BACKROADS • DECEMBER 2021
Page 16
WE’RE OUTTA HERE HISTORIC TAPOCO LODGE
14981 TAPOCO ROAD, ROBBINSVILLE NC 28771 828-498-2800 • TAPOCO.COM Finding history wherever we travel, our recent trip south to ride some of the most amazing motorcycle roads in the country brought us to one such destination. While many riders will have the Tail of the Dragon as a bucket list item, we have ‘been there, done that’ but, after riding such roads as the Moonshiner, we figured we best give the Dragon another run. At the tail of the Tail (or above the head, however you may look at it) you will find a most excellent place to lay your head for a night or more. Dating back to the 1930, with major updates, additions and renovations since, the Historic Tapoco Lodge makes for one great spot to store your gear while exploring the MANY, MANY roads, paths and trails this portion of the United States has to offer.
a weekend destinationkeeping you on the backroads The Tapoco Lodge, getting its name from the first letters of the former Tallassee Power Company which was responsible for the building of the Cheoah Dam, first housed their workers on this property. The dam was finished in 1919 and about a decade later, in 1930, the Aluminum Company of America (or ALCOA as most know them), which was the majority shareholder of the Tallassee Power Company, built a retreat for their executives on that property. Company president, Andrew Mellon (of Mellon Bank, Carnegie Mellon University and, of course, his tenure as the US Secretary of the Treasury) enjoyed his time spent here and found inspiration for many of his future endeavors. For several decades the lodge was used as a resort by ALCOA as it became more of a family and friends gathering spot than an executive privilege resort. The late 1990s saw the property fall into disrepair and was sold to the Cody family of Robbinsville, NC. Tapoco Lodge was re-opened as a traditional mountain resort for all guest in 1995. Ronnie and Terry Hedrick purchased the property in 2010 and began major renovations and restorations to bring the Lodge back to its ‘glory days’, while establishing it on the National Register of Historic Places. They then passed the baton to the Bailey family of East Tennessee in 2017 who developed the 120-acre property into a rich biodiversity, beautifully landscaped with activities for all who come to enjoy its offerings. One of the major draws to this area is the whitewater rafting on the Cheoah River. For 70 years, the Cheoah didn’t run, diverted by the Tapoco Hydroelectric Project (THP). In 2005, an unexpected benefactor brought about a change. The Appalachian elktoe, a species of mussel na-
