Welcome to the Dragonrun 2005!

AtlantaMINIS has put together this little booklet for your pleasure! Most of this info has been taken directly from Tailofdragon.com*.

Please remember – BE SAFE, be courteous to other motorers and most of all HAVE FUN!

Schedule of Events:

NEED TO FINISH THIS WHEN WE GET THE SCHEDULE

FACTS ABOUT THE DRAGON

• TOTAL DISTANCE:By Road:Tabcat Bridge to Deals Gap - 11.1 milesTabcat Bridge to Hwy 28 - 11.8 milesTabcat Bridge to Fugitive Bridge - 14.0 milesAs the Crow Flies:Tabcat Bridge to Fugitive Bridge - 6.0 miles

• AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC (ADT):400 vehicles in 2002.

• HIGHEST ELEVATION:Deals Gap - 1962 feet

• LOWEST ELEVATION:Tabcat Bridge - 877 feet

• ELEVATION CHANGE:Tabcat Bridge to Deals Gap - plus 1085 feetTabcat Bridge to Fugitive Bridge - plus 321 feet

TAPOCO  LODGE - Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fixed hours with dinner served 5:30 to 7:00 pm. Mon. - BBQ, Tues. - Roast Beef, Wed. - Beef Tips, Thurs. - Pork Roast, Fri. - Catfish, Trout, Steak, Sat. Steak, Sun. - House Special. Beer and wine sold and served here. Call to pre-order lunch for large groups ... they can have it ready on arrival to save

you riding time. .

FONTANA VILLAGE - Offers several options for dining. Peppercorn Restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Village Grill for a quick burger 11:30 to 8:00 pm. Ice Cream Shop for a quick cool down snack.

General Store for a hot dog or pre-made meal 9 am-5 pm.

ROBBINSVILLE – Papa's Pizza - located on US 129 just a half mile north of the US 129 Hwy 143 intersection. Pizza, subs, salads, Italian dinners. Open until 9

pm. Rosies Cafe - located on Old Main Street just down the street from the

courthouse. Breakfast and lunch snacks. A great place for a cup of coffee.

BBQ - located on Hwy143 just East of US 129 in downtown Robbinsville, Chicken, pork, beef, and ribs. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Open

until 9 pm. 828-479-6862Phillips Restaurant - located on Main Street adjacent to the Phillips Motel. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Buffet or order from the

menu. Lynn's Place - located on the corner of Main Street and East Main

Street across from the courthouse.Mexican - Located on US 129 Bypass in RobbinsvilleChinese - Located on US 129 Bypass in Robbinsville

Texaco Gas Station - Located in Robbinsville on US 129 just north of the Hwy 143 East intersection. Snacks, broasted chicken, breakfast

biscuits, and SubWay.Wendy's - same as everywhere. Located on US 129 in Robbinsville.

The Black Knight - Breakfast, lunch and dinners. Located on US 129 on the south side of town.

DO NOT LAY ON THE BRAKES if you see danger ahead. You are much better off to trust your tires and lay into the corner than to hit your brakes hard. Some 90% of the accidents on the Dragon are due to speed and then over-braking.If you see another vehicle coming at you in your lane, hug the white line in your lane. In all likelihood you can avoid trucks and trailers if you take the inside 2 feet in the corners. BUT DO NOT CUT THE CORNERS too tight and run off the road on the inside. YOU WILL GO DOWN IF YOU DO.Stay between the double yellow and the white line. Do not dive over the double yellow or cut inside the white line in corners.DO NOT be spooked by other riders. DO NOT make sudden avoidance moves. You might have to adjust your line to avoid a car, truck, or bike, but DO NOT lay on the brakes or turn off the roadway unless that is the only out you have.Avoid riding hard on the Dragon in heavy traffic times. Weekends from 11 am to 5 pm are the busiest. These are the times to lay back and enjoy watching the "show".The early mornings (before 11 am) and the late afternoons (after 5 pm) have the least traffic.ALWAYS stay 100% alert. You do not have the advantage of relaxing on theDragon.Make sure your MINI is mechanically sound and that your tires are good.Plan to make several runs, the first is always a nervous one .... then you can have fun on the second and third.Remember that it takes a while to heat your tires up. DO NOT over-use your brakes. Use your gears and DOWNSHIFT. A good Dragon rider WILL NOT use a lot of brakes.Focus - do not daydream. Watch the road, your mirrors, and pay attention to other bikes/cars/trucks.99% of the accidents on the Dragon come from the following:

