John & Molly:

So sorry to hear of you loss, we will be praying for you. The Dragon was not the same without you both there.

I have videos! I will be making a DVD (cost of shipping and disc only), but have not done so as yet. Here are some clips:

Dragon:
Fall2011TOTD 1 - YouTube

Lodge to the Dam:
Fall 2011 Dam - YouTube

PM me if you want a DVD.

 

You have Midge and I's deepest condolences John.

 

Sorry for your loss,, payers are with you and your family. jim

 

Roberta & I wish to express our deepest regrets for your loss. These are especially difficult times and we get through these events by remembering all the great times with our loved ones. Our prayers go out to you & family.

 

All this talk about banning trucks from US129 is way out of line IMO. They have as much right to the road as anyone else driving out there. The issue with The Dragon is that the car enthusiasts & bikers think it's a road course and as such, they want to drive as fast and/or careless as they want. But the fact remains it's a public road, governed by public laws and everyone has the right to use it. I enjoy The Dragon, Moonshiner 28 and all the other "twistie" roads in & around the Smokies. But you've got to respect those that use these roads for everyday transportation and a means for getting from Point A to Point B.

A few years back, I was returning from Alcoa, TN and decided to take US 129 back to US28 and then home. About 1/3 of the way thru The Dragon, I came up on a Highway Patrol officer going the opposite direction. He flagged me down to warn me that a mobile home was about a mile behind him. They were escorting the home to a location somewhere up the road. Now you want to talk about something to see when a mobile home & you meet along The Dragon!!! That road really ain't wide enough!!!

 

I agree that we don't own that road but I also think anyone has the right to the road as long as they can drive it without crossing the double yellow line. If the cops would look for trucks and ticket them every time they cross the line, maybe word would get out there amont the truckers. Or they could require warning cars front and rear like many extra wide loads are required to have.

 

I agree completely with your comment. No matter what or how you're driving, you have to stay on your side of the road. That mobile home I met couldn't do that, so it had a police escort to get to its destination.

There's also the use of common sense. And an over-the-road rig (53 footer) shouldn't travel US129. I've got a neighbor that drives for Roadway and he makes daily runs to the area in & around Fontana. But he drives a short trailer to get around on those roads and thru some of those cities where he has to deliver.

 

These day there are too many trucks on the road, many are caused by JIT scheduling by corporations. Trains should be used more often and if needed incentives used to promote it. We do not need any more roads as the rails are used too infrequently, but we will have more cars on the road and cars and trucks do not mix.

You can say they pay road tax, but they cause more wear and tear on the roads than your little Honda or whatever. Too many of these truck drivers have the motto 'move over little car over or else'.

When time is money professionalism takes a back seat. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying there are no good truckers, just too few. Get the cowboys off the road. The same goes for car drivers.

 

i completely agree. lets subsidize the railroads even more so they can build a spur directly to your house. trust me theres not a single trucker out there getting rich. professionalism is about all we have. as for road taxes an average trucking compnay pays more in road and fuel taxes in a month than you would pay in a yr.

 

Of course they are not getting rich, there are too many willing to do the job for less by undercutting everyone.

The trucking company paying more tax than I and the spur line are poor excuses for a rebuttal.

 

thats called the capitalist way in america. if you dont like the pay dont do the job. as for the spur line thats the exact point. every single thing you ever will own or have owned was brought to you by a truck. not by a train or mule . by a truck. eliminate the trucks and you have nothing. everything not a single thing left out from your socks to a rocket a truck brought it.

 

I did not say ban trucks, I said there were too many. A truck bringing goods from Texas to Buffalo say, could go on a train if it was planned correctly. A long train with 200 containers is more efficient than 200 trucks carrying the same goods. That train gets 200 trucks of the freeway. Some perishable goods and some other items would still need long distance trucks.

Let the smaller trucks do the local deliveries as they do now.

 

Just a point, but have you seen the sign on most highways,"no trucks in left lane" is that the same as banning,, YES or NO ? it does let the cars go by a little faster. so if they could put signs no vehicle more than three axles past this point,, and then have a turnaround place for the bigger trucks,, this could work.

 

I'm sorry I even brought it up about the trucks and the Dragon; it was just meant for information, not to have a debate about it.

Please let it end with this post, this is not the place.

 

Hope to see ya all back next year:

5th Annual Spring 2012 - Tail of the Dragon GTG - April 6-8

6th Annual Fall 2012 - Tail of the Dragon GTG - October 5, 6, 7
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One link to ALL the photos
PhotoReflect - Xtreme Sports Photography - Crossfire's

Click on any photo in any gallery and select "All your pics for $45.00 on CD - $45.00"
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Sept. 30th, 2011 Friday 746 photos

October 1st, 2011 Saturday 818 photos

October 2nd, 2011 Sunday 514 photos

October 3rd, 2011 Monday 129 photos

 

A little late but here is the final edited version of James1549 Video of ALL the Crossfires driving to the Fontana Dam on Saturday morning.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WEO83nQDYw&feature=player_embedded[/media]