The Tail of the Dragon. If you're even remotely interested in cars, odds are very good you've at least heard about this place. It's a very twisty section of US 129 that spans a stretch of the North Carolina / Tennessee state line, packing 318 curves over an 11-mile stretch through America's scenic Smoky Mountains. It's become something of a haven for petrolheads seeking an epic drive, and thanks to this clip from killboydotcom on YouTube, you can take a virtual tour.
This "third-person" view is pretty cool, with the camera mounted high up on the back of a Porsche Macan. The result is rather like a video game, capturing the car with a broad view of the early spring surroundings in the mountains, but we do offer a word of warning. To crunch the video into something under 10 minutes, it's sped up a bit. As such, the 11-mile trip is accomplished in approximately half the time, and there are viewing consequences.
We assume the Porsche driver doesn't gratuitously exceed the 49 km/h speed limit posted on the route, but with an average of 29 curves per mile sped up to at least twice the speed, there's a legitimate concern for motion sickness should you view this on even a modestly sized screen. Still, for someone who's never properly experienced what many consider to be one of America's greatest driving roads, it's quite a ride.
The clip is titled SitRep March 28, 2020 – uploaded just three days ago as of this posting and smack in the middle of the Coronavirus outbreak sweeping America. Taking a drive might certainly be a way to get out of the house while observing quarantine and social distancing, but Tailofthedragon.com reports there is currently no access to the road from the North Carolina side. It's unclear if this is due to the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently report 1,498 cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina and 1,834 cases in Tennessee.