Too much speed, Too much brakes, Tricks, People who should not be riding in the first place, Inattentiveness

The Dragon is not a difficult road to ride. I was taming it only a few weeks after my first motorcycle ride and dragging pegs a week later.Ride the Dragon at your skill level - don't try to push it or keep up with faster riders.Riding this line will get you in trouble !!!! Stay in the right half of your lane when entering blind corners such as this one.Avoid the painted lines when the pavement is wet. They are extremely slippery.STAY IN YOUR LANE, FOR THAT MATTER STAY IN THE RIGHT HALF OF YOUR LANE There are videos available for sale that show riders cutting the corners and taking chances that might appear "fun" while sitting in your easy chair. BEWARE!. this style of riding on the Dragon can cost you dearly. The challenge of the Dragon is to take the many curves in the best line possible and both lanes IS NOT "the line". Ride Florida if you like to straighten out the curves.Do NOT sightsee. The Dragon is to ride, not to watch the sights. On many runs I don't even see what is on the side of the road. I'm watching the roadway ahead.Look far ahead at the road, curves, bushes, other vehicles, etc. If you haven't seen the hazards right in front of you, you are going to hit them anyway, so you might as well pay attention to what you can avoid. We have seen deer, bear, turkeys, and wild boar on the roadway. Be ready to brake and slow.Maintain a "safe zone". Keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you. Watch your rear view mirrors for faster vehicles. If you see a faster rider/driver coming up behind you, pull over to the right half of your lane, slow down, and wave them around. It is much safer to give a faster rider half of your lane than to try to outrun him. NEVER stay left trying to keep him from passing. NEVER pull off the road onto a gravel/low shoulder. It may be illegal to pass on the Dragon, but I'll let a faster rider get around me to protect my safe zone.There will always be faster riders than you. Don't try to be the King of the Dragon.Ride the Dragon many times before trying to challenge it. Then you still need to respect it.

Start out going SOUTHEAST on US-129/TAPOCO RD toward CASTLEWOOD RD. Continue to follow US-129.13.8 milesTurn LEFT to stay on US-129.<0.1 milesTurn LEFT onto US-74/US-19. Continue to follow US-74 E.22.3 milesTake EXIT 67 toward BRYSON CITY/GREAT SMOKY MTS NATIONAL PARK.0.2 miles Turn LEFT onto FRANKLIN ST/BENNETT RD/SPRING ST.0.7 milesTurn RIGHT onto US-19/MAIN ST.0.1 milesTurn LEFT onto EVERETT ST.0.1 milesTurn RIGHT onto ISLAND ST.0.1 milesTurn LEFT onto COLLINS ST.0.1 milesCOLLINS ST becomes RICHMOND ST.0.2 milesTurn LEFT to stay on RICHMOND ST.<0.1 milesTurn LEFT onto PLATEAU ST.0.1 milesEnd at Swain County Hospital 

Swain County Hospital828-488-2155

45 Plateau St, Bryson City, NC 28713 Total Est. Time: 53 minutes

Total Est. Distance: 38.17 miles

We hope you have signed up to join us at the farewell dinner! We have lots of prizes to be given away and guest speakers. Also, there will be ping-pong tournaments, MINI racing contests, and lots of other fun things! Vendors will be present as well!

Even if you didn’t sign up for the dinner, please join us anyway – we need you there!

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*Many thanks to Ron and Nancy Johnson from tailofthedragon.com who supplied most of the articles and/or information obtained for this brochure!

Disclaimer: The information contained in this brochure is designed for informational and educational purposes only. AtlantaMINIS members shall not be liable for any errors in the content, nor for any action taken in reliance thereon.

We aren’t responsible for the poor Dragon Pukers! If you choose to ride shotgun, please do so at your own risk!

Thank you for being a part of AtlantaMINIS!

This booklet is brought to you by the AtlantaMINIS Steering

Committee:Amanda HarwoodAngel DurhamET and Jill FossPaul and Becky CoveneyPaul DarrowPete CrosbyJean LambkinScott and Jenny GrandfieldLaura White