The fall is a wonderful time of year to enjoy the mountains that border North Carolina and Tennessee. The foliage can be bright and spectacular. The roads are fun to drive.
We drove the P71 as it is the most comfortable car for a road trip with plenty of room and a great personality.
Our luck held out and the weather was mild and the sunlight enhanced the fall colors. Sometimes it was overcast and then a few miles later the sun would break through tweaking the senses with a beautiful display.
The windy roads made the ride even more enjoyable.
Deal’s Gap is the start of the Tail of the Dragon from the North Carolina side. Route 129 goes for about a mile or so and then you are in Tennessee for the remainder of the 11 mile section. It has at least 318 turns over that distance and these turns are not trivial. Many are switchbacks.
There are many other driver that come to this road to see what it is liken as well as to challenge themselves. As they enter into a spirited driving mode they imagine themselves as race car drivers in the days of old when public roads were used as race courses.
Some will find that the state police do not have the same feelings. Others will discover that the Tail of the Dragon can bite back.
We decided to skip the Tail for a while and explore the rest of the roads including the Skyway.
There were some great sights along the drive.
You can get over a mile high on these roads.
We stayed at Fontana Village with plenty of company. There were many car enthusiasts from all over with many different types of cars.
It was a wonderful weekend and the roads and cars were not the only scenery worth noticing.
JIM'S GARAGE 
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