Ultimate Adventure 2022, Day 6
Leaving Windrock for the infamous Tail of the Dragon.
Day 6 of Ultimate Adventure (UA) was a road day, traveling from Oliver Springs to Kimball, Tennessee. After all of these years, though, the group knows that UA isn't just going to lead them down the interstate. Instead, it led them down US 129, through the "Tail of the Dragon" to Deals Gap, North Carolina. The Tail of the Dragon is an 11-mile paved road popular with motorcycles and sports cars for the 318 turns with names like Copperhead Corner, Hog Pen Bend, Wheelie Hell, Shade Tree Corner, and Gravity Cavity. Since the road is situated along the southwestern border of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, there is no danger of vehicles pulling out in front of those in the right of way.
After crossing into North Carolina the crew passed the Cheoah Dam, which Harrison Ford famously jumped from in the movieThe Fugitive. The dam and old single-lane bridge were also in the 1971 movieTwo Lane Blacktop, which has become a cult classic. Then it was on to the Cherohala Skyway, a 43-mile National Scenic Byway that starts at 1,000 feet in elevation and climbs to over 5,400 feet at the peak. The skyway provides vehicular access to the Unicoi Mountains and recreational areas including the Citico Creek Wilderness, the Bald River Gorge Wilderness, and the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. The Cherohala Skyway led the group past the now closed OHV area of Tellico to Tellico Plains, back in Tennessee. The final destination for the night was Kimball, Tennessee, where UA returned to the same hotel for the first time in its 20 year history. The hotel was previously visited in 2015, when the participants carried canoes on the roofs of their vehicles and it rained every day of the trip. Fortunately, there are clear skies forecast for Day 7 of Ultimate Adventure, when the crew heads to Coalmont OHV Park for the grand finale. Check back to see just what's in store for them!
Ultimate Adventure 2022 Coverage!
FULL ULTIMATE ADVENTURE COVERAGE
Ultimate Adventure 2022, presented by Rugged Ridge, will be happening the last week of September, so be sure to keep your eyes on this website for daily event updates publishing from September 25 to October 2, event coverage in the pages ofFour Wheeler, and, of course, the Ultimate Adventure videos onMotorTrend's YouTube page in early December.
How To Follow Ultimate Adventure On Social Media
- Instagram:@fourwheelermag,@4wheeloffroad,@jpmagazine,@ultimateadventureofficial,@hbombindustries,@christianhazelofficial,@verne.simons
- Facebook:@fourwheelermag,@4wheeloffroad,@jpmag
- Follow the hashtag:#UA2022
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