Over the decade of publishing Mopar Connection Magazine, we’ve had several opportunities to equip multiple A and B-bodies with chassis stiffening equipment and top-tier handling components but never once did I get around to building the corner-carver B-body that I dreamed of. This regret was never better manifested than this past month as I accelerated after a trio of BMW coupes up the infamous Highway 129 behind the wheel of the “Brazen” Charger.
Known commonly as “The Tail of The Dragon,” this world-famous portion of Highway 129 consists of 318 corners, hairpins and sweeps inside of an 11-mile stretch up and over the Nantahala National Forest, bridging the borderline between Tennessee and North Carolina. The Dragon welcomes literally millions of tourists, motorcyclists, car clubs and lead foots each year, and coincidentally, ends at the entrance gate of the picturesque Tapoco Lodge Resort.
Earlier this year, MCM was invited by the staff of the historic Tapoco Lodge Resort to come out and stay for two nights in Robbinsville, NC. Unfamiliar with both the resort and the area, I had to stop and do a little research before accepting the offer: Tucked away deep in the Great Smoky Mountains and taking up around 120 acres along the Cheoah River, the Tapoco Lodge is a surprising piece of American history dating back to the hydro-electrification of the Appalachians in 1930.
Originally built by the Tallassee Power Company to house the workers building the Cheoah dams and other hydroelectric power projects nearby, the original structure was only the main lodge but was “gradually expanded over the next several decades to include the surrounding cabins as well,” according to the resort’s webpage. By the time the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) projects were completed, the property was opened up for public use.
Between the 1950’s and 1990’s, the property expanded to include multiple cabins, a theater, guardhouse, a tennis court and gazebos. And in 2004, the Tapoco Lodge to the National Register of Historic Places, ensuring that it would remain in its authentic form from here on out. The main building contains 11 rooms and suites with two restaurants. The property includes multiple trails, fire pits and sitting areas at the foot of the rushing Cheoah River along with its 18 cabins.
Wanting to make our 3-day, 2-night stay a bit of an early wedding anniversary getaway, my wife, Heather and I loaded up the Charger with the usual travel set of tools and fluids, as well as our duffel bags and a smaller cooler filled with bottled waters. Leaving Nashville early Sunday morning scheduled us to arrive at 2pm or so, factoring in for traffic. Well, traffic was all but non-existent that day, so our pace was radically increased.
We burned an hour at Bucc-ee’s Super Service Station in Crossville, TN loading up on snacks and some breakfast sandwiches. Once again, our newly-swapped 3.54 gears and our generous 5-gear .68:1 overdrive meant highway speeds weren’t nearly as taxing as before, as we averaged 12-miles-to-the-gallon, an all-time personal best. Not before long, we veered off of Hwy 40 and wove through the rural country side until coming up to the entrance of Highway 129.
The foot of the Tail (at least on the Tennessee side) is marked by a T-intersection flanked with gift shops, curios and artistically-fabricated dragons for tourists and travelers to pose beneath. This Sunday was conspicuously busy, rife with street bikes, choppers, road tourers and dual sports. But more than those were the Euro coupes and tuners. There was no shortage of all-wheel-drive WRX STi’s, 3-series BMWs, built Hondas, 911 Porsches, Mustangs and C8 Corvettes.
Hearing, first and seeing, second a bright copper-hued 1969 Dodge Charger R/T roll up to the stop sign and veer up the Dragon drew almost the entirety of the crowd’s attention. The 30-inch tall Mickey Thompson drag radials chirping as I grabbed second, closing the gap between us and the white 330i just ahead. It must’ve been something for the BMW’s driver to see the open maw of the Charger’s split grille quickly filling his rear view mirror.
It seemed like every major incline and hairpin corner was lined with spectators and photographers. Cars and motorcycles of nearly every stripe lined what little shoulder existed. Not wanting to lag behind, I peddled the Tremec TKX as best I could – but maintained mainly in 2nd gear throughout the 11-mile exercise. With 15×5 Weld Drag Lites wrapped in Mickey Thompson skinnies and a manual close ratio Flaming River steering box, I sawed the wheel back and forth furiously.
