Tail of the Dragon

Discussion in 'Trips & Events' started by DeeBee, Aug 31, 2016.

  1. DeeBee

    DeeBee New Member

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    Even 40 miles of twisties is quite a bit, awesome backdrop tho' might be hard to keep pace for slowing to see the beauty of the place. wherever it is.
     
  2. V4toTour

    V4toTour New Member

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    Last edited: Sep 11, 2016
  3. 01ragtop

    01ragtop Member

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    It is, indeed, legitimate. I would have centered the letters if I had photoshopped it.

    The sign is just outside Red Bluff, CA on Highway 36. This road rarely makes those lists of great motorcycle roads. Not because it isn't great; very few know about it. Which is why there are no cars, no cops, and it isn't yet commercialized.

    Do great roads have to be scenic? Starting in the rolling hills of California's Central Valley, this road climbs into the mountains before depositing you among giant coastal redwoods.

    I don't know if it's the greatest road ever, thats pretty presumptuous, even for 140 Miles.
    I'm not saying that Deals isn't a great road, I'd love to ride it someday, but don't let marketing fool you.

    Here is more info on the 36:
    http://www.pashnit.com/roads/cal/Highway36.htm
     
  4. Jeff_Barrett

    Jeff_Barrett Member

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    Wow. Gotta get out there and ride that shizz.

    Thanks guys!!

    Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
     
  5. V4toTour

    V4toTour New Member

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    They're really not comparable.

    Deal's Gap is a quick ride. Like hopping on a roller coaster, getting your picture taken and that's it.

    Riding over California 36 is a journey. You're worried about gas supplies, the scenery changes are epic. You're heading over a bunch of mountain passes and dropping into farmland. There's really nothing like it on the east coast. Instead of the Dragon, something like Rt 250 from Staunton VA to Mill Creek WV would be in a similar spirit to CA 36 and is a wonderful ride.
     
  6. 01ragtop

    01ragtop Member

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    I imagine they wouldn't be. I enjoy the quick roller-coaster style rides as well; I love Palomar Mountain which fits that quick ride category. But as great as Palomar is, it doesn't compare to the 36.

    The 36 is unique in the fact that it covers three very different topographic regions: rolling hill roller-coaster style, mountain passes, and coastal forest. It has tight technical sections, long sweepers, elevation changes, I could go on. It is all the best roads I've ridden strung together on one strip on asphalt. It is epic.

    But that begs the question, what makes a great motorcycle road?
     
  7. Gator

    Gator Insider

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    No cops and Hardley riders! lol
     
  8. V4toTour

    V4toTour New Member

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    Probably my favorite road like that it is the first 17 miles or so of Skaggs Springs outside Geyserville CA, before it turns into a forest road. Talk about perfectly banked sweepers.
     
  9. H3nry

    H3nry New Member

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    Deal's Gap is a nice bit of twisty road, but like the road up to the Rock Store in SoCal, there are way too many squids and cops weekends and afternoons.

    Skaggs Springs is very nice. How about Hwy 1 from Big Sur to Hearst Castle, or Hwy 4 across the Sierras, or Hwy 33 and 25 in central CA, or the Columbia River Gorge, or the old road over Loveland Pass..... There are great roads most places where there are hills, valleys, and mountains. Haven't found many fun roads on the great plains, but that may be because I haven't really looked. Loveland Pass 50 years ago riding my 250cc X-6 from LA to NYC and back:

    Vacation6767.jpg
     
  10. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    This thread has turned into the bible of where to go and ride. Keep them coming peeps. I only wished I had the cash and time left to do most, maybe all of them. Maybe even the Gap but not really interested in busy highways though.

    BTW Riding through the very open plains has its own beauty. Just a little lackluster in the technical challenge options. I'm OK with that from time to time. I just like to ride, even if I get caught in the rain.
     
