• Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to register so that you can join the community and use the numerous features on the site. After registering, don't forget to post up an introduction!

Our Ozark vacation

Eulogite

0
Forum Supporter
Joined
May 6, 2006
Messages
943
Reaction score
237
Location
Eulogy, TX
First Name
Alan
Last Name
Edwards
Disclaimer: I'm no Skiphunt or Rocketbunny in the photo dept., nor equal to the eloquence standards of many on this site, but here it is and maybe somebody will enjoy. I sometimes forget that we are the last of the dial-up dinosaurs and I'm not wasting most people's time waiting for photos to upload.

Friday 9/22

We changed the planned route to Eureka Springs and stayed due north through McAlester to Muskogee. All the way up, I only had to glance right and see a monster anvil cloud that made me shudder. Finally, we had to turn east and face the storm.
p1010003_2_.JPG


Just outside of Tahlequah on 62, we put on the Frog Toggs, and just in time.
p1010004_2_.JPG


Nightfall arrived with the storm and the road got twisty as we moved through the hills of eastern OK.
p1010005_2_.JPG


I kept the Ninja's light in sight behind me, but I could see she was developing quite a following of impatient cagers. The rain was forcing me to raise and lower my visor constantly, so I was glad to see a church with a big awning where we could take a break. In Westville, near the OK/AR border, a local warned us of large hail and high winds coming our way. Yep, that's the same thing the weather channel told me before we left! When we got to Fayettville about 9:30 pm, it was an easy decision to stop for the night. Then I realized that Alabama was in town to play the Razorbacks on Saturday. We got the last room at only the second motel I tried. I don't think the people driving the Lexus at the first motel saw me rub it with my sidebag as I whipped through the hotel entrance. I forgot my rear is 47 inches wide in full tour mode. :doh:

Saturday 9/23

Rained hard all night and the next morning. We took off about 10 am.
P1010007_2_.JPG


It was chilly and damp as we headed down 16 and then back up 23 to Eureka Springs.
P1010010_2_.JPG


We offloaded the big luggage, then checked out downtown Eureka (where apparently you could buy just about anything).
P1010016_2_.JPG

P1010015_2_.JPG


We visited the statue of our King. If that statement makes anyone feel cynicism, believe me, I understand perfectly. I was right there with you until I recently surrendered my feeble opposition to believing in a supernatural being.
P1010014_2_.JPG


The pavement had dried out so we headed for Missouri and some roller coaster roads. I kept an eye out for a bunch of fast Texans, but we didn't see them until we got back to the motel. Making the new friends was a great experience. Like Pie Runs, the time you have for getting to know everyone is all too brief.

Mike, Roger, Jon, and Hugh are ready to roll.
P1010024_2_.JPG


Rick, Don's big blue locomotive, and Don.
P1010023_2_.JPG


Scott looks ready.
P1010026_2_.JPG


Sara handled the "after" very well. I've been in her shoes and it's not fun.
P1010031_2_.JPG


P1010032_2_.JPG


TO BE CONTINUED........
 
p1010004_2_.JPG

Did you realize that you were being struck by lightning here? :eek2: ;-)

BTW, it was good meeting you and Mrs. Eulogite.
 
scratch said:
Did you realize that you were being struck by lightning here? :eek2: ;-)
That Debbie really gets charged up for these rides... :mrgreen:
 
Monday, 10/2. Today was bad. I had to remind myself all day how stupid it would be to quit my job the first day back from vacation. It's probably a red meat, potato, cheese, grease, and alcohol hangover. I gained six pounds in ten days. :eat2: I promise the next time I go on vacation it's gonna be OK to continue to eat fiber and vegetables. I felt better after putting up gear and reading a few good threads.

Okay, where was I? Sunday 9/24.

We started the day by having coffee with Roscoe on Hwy 62 W just about a mile from the motel. It's just a little shack with good coffee, but Roscoe loves to talk bikes and has a wry wit.

At the first gas stop Sunday while riding with the group, Debbie came up to me with tears in her eyes because she had such a bad headache. I told the group we would catch up later. After sitting in a Wendy's for 40 minutes, she felt better and we took up the route. My heart sank when I came around the corner and saw that someone had missed a curve. After a short break at Pelsor on Hwy 7 (I didn't get a pic of the bike, Sara), Debbie and I stayed split from the group and headed north for the rest of the day. Partly because we had already done Hwy 23 twice but partly because that was my first ride with a big group and I wasn't sure how I liked it yet, so I decided to take it in small doses. Matt did a great job and I had no problems, but I just really don't like anything in front of me but ROAD. ;-) I've had scares in the past because I concentrated on the bike in front of me instead of looking through the curve. Other than that, I love the socializing and the more the merrier!


