down hard right in your face; The images of collision, danger, flipping over and down the mountainside become all to real. You may try to throttle down to soothe whatever melting courage still exists but you
become paralyzed by fear. Can you regain composure; can you demolish your own demons? You again hear the roar engines about to pass you. The blur of red and white leather laying low behind you in your peripheral vision does not phase you this time. In order to survive the Dragon you must feel its fire and breathe. Yes, gun down the throttle and ease yourself up. You start to banish the fear from your eyes and suddenly the impossible becomes possible. Your courage begins to mount and you can feel the power resurging into your arms and legs.
Take that deep left turn and that next short right turn, don’t let go of the throttle, we’re going to slay this dragon. I can feel it, the Dragons Tail is ours. The victory is sweet and my soul lies full. Finally, ahead I can see all those fancy jocks and jockettes with their colorful leather suits pulling into Deals Gap. I can see the
helmets coming off and the smiles erupting onto those diverse faces. The parking lot is like a hornets nest buzzing with Hogs, Honda’s, BMW’s, Suzuki’s, and Kawasaki’s. The commentary is the Dragon is dead, long live the Dragon. Relief and enjoyment abounds in this tiny southern shop as we grapple with the souvenir
t- shirts and patches. As were about to leave the safety of the souvenir shop I ask the most important question on my mind, “ What’s the fastest way back to Route 81.” To my utter dismay, the cute little saleswoman exclaims. “ The same way you just came!” In all honesty, we thought we slew the Dragon and I wasn’t quite sure my luck would hold out for another try. Oddly enough though, I felt a sense of
regret heading back. Yes I had been challenged, and yes I was even scorched on one or two turns, but what I sensed now was an admiration and respect from the Dragon. The Dragon was now a part of me both the glory and the victory was ours. It was part of us and we a part of it. The myth had become a man and a woman now stronger and more confident and yet cautious enough to want to live to tell the tale. So now I raise a toast to the Dragon, and to those who dare to ride her.
Instead of traveling back through Pigeon Forge we stayed on 28N through
Maryville and headed towards Knoxville Tenn. We could’ve jumped back onto 81N and begun our trip back, but we opted for a grand feast and celebration at this really nice grille. The service was exceptional and befitting the newly crowned conquerors of the Dragon. However, a little side note about Motel 6 in Knoxville is in order. I don’t know about most of you guys or gals reading this but I’m pretty proud of the fact that I have a AARP card. So far every Motel 6 has honored a member discount except this one. The manager Mr. Hendricks seems to make up his own mind about discounts during the Titan Home Games. Since he’s the cheapest he feels he shouldn’t have to give any discounts. So if you’re ever in the area don’t stop there. Three exits north there’s another Motel 6 that will honor your AARP card.
Like most men, I usually don’t push myself till I have to. It’s now Labor Day Monday with no time to spare. So we leave Knoxville at 8:30am with all sorts of aches and pains knowing we’re going to have to head back at full throttle.
Now it’s my turn to zoom, zoom up 81N. I tell my sweetie pie there is no time
for site seeing today. The plan is we are following our initial instructions and heading straight for home across Rte 66 to Washington DC and catching 95N to good ole Jersey. Well, as most of you guys can tell by now nothing runs according to plan. Two hours into the trip we pull off for gas and breakfast and faster then you can say homemade grits the weather decides to turn against us, as usual. Sunny skies turn into giant gray monsters just waiting to drop inches of rain all over us. So what does this experienced sultan of the highways decide to do? Yes you guessed it! Go faster and try to get ahead of it. Well as fate would have it, the God’s decided to play the usual tricks on us to get a chuckle. By the time we reached the Blue Ridge Mountains it was like Hurricane Francis decided to take a short side step to rain on our parade. The rain started pouring so hard that it was like riding on Skyline Drive again only wetter. My speed was only 40- 50 mph. Of course this is when those jumbo tractor-trailers like to let you know who’s the real king of the road. They must love to ride along side waiting for you to drop back because you can’t see a thing with there back wash all over you. Yes sir Mr. Trucker, you go first I’ve still got a few more runs I want to attend. It rained all through Virginia but somehow miraculously stopped when we hit route 66 towards Washington DC. Luckily for us Hurricane Francis stayed away while we traveled the coast road. The nicest thing of all was despite rain; breakfast and
dinner stops we made it home in 14 hrs flat. Yeah!
The two main characters in this story Hot Wheels and Twinkle Toes would like to invite you to their website.
WWW.dra.thewyz.comThe Disabled Riders of America are a group of disabled and non disabled riders who want to share their experiences within the riding community. Stop in, read some posts, even become a member. We could use your help in becoming an A.M.A. ride sanctioned club.
Till next Time
Hot Wheels and Twinkle Toes
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Topic: tale of the dragon (Read 3463 times)
