Route suggestions

Greetings,

I'm actually from Michigan, but my wife and I are flying into Columbia, SC to purchase an NSX and are looking for some route planning tips.
We're picking up the car on Saturday 6/21, and would like to find some good roads to get us back to I-75 for our long trip back to MI on Sunday.
We've obviously heard all sorts of stories about the Tail of the Dragon (129) and certainly would love to drive it in the NSX. There are probably many fantastic roads we could incorporate into our Northwest-bound vector before we eventually hook up with I-75, and that's why some local knowledge / advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
Brian

If you find yourself near Dahlonega, N. of Atlanta on 400, then go up through Neal's Gap (129 there too, I believe) and get up to the Dragon that way. Consider going through Suches.
Enjoy the Cherohala as a less crowded alternative to the Dragon to get you back on your way.
There are thousands of alternatives. Use Google to look for interesting roads or check out motorcycle roads guides.
Enjoy.

PGM

Thanks MT-Tank.

I have been combing the maps of that area, and they look to be just a fantastic assortment of scenic roadways.

My current plans are to take 26N out of Columbia then either run I-40/19 over to Robbinsville and up through the Tail, or maybe get off 26N a bit earlier near Hendersonville and run 64/276 to the Blue Ridge Parkway then up to 19 and over to Robbinsville.

Any advice and or caveats would be most welcome!
Brian

If you take I-77 instead of I-75 - which is almost the same distance - that puts two of my favorite roads in the eastern half of the country right off your route: OH-78 (especially the stretch just west of I-77, between McConnellsville and Glouster) and OH-26 (between Marietta and Woodsfield).

nsxtasy said:

If you take I-77 instead of I-75 - which is almost the same distance - that puts two of my favorite roads in the eastern half of the country right off your route: OH-78 (especially the stretch just west of I-77, between McConnellsville and Glouster) and OH-26 (between Marietta and Woodsfield).

Click to expand...

Thanks nsxtasy!

I'll have a look at I-77, if for no other reason than it's something different from I-75.
I'll have to see what we'll have time for, since the trip the way I currently have it plotted is going to take over 14 hours (to cover 823 miles).

Brian
(MT-Tank, just noticed your sig- this car will be a 50th birthday present for me as well ;^)

FWIW, I just drove that route (from where I-77 crosses from NC into Virginia, up through West Virginia and up to the Ohio Turnpike, then across Ohio and Indiana and a jog up to Michigan) a week ago. The weather was dreadful (severe thunderstorms and hail in WV) but obviously that isn't usually the case. The WV portion is curvy but definitely up to interstate standards. Oh, and there are tolls in WV till you get to Charleston (WV). If you have a transponder - an I-PASS (from IL), I-ZOOM (from IN), or EZ-PASS (from the Northeast) - you can use it at the toll booths. You'll have to pay cash on the Ohio Turnpike though.

As it stands now, here is our planned route for Saturday.

Leave Columbia heading North on 26, then near Hendersonville grab 64 Westbound.
Take 64 until it meets the Blue Ridge Parkway and follow that West until it hits 19/23 near Balsam Gap.
We'll run that (and 143) Westbound to Robbinsville and then up through 129 to the Dragon, and on to Knoxville & I-75.
Let's hope the weather is nice, but that the twisty stuff isn't clogged with motorhomes and the like :biggrin:
If all goes well, look for a 'new owner' post (with pictures, of course) sometime next week.

Thanks again for the help!
Brian

sca037 said:

Let's hope the weather is nice, but that the twisty stuff isn't clogged with motorhomes and the like :biggrin:

Click to expand...

Word to the wise - for the least traffic on the twisty portions, plan your trip so that you drive those as early in the daylight as possible.