Cresting a major berm, a dozen dual sports poured into the procession directly behind us. Feeling some pressure, I closed in tighter on the Beemer. This no doubt gave him a sense of pressure, so he too inched up on the Mercedes ahead of him. The crowd, we would discover later, were spillovers from the banned “Slammed’nuf” show in Gatlinburg the night before. The moronic “takeover” culture got over 12,000 cars kicked out of one of the biggest venues in the US.
Coming down through the chicanes and past the popular Deal’s Gap general store, we drove up to the gates of Tapoco Lodge and directed to park directly in front of the lobby. Not wanting to make a fuss, I tried to argue with the porter who put up his hand, “No. You park this thing RIGHT HERE.” And sure enough, as we exited the now bug-spattered and freshly caked in road grime Charger, we were swarmed by energetic strangers of multiple generations.
After roughly an hour’s worth of socializing, we were able to check into our suite and kick off our shoes. My wife, being more than happy to not be pestered with demands from three children, quietly sank into the pillow top mattress content to not be seen or heard for a few hours. I paced the grounds, toured the parking lot and chatted up more car enthusiasts while a McLaren, a Lamborghini and a few more supercars filled the spots around the Charger.
We grabbed an early dinner at the in-house restaurant, still tightly packed as it had been all afternoon. That night, exhausted from the day’s drive, we both quickly drifted off as the rush of the river from beyond our open window lulled us to sleep.
The next day, we wandered into the Cheoah Dining Room for breakfast. Being Monday morning, the cafe was sparse save for a group of four motorcyclists still wearing their protective leathers.
Filling up on blueberry pancakes and diced potatoes, we packed up the cameras and wandered into the parking lot. Next to the Charger was one of Ford’s very rare twin-turbo V6 GTs covered in a camouflage vinyl wrap.
I fired up the 535cui stroker and let it warm up as the Fall mountain air was pretty brisk. With that, we idled out on to Hwy 129 and up towards Deal’s Gap. A local favorite, Deal’s Gap General Store, Motorcycle Resort and Dragon’s Den Pub & Grill, is an all-in-one stop for those coming to ride “The Dragon.”
Continuing to be a bit of a “fish out of water,” the Charger drew stares from some high dollar exotics including the owner of a V12-powered Ferrari GTC4 Lusso hatchback [who knew Ferrari made a hatchback? – Ed.]. After scoping out all of the mangled remains dangling from the “Tree of Shame” we hopped in the Dodge and headed southwest on Hwy 28 towards Fontana Village. Amazingly, a little beyond Fontana Dam is the trailhead for the Appalachian Trail, marking one of the most famous hiking trails on the continent.
We doubled back towards Tapoco, following the Cheoah River as it rolled and twisted though the valley, spilling out of locks holding back Fontana Lake just a little northeast of us. That night, we enjoyed some BBQ chicken pizza and fully dressed pulled pork “mountain fries” at the Tapoco Tavern, seated out on the patio between the stream and the live music stage. For those looking for the ultimate in Smoky Mountain ambience, I gotta admit that few places have this spot beat. [And yes, the BBQ pork “Mountain Fries” were as good as they look. – Ed.]
Overnight rain wetted the roads making me incredibly nervous about piloting the most complicated stretch of highway in the United States on drag radials, so we waited things out another hour hoping the sun might dry things enough. Unfortunately, threats of heavier rain forced our hand and we rolled out of Tapoco Lodge’s gated park at 8am. Gratefully, the Tail of The Dragon was both unpopulated and reasonably dry, so we cruised back over the mountain safely and without incident. Only after we made it to the base, did a group of Porsches speed by.
It’s not often that I get to write a trip report like this here at Mopar Connection Magazine, so there’s very little protocol I have to follow. Instead, I’d like to gush at how grateful I am with the opportunity to enjoy a truly unique experience. The Historic Tapoco Lodge Resort is an incredibly fun, thematic location. If Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg is “too touristy” and you’re hip to testing your mettle on Hwy 129, absolutely book a stay with Tapoco Lodge. The lodgings, food and atmosphere is one-of-a-kind, and adventure is right outside the door.