Monday 9/25

The trailers headed for Texas pretty early, but I did get to holler at Pacman before he pulled out. We headed for MO and a beautiful day.
P1010083_2_.JPG


This is probably unsafe, but Squeaky does it, too.
P1010085_2_.JPG


We stayed at River's Edge cabins in Eminence, MO on the Jack Fork river Monday night. It had a heart-shaped hot tub. :oops:

Tuesday 9/26

We did some exploring and stuck to the alphabet roads as long as we could (KK, P, DD). Most curves involved a rise or a drop. We started gingerly due to the East sun and the shadows dappling the roadway, but after a while I started to get in a rythm with the guy that engineered the road. We began to drop, swoop, and rise in a repeating pattern. We made a side trip to a waterfall.

P1010075_2_.JPG


P1010074_2_.JPG


TO BE CONTINUED....
 
Nice shots, Alan, and what a nice trip. Ninjette and I did a two-up to Eureka early in the summer...That way we had one person running the camer and another running the scoot. (But I think she missed having her own throttle.)
 
Tuesday 9/26 continued...

We took our time getting to St. Louis.
P1010049_2_.JPG


P1010037_2_.JPG


One day when I was real hungry I was watching Rachel Ray eat fried chicken and I promised myself right then that someday, I would eat some of that fried chicken. :eat: This is the place.
P1010095_2_.JPG


Pre-chicken anticipation
P1010093_2_.JPG


WARNING: The following photograph is EXTREMELY GRAPHIC and could cause uncontrollable cravings!





:eat3:








Last chance to save yourself.....













Are you ready???













:drums:












Oh, yeah!
P1010094_2_.JPG



We beat rush hour to the hotel. Let me add here that each night's reservation was basically a surprise to Debbie. My hero status continued to grow.

The scar is where old Busch was.
P1010096_2_.JPG


We had better seats the next night.
P1010099_2_.JPG


The next two days were Italian food, the Arch, baseball, and Budweiser. That about sums up St. Louis. Sorry, Matt. We really didn't root for the Redbirds, but when Albert hit a 3-run upper deck shot in the 8th, down by a run, to end a 7-game losing streak (which the 'Stros contributed mightily to), the place ERUPTED and we got our money's worth right there (not to mention our stub was now worth a Big Mac). It was cool.

The coffee Italian ice at this place was by FAR the best food of the trip.
P1010117_2_.JPG


P1010110_2_.JPG


The view from the bottom...
P1010102_2_.JPG


and the top.
P1010104_2_.JPG


TO BE CONTINUED ....
 
I recognize that waterfall shot... We usually hit that when I do the rides based out of Mountain Home, Ar. There are some fantastic roads in that area!!
 
Thursday 9/28

In our previous touring life, Debbie rode pillion on the '78 Wing and we had all our camping gear and clothes in doubled garbage bags lashed down to the tall passenger backrest. We didn't know any better; we had a motorcycle and wanted to go camping in Colorado. I do remember that we rarely met anybody our age on Gold Wings:-P . But I was a mileage PIG in those days; wake up her early, get on the road ASAP and ride hard until there was just enough light to set up the tent. Do you think that might be why she quit touring with me?

Not wanting to spoil a good thing on this first trip with her riding, I learned to cool my jets and we tarried about in the mornings.:coffee: So we got out of St. Louis about 11 am. We decided to run down I-44 for a while to make up time and because that is the best way to escape the metropolitan area anyway.

When we turned south it was chilly and cloudy. We geared up for rain and hit light showers on and off all day while exploring more alphabet roads. We managed to arrive at the River of Life Farm near Dora before dark. As we eased on a road with deep gravel, warning bells were going off in my brain because I had never inquired about their private road and I knew we were in a river valley. By the time I decided that she should stop, the road was so steep that I couldn't pull off. I got to the bottom and started jogging back up the hill.:nono: When I couldn't hear the Ninja, I knew she was down. I was soon met by one mad woman carrying a helmet and tank bag. :angryfire The recent storm had left meandering ruts in the road and she applied a little front brake while pitching about in the ruts. The result was a slow-speed highside. Bruised hip, sore shoulder, fairing rash, broken front brake lever. She was mad about her leetle yellow bike.

This was the bottom of the road that got 'er.
P1010133_2_.JPG



Luckily, I had saved the best reservation for last. :trust:
P1010128_2_.JPG


It was called the Cedar Chest. :clap:
P1010155_2_.JPG


The next day we made a leisurerly float on the North Fork of the White River.
P1010142_2_.JPG


Springs were abundant.
P1010139_2_.JPG


This is a beautiful, relaxing place run by Myron and Ann McKee. The hike to this view comes complete with inspirational Bible verses to discover along the way.
P1010156_2_.JPG


Saturday 9/30

It took a while to get out of there because somebody had lost all confidence on dirt. We zoomed across the border to Mountain Home and were soon on, yep, goal accomplished, Push Mountain Road! For those who haven't been there, the southern five miles of AR 341 has the fastest 25-30 mph curves that I have seen. At least the most of them in one place. The road is smooth, cambered, and has a broad shoulder. The only traffic we saw was a group of sport bikes shooting video in a turn. From there, we went to Marshall where we had a great burger at Kelly's on 65. We made a nice run down 27 to Tilly, meeting several small groups of sport bikes along the way. I sensed we were in the right place. Hwy 27 from Tilly to Hector is NUTS! Nearly everything was 20-mph and good enough pavement that I scraped a peg on the Strom. I did blow one center line, the only one of the trip, but I gave myself a good talking to before resuming my dance. That was the furthest I left my tailgunner behind. A must-vist road.

