Lori and I took a little drive up to Great Smoky Mountains NP for some camping. We camped one night, but didn't do any sightseeing in the park because Levi is not allowed on trails. Plus, I'm an idiot and forgot the cameras.
We drove around the perimeter the next day, just to enjoy the beautiful scenery. We planned on camping that night in a different campground south of the park. I knew of Deal's Gap and "The Dragon" thanks to Kellen's trip there and subsequent trip report he wrote a few years back. I didn't really know where it was, nor was I intending to drive on it this trip.
Lori suggested a route around the park and I agreed, as our atlas indicated the route was "scenic." Later, Lori was driving and I was checking out our route on the map. I saw "Deal's Gap" on the map and thought it sounded familiar. I quickly remembered what it was and told Lori about it. She asked me if I wanted to drive. She's so nice to me.
I declined, however, as I'm confident in her driving, plus I would probably make her car sick.
Yep, it's pretty twisty. I find it interesting that there are several photographers along the route that seem to make a living from US129. I found us on a couple different photo sites. The photos are kind of lame, actually. Simple snaps that anyone could take with their phone, IMO. I think some of us could get in on that market.
That said, I didn't see the big deal in that route specifically. There are other roads nearby that are just as good and longer. We turned east on Route 28, which runs just south of the National Park, and it was pretty awesome too. We followed it until the 64, then followed it until the 178. All crazy twisty stuff for 130 miles! Cool week-end get-away for motorcycle and car enthusiasts within a day's drive.