Visit to the USS Cod SS 224

On the final leg of our journey we stopped off at the USS Cod SS 224 berthed in downtown Cleveland, Ohio on Lake Erie. Blue and I are both submarine veterans and for us it was a trip down memory lane. Art and Tamara are both veterans but Art is U.S. Army and Tamara is surface Navy. To go aboard and spend the night on a WWII submarine was a new experience for them. Art is about 6'3" or so and he had a little difficulty moving about without bumping his head on some piece of gear. He also learned that the average "rack" is a little small for someone his size. We had to teach him the fine art of being flexible. Blue is also tall, about the same height as Art but being a diesel boat veteran he had no trouble moving about or sleeping in the confined spaces of this boat. We were welcomed by Paul Farace, curator of the boat, and his crew, including my old friend Fritz Hemrich. We had a great dinner at a Cleveland Bistro, swapped some fantastic stories and even got photos of Tamara harassing the Cleveland Police whilst they were having dinner. It was a fantastic way to conclude this journey and we really enjoyed it.

Video of the Tail of the Dragon Ride

This is a 26 minute video of the ride on the Tail of the Dragon. Click the "Riding the Dragon" tab above to view the video. I've also added a 24 minute video of the road we took to reach Deals Gap, NC and the Dragon. Another interesting ride. http://youtu.be/taQXLAk-e7s

Tail of the Dragon and Smoky Mountain National Park on May 31 and June 1 2013

On Friday, May 31, 2013 we departed Ralph Luther's house and headed for Deal's Gap and Tail of the Dragon. That night we stayed in Pigeon Forge, TN but did not see Dolly Parton. On Saturday we toured Smoky National Park before heading northeast to Blountville, TN and an overnight stay with my shipmate, Bob Mazurkiewicz and his wife Pat. Bob (Zerk) and I served aboard USS Skipjack together in the mid '60's Randy Bolin and his wife "Crazie" joined us for breakfast. They are SSMC members that I met at the USSVI Convention in Norfolk last year. They are pictured on the white Harley's. His plate reads "WILDN" and hers reads "CRAZIE". Great people and we appreciated and enjoyed their company in Pigeon Forge. The "Tail of the Dragon" was an impressive and reminded me of some of the roads I took when we went to the Pacific Northwest in 2010 and Sturgis in 2012. Lots of Twisties and Windies to keep you focused. Scenery was spectacular and the weather cooperated. The "Tree of Shame" is a reminder of what happens when you get careless or reckless.