We got to Russelville and it was HOT! In Danville, I looked at the GPS and couldn't believe we were at less than 400 ft elevation. I hate getting across I-40 and the AR river every time for some reason. We were catching a second wind by the time we got to Mena and part of me hoped there wouldn't be a room so we could push on to the house. We found a room and located some friends from the Maxim Riders in Plano (including our own ddavis). We enjoyed supper and a parking lot party with them Sat. night.

Sunday we passed on the Queen Wilhemina breakfast with the gang and lit a shuck for the house.

A pause for one last picture of the sun rising from AR 88.
P1010164_2_.JPG


GEAR REPORT

Frog Toggs are great rain gear, but the crotch is too deep on mine and that would pull the pants cuff above my riding boots when I sat down. With water going in the top of my Frank Thomas boots, I couldn't tell how water-proof they are, but I don't think very. Debbie had some nice rain boots from the Aerostich catalog, but she tore one in the little get-off. We may both have those next time. We had Choko glove covers, very cheap mitten things that worked well but if you like a two-finger front brake, I would pass on these.

Ahh, the autocomm and GMRS radios. Rich Simmons warned me to work the bugs out before we left and I thought I had. The VOX function would just not work for more than a few minutes and that would be followed by chain saw, helicopter, and weedeater noises in the ear plug speakers. I will get some help from Eurosprort and Autocomm as necessary, but I don't think we need to talk bad enough to justify the extra fussing with the stuff at stops. Other than hazard warnings and directions, chatting and riding seems a bit overrated because it requires concentration that, like traction, is a precious commodity while sport-touring. I love my Givi bags because they are so well-designed and easy to use as luggage. On the narrow backroads, I had to be VERY careful not to get caught hugging the center stripe by oncoming traffic. There was not enough room for hanging one of those big eggs in the other lane. Now for the piece de resistance, the Motofizz Seat Bag! :clap: This is the medium and I can't say enough about it. It expands long ways and makes a shirt pocket seem downright UNhandy. It's also comfortable to lean against and a great lumbar support. The tie down straps have a special buckle that hold them together when not in use. It's trick.

P1010162_2_.JPG


That was our big vacation for 2006! The Ninja will get a few repairs and then be up for sale. It toured beautifully but there is just not enough passing and escape power. I rode it in some twisties and it's a blast, you only have to think about turning to make it happen.
 
Thanks for sharing your adventure, I enjoyed reading it. I look forward to the day when I can take a vacation on my bike, until then, I'll enjoy reading everyone else's.

Mike
______________
'01 Triumph Trophy 1200
 
Great job, Al-baby! And :thumb: for your reservations!

Wow, sorry about Debbie's mishap. Glad you were able to continue home without 4-wheeler help.

I'm interested in your Motofizz bag if nothing else than for back support. I plan to make it to Canton, any chance ya'll will be coming also and maybe bringing the bag to show off? :trust:
 
Oh yeah, Susan and I have also had trouble getting our Autocoms tweaked right. We had similar trouble with the Chatterbox units, so I don't think it's the hardware, it's us... :roll:

Again, greatly enjoyed your report...
 
Last edited:
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
Thanks for sharing !
So what bike is going to replace the MiniNinja?
 
Sounds like y'all had a very memorable trip. Sorry about your fall, Debbie. I know how it feels :oops:
I would love to take a trip like that sometime. Thanks for sharing the pics and story!
 
Hairsmith said:
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
Thanks for sharing !
So what bike is going to replace the MiniNinja?

650 R Ninja looks like a front runner. If only she could get her toes down on the new Tiger.
 
That treehouse cabin looks awesome! So was it really worth the gravel road to get to it?
 
Squeaky said:
That treehouse cabin looks awesome! So was it really worth the gravel road to get to it?

It was the coolest cabin I've seen. More dirt practice is the answer.
 
:tab No front brake in situations like that. Just use the back brake and let the tire lock up if needed. MUCH easier to control. This is also true for most any low speed maneuvering such as in parking lots, drive ways, etc,... If you are going slow and hit the front brake with the wheel turned, more often than not, the bike is going down, especially with a vertically challenged rider ;-)

:tab Great report and pics! Thanks for taking us along :clap:
 
Back
Top