Adventures in North Carolina

My latest adventure was in the hills of North Carolina. Jason found an event to take our MX5 called Miatas at the Gap. We’ve had the car for almost two years and it’s been fun driving it around Ohio and on road trips. This weekend, however, was unbelievable! Flying down the twisting winding roads of the North Carolina mountains was exhilarating. Road enthusiasts abounded – motorcycles of all kinds, Porsches, Mustangs, Challengers, and of course Miatas. This weekend we were among our brethren; just like motorcycles give each other a wave or nod as they pass each other, the flipping up and down of headlights, peace signs, and waving of hands were seen each time we would pass other Miatas.

Miatas at the Gap

Rolling into Fontana Village and seeing the sea of Miatas was amazing. It was a treat to be able to wander through and look at all of them, their likeness and differences, the modifications people had made, all the Miata generations (NA-ND) and the progression of technology. Everyone was so friendly and would talk to you about their cars. On more than one occasion, Jason was asked to put the top down on our car – it is really cool to watch, if you’ve never seen it (check it out here). As fun as it was to look at the Miatas, it was a blast to watch them zipping around the curves. The surrealness of running in a pack of Miatas kept a smile on my face every time we found ourselves in the middle of it.

Fantastic Views

And oh, the magnificent landscape! The mountains are so beautiful. Speeding around a curve and have the trees open up to a wonderous scene of God’s blue sky, green mountains, and glistening water is truly a sight to take in. I took a million pictures, and while they are spectacular, they do not capture the sheer beauty of seeing the views in person.

Tail of the Dragon

The focal point of the trip was running the “Tail of the Dragon.” An 11 mile stretch of road that boasts 318 turns. The road winds and twists back and forth, almost on top of itself at times.

A few guys make their living by sitting at a few significant spots capturing action shots of the vehicles throttling through the turns. I’m sure they could tell you some tremendous stories! (Be sure to pay attention to the time as you make your run so you can find your photos on their website, or you’ll have to go through 1000s to find yourself!)

There are signs warning of the dangers that lie ahead as you enter the Tail of the Dragon, and in spots you can see deep gouges in the asphalt where some have fallen victim to it’s unrelentless nature. Stay on your side of the double yellow line, pray the motorists on the other side of the road do the same, slam on the gas, and go! Top down, wind rushing by, faint smell of spent gas and warm brakes in the air, and the exhilarating thrill of giving it all you’ve got. We rode the dragon four times. The first time, I was clutching my door handle so hard that there just may be indentations. By our last run, I was taking pictures!

Google Map of the Tail of the Dragon

A few photos from a Tail of the Dragon run

Blue Waters Mountain Lodge – Where we stayed

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forrest

P.S. A Side Story

On our second day at the bed and breakfast a Porsche club rolled in to spend a couple of days running the curves. Jason was intrigued by the cars and made comments to me several times about how much money was sitting out in the driveway and what did those guys do for a living to enable them to have those cars.

The Porsche people kept to themselves, for the most part. There would be an obligatory “hi” from a few of them as we passed by on our way in or out, but no small talk like some of the other guests – who had shared their names and where they were from within minutes of meeting us. So on our last morning, as we’re walking our luggage out to the car, we were quite surprised when one of the guys started up a conversation.

“Getting ready to head out?” he asked. He was sitting on the front porch enjoying the morning.

“Yep,” Jason replied.  “Heading back to Ohio and we’ve got an 8 hour drive.”

“You ever driven a GT3?” He asked.

Jason chuckled “Nope, Can’t say that I have”

“Want to take mine for a drive?”

I’m standing there not really believing what I was hearing. Jason hesitated for a split second and then responded with a very confident “sure!”

The guy gets up from his chair and says “let me go up and get the keys. I’ll warm it up a bit and then you can take it out.”

I said “Have fun!!” to Jason fully expecting that the guy would go with him – since it was his car and all.

“Oh no, you can go too!” the guy said and headed upstairs for his keys.

As he came back through the B&B door, “I’m Cal, by the way” and stretched out his hand to shake Jason’s and then mine. We both gave our names, made a little small talk, and found out he was from Wisconsin. Then off he goes, to warm up his car for us!

Once he returned, he shows Jason a couple of things, we hop in and take off! We took it for a short 20 minute run and then brought it back. We were both comparing it to the Miata the entire time! Smoother ride (couldn’t feel the road like the Miata), grabbier brakes, more scooped seats so you aren’t sliding around as much through the curves. It had a bigger engine than the Miata, so it took very little to get it up to 82.

We were grateful for the experience, but after it was over we both still prefer our Miata. It is a lot more fun on the curvy mountain roads! What an exciting end to a perfect weekend!