We got up and walked around the lodge to see what was there in the mornings. There were a couple of pots of coffee, so we helped ourselves and found a book about the P&J Construction Company in the lobby. They had celebrated their 50th anniversary by publishing this book of stories and memoirs about the people who had started and continue to run the company. P&J is a local company in the nearby town of Robbinsville that had made it big by clearing sights for major construction projects, like dams, roadways, and railways. They became nationally successful when they got the government contract to clear the land for the Flaming Gorge dam in Utah. The book was a good 300 pages long and was filled with humorous anecdotes as well as historical information. We read a good number of stories while we were drinking our coffee and noticed that there were a few more copies of this book lying around in other locations in the lodge, but had no idea why (we would find out later, though).

We went geocaching at 8:00am and found two of two. We rode the famous, or is it infamous, Tail of the Dragon road at Deal's Gap; 318 curves in 11 miles. For those who don't know about it, the Tail of the Dragon is the Mecca for motorcyclists. Every rider dreams and plans to visit it sometime in their lives. It was lots of fun and the roads were in perfect condition. We had to visit the "Tree of Shame", a monument to riders who didn't make it through the Dragon with their bikes intact.

Sign at Deal's Gap	Tail of the Dragon Resort
Tree of Shame - Front View	Back View

Next we rode the Foothills Parkway up and down. It had many beautiful sweeps and scenic views of "smoky" mountains. We passed a turtle crossing the road. (Insert joke here?!?!) We rode the Cherahola Skyway which went up to 6000 feet and was absolutely gorgeous.

We rode to the nearby Fontana Dam, went into the visitor's center, and saw the video about how it was constructed. The Dam was built 1945-1947. The rock that was cut from the mountain was recycled to make the cement for the Dam and they used the trees that were cut down to build the forms for the dam. The 5,000 or so workers who moved into the area with their families to build the Dam, lived in what is now Fontana Village.

At dinner, the Hickory smoked BBQ ribs were excellent; at least as good as the ones we make. After dinner we sat and watched the sun set and the "smoke" rise over the mountains. Not a bad way to end the day.

Fontana Dam from the East	Fontana Dam from the West
Huge Spillgate	Spillway Tunnel from the Top
Spillway exit	River below the Dam

Odometer at end of the day = 39645

Miles ridden today = 184