Cruisin' the Twisties of Southeast Ohio Including our own Tail of the Dragon

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1 Cruisin' the Twisties of Southeast Ohio Including our own Tail of the Dragon by Randy Rhodes (99 AE) With a whole day, no to do's marked 'urgent', weather calling for mid 80's and sunshine, I decided to head over to SE Ohio last Saturday and check out some of the twisties. There are several good motorcycle roads websites ( that talk about the great roads in this section of the state so I figured if it's good enough for them, it's gotta be great for our little roadsters. One road in particular is even labeled mini-tail of the dragon with 110 turns in 11 miles of roadway. Could it be? Thirteen hours and five hundred miles later, I was not disappointed in any of the roads I chose. Let me digress... At 9:15 in the mornin' I headed over to Zanesville and then down to Marietta and points East on four different routes. First stretch was Route 555 (the Triple Nickel ) running from South Zanesville all the way to the Ohio River via one of the most technical roads I've ever driven in Ohio (or anywhere). Seriously. Think roller coaster with more up-down, left-when-you-thought-right, stomach flipping whoop-de-doo hills (immediately followed by 20 MPH turns!) and switchbacks than you can count. I have no idea how many shifts I did but easily in the hundreds. For a solid 60 miles and an hour-and-a-half of spirited, wheel gripping, 55 MPH speed limit driving (hardly close to that during most of the drive), I never saw more than a quarter mile of straight, level road... nor much traffic. WAHOO! What a blast! There was also more than a few pucker factor - Which way does the road go? - seconds that let me appreciate the handling (and brakes!) of my little buggy, along with my driving skills of course! Scenery was nice too (I think didn't have much time to look at it!). I had to be careful in one section though after seeing some horse doo-doo on the road. Sure enough, I came upon a couple 1 and 2 horsepower vehicles being drivin' by the Amish. A friendly wave and slow pass and on with the fun! When I finished up in Little Hocking on SR 7, 15 miles SW of Marietta, I was exhausted, my hands and left ankle were cramping and I had the biggest Miata smile I've had in three short months of ownership. (Read on for a link to a brief video of a sample stretch). After a cool-down, 25 minute drive to Marietta (and a drive-through for a much needed milkshake), I picked up Route 26 heading NE out of Marietta for about 20 miles. This was wasn't as technical as Triple Nickel but a great drive none-the-less. Plenty of curves, hills and beautiful scenery along this country road as I skirted the Wayne National Forest. Not as many hills with blind curves either. I was actually thankful for this break. I sat back and enjoyed the whine of my supercharger pulling the turns and the nimbleness of the Miata as I cruised through 20 and 25MPH curves with an occasional hairpin, followed by longer stretches of higher speed, yet curvey, undulating asphalt. Think the kinda roads we search for on our Drive-n-Dine's yet mile after stupid grinning mile through beautiful countrysides with hardly another car to be seen. This is what Miata cruisin' is all about! My Route 26 drive ended at Highway 800. I turned right for a few hundred yards and then left onto Route 255. Another 20 miler that was probably my favorite, all around drive. Technical but with more consistent 2nd/3 rd gear through the twisties and hills. Plenty of wheel gripping moments with steep drop-offs, no guardrails and again, nary a straight or level roadway for the entire trip. The views all through the Wayne National Forest and back-country vistas was superb. I also began to respect that a posted 25 MPH curve meant 25 MPH, maybe a little cheating but not

2 much... certainly not like the posted-25-but-can-be-taken-at-50 curves we see around these parts. Route 255 offered a little bit of everything to please most of my senses. OK, maybe not my nose pigs are good eatin' but DANG! can they stink up an area! At the end of the route, I found myself in the small town of Sardis along the river. After a much needed 40 minute stop to cool off and eat (while sitting under a huge shade tree along the Ohio River), it was a short drive to Hannibal and Route 536 Ohio's version of the Tail of the Dragon... Anyone who's driven or heard of Deals Gap and The Tail of The Dragon on the Tennessee, N. Carolina border of the Smokey Mountains ( knows it's possibly the curviest (318 curves to be exact) stretch of road (11 miles) in America. I had the pleasure of driving the tail on my return trip from Florida after picking up my 10AE back in March. Quite the experience to say the least. The hairpins and reducing-radius, blind turns makes for a wild ride. But because of many accidents and a few deaths, both states have reduced the speed over the route (US 129) to 30 MPH which, in my opinion, kinda ruins the experience somewhat. Thankfully, there are enough other drives in the area to more than make up for it and the tail is not to be missed during your Miata ownership in my opinion. The 'tails' Ohio cousin (Route 536) is 110 turns in the same 11 miles. Not as many turns for sure but a GREAT drive none-the-less. And, one that has a posted 55 MPH the entire way! With zero traffic to worry about (including horse drawn buggies), my souped-up 10AE attacked the roadway with a snarl that put quit the smile on my face that I haven't had since my high school days while (not inhaling of course) unmentionable substances, all the while testing the locking functions of my seat belt from the very first turn. Tight-radius turns (many of them blind), 90 degree bends after topping small hills, up and down elevation changes and the chance to put your foot into it between turns (never needing to exceed the speed limit), was a flat blast. There were also a few of the sharp, banked-into turns that really allowed me to accelerate hard through the turn and come out grabbing 3 rd gear (flyin') with tires squealing that really made this road seem like the tail of the dragon. No kidding. Unfortunately, the 11 miles is split into 2 sections and the second few miles are not nearly as tight as the first. Plus, I was behind a pick-em-up truck and didn't want to tick off the locals with a double yellow pass, so I didn't get to experience the full 11 miles. All in all though, a great, tight, technical stretch of road that is a must-drive when in the area. Sorry, no pics too tired... and BUSY drivin! I opted to take the less traveled roads back to the home-20 via Route 78 and what a relaxing, top-down, big orange ball sun-setting drive it was. Night-time topless driving is my favorite and the evening, combined with excellent, 80's tunes on my XM radio, made me thank the Lord for the day and the blessings he's provided during my brief ownership of my Miata. Thirteen hours after pulling out, I pulled into my driveway; exhausted, hair gritty and sore. Not to mention my ride needing a good cleanin' the next day. I sat in the darkened driveway, listening to a few final 80's tunes while simply allowing the whole experience to soak in. awesome... If any of you have the chance, (the Northcoast Miata club is hosting an upcoming 2009 Southern Ohio Miata Tour, June in that same area I would definitely recommend taking the time to drive some of these roads. You won't be disappointed. I posted a brief video clip of what you can expect ( and also a Google map with the routes highlighted here. Enjoy these roads soon! Links: Full Size Pictures Pic1 Pic2 Pic3 Pic4 Pic5 Pic6 Pic7

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