Saturday, April 21, 2012- Deals Gap and the Foothills Parkway.

I bought this sign at a little store along a windy road before we got to Deals Gap!

US highway 129 along the southwest edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known as "The Tail of the Dragon", noted for its 318 curves in 11 miles. We needed to go to the Tennessee side of the Smoky Mountains from the Nantahala and Joyce Kilmer Memorial National Forests, so over the mountains we went. Not bad if you have been driving in the mountains for a while, but edgy just the same.

There were photographers along the highway taking photos of every vehicle going by and advertising their address online. One outfit was: www.us129photos.com 
Our RV can be seen on their site by CLICKING HERE

This is only one moderate curve.

We stopped in the middle of the "Dragon's Tail" at an overlook.

The guardrail at the overlook was well decorated, not only at the end that you see here, but along it for about 50 feet.

The Foothills Parkway was a much straighter highway, with wildflowers along the shoulders. These are Lyre-leafed Sage.

Golden Ragwort along the Foothills Parkway.

View of the Smoky Mountains from the Foothills Parkway