TOOK MOST OF THE DAY OFF and went to the mountains, digital camera in hand. I drove up US 129 from Maryville toward Bryson City, NC (known as “the tail of the Dragon” to motorcyclists as it’s both twisty and hilly), though I only went a little bit past Deal’s Gap, NC. I saw lots of bikers, almost all of whom were going much faster than I was. (Notwithstanding the RX-8’s very impressive performance, especially in light of my somewhat rusty heel-and-toe skills, I didn’t try to keep up, and I suspect that the Supra that I saw in the ditch had made the mistake of attempting just that.) You don’t try to keep up with a motorcyclist in the mountains — you just figure you can always find him in the emergency room, later. . . .

Took a lot of lovely photos, and enjoyed the spring weather — it got up to 82 today, and it was surprisingly warm even up in the mountains.

I’ve been enjoying the photography a lot, and I may post an online gallery later, in case anyone is interesting. While I suspect that most readers don’t care much, there are definitely some whose interest is very strong. And as I mentioned a while back, I’m recovering an early love of mine with this.

UPDATE: Here’s a motorcycle blog with photos, devoted to the Dragon’s Tail.