Have you ever done the Dragon? You haven't? Well, you are in for a treat, or a treatment; whatever. Let me tell you the story of my daughter Anne's sister-in-law, Jackie. She came down to visit last summer. She has a brother over on the North Carolina side of the Smokies. Jackie has never been near the Smokies before. She needed directions on how to get to her brother.

Anne gave her directions. Anne is good doing that. The problem this time was that Jackie didn't write them down. She got as far as Maryville and didn't know which road to take. So what did Jackie do? Why she called me, of course. I checked the Tennessee road map. The best way as I saw it on the map was to take Highway 129 out of Maryville up over the mountains. After all, she was already at the junction with 129. “Just continue on,” I told her. Sure. Why not? Why not, indeed!

I had just given her directions for doing the Tail of the Dragon. I don't know if Jackie has ever driven in mountains before. After all, she is a flat-land girl from Michigan. She thanked me for the help and continued on.

I don't know if she saw the Dragon sign or if she saw the sign noting it was the last place to turn around for the next eleven miles or so. If she did, she had no idea what she was in for. Meanwhile, I sat at home here in Union County waiting for Anne to come home.

When Anne walked in the door I proudly announced that I had helped Jackie cross the Smokies. Anne came unglued. “You gave her directions for the Dragon,” she screamed. There was nothing to do but wait for Jackie to call. Or whatever hospital she was at to call. All kind of disasters played out in our minds. How could I do such a stupid thing?

Are you familiar with the Dragon? It is eleven miles with 318 curves. There are no intersecting roads or driveways, but there are a couple important signs. One tells you there is no gas until you reach the North Carolina side. At the end there is "A Tree of Shame." It's covered with motorcycle parts that have been "bitten by the Dragon." New parts are added, not daily, but often.

How did Jackie survive the Tail of the Dragon. She loved it. It was to be the highlight of her trip to Tennessee. Anne, Jackie and I repeated it the next day. Now I, too, am a survivor of the Dragon.