  11. sunofwolf

    sunofwolf New Member

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    It would seem that you can't wear that bike out
     
  12. 01ragtop

    01ragtop Member

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    This one is my favorite:
    Incredible!! I rode Deal's Gap in 2006. If the "Gap" is referred to as the "Tail of the Dragon", the rest of the beast is Hwy 36!!​

    If you do, do some research before you leave, because while the 36 may be the destination road, there is an abundance of great riding in this area. Going south on Highway 1 from Legget, CA to the Coast is not to be missed.
    https://www.google.com/maps/dir/39....ffafca0e1592e!2m2!1d-123.7148275!2d39.8654841

    And Bonus, the ride from the 36 to Legget, CA on the 101 is beautiful. Especially, if you jump off the 101 and ride the Avenue of the Giants. No great motorcycle road, but the scenery is breathtaking. There are also tons of minor roads, that I didn't have the time to explore, but the ones I did explore were beautifully paved little goat tracks with zero traffic. Fuel can be difficult to come by in these remote areas so monitor your fuel level closely and get gas when it is available. If you come down to ride the 36, let me know, if I can get away, I will join you! It is that good.

    To that point, I've ridden the Coast on the 1/101 from Santa Monica to San Francisco and from Fortuna to Fort Bragg. It is beautiful, but from Hearst Castle to Monterey, it is just too crowded to have any fun at speed. Not that you would want to look away from that awesome coast line. The 33 is one of my favorite roads, I try to get up there a couple of times a year, and connect it with Angeles Crest which routinely makes the top motorcycle roads lists. Also done the Rock Store and the Snake, and of course, Palomar Mountain, which is also on any great motorcycle roads list worth a damn, is my backyard, so I get to ride there frequently. As a matter of fact, if you read the road test section of almost any US published track and road motorcycle test, there is a pretty good chance the road section was completed on one of either The Snake, Palomar, or Angeles Crest. They are that good. But the 36 is unique. Covering 140 miles, the changes in topography are unmatched. It doesn't have the rapid elevation change of a Palomar, but that's about the only thing it might lack in terms of technical difficulty, and even at that, it isn't like it's flat by any means. If I didn't know better, I'd say they let a bunch of motorcyclists design a road, and when they were finished, they slapped a highway sign on it.
     
  13. James Bond

    James Bond Member

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    I re-discovered a short but nearly vacant twisty road this weekend. Hwy. 50 in Tennessee. It's fast, fun and has many twisty roads and mountain runs on the way to it. It's one of those you want to run several times. So, I will. After I clean and lube my chain and change the oil.
     
  14. DeeBee

    DeeBee New Member

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    What part of Tennessee? I can throw a rock from my house and hit the TN/GA line near Chattanooga.
    Lots of little twisty mountain roads around as I think I already mentioned.

    http://www.motorcycleroads.com/Routes/Tennessee_118.html
    db
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2016
  15. kennybobby

    kennybobby New Member

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    Hey weren't you ridin' with a captain america dude, and another guy with a football helmet? Sure looks familiar...
     
  16. Gator

    Gator Insider

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    That is a cool photo. Been over that pass a lot of times. Even did a full moon ski there once.
     
  17. James Bond

    James Bond Member

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  18. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Lived off Airport Blvd in Santa Rosa...my normal loop for a good day of riding was Calistoga Rd to Sliverado Trail to Deer Park Rd. through Angwin, into Pope Valley, Butts Canyon Rd to 175 then Bottle Rock Rd back to 175, to 29, then Hopland Grade into Hopland, 101 to Boonville Road to Boonville, Hwy 128 out to Hwy 1, down to Annapolis, through to Skaggs for a couple laps, then back into Santa Rosa. Posted an old vid of the Annapolis to Lake Sonoma part last night......
     
  19. RVFR

    RVFR Member

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    Northern Ca. has so many great roads. Not to mention there's the eastern part to 36 as well, it too is pretty spectacular, all in all there's way more than 140 miles. Yes 175 up around Clear lake, OML.. just epic
     
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