- Joined
- Feb 28, 2003
- Messages
- 51,657
- Reaction score
- 9,254
- Location
- Huntsville
- First Name
- Scott
- Last Name
- Friday
So, if you find yourself in Huntsville, Arkansas, around breakfast time, or lunch and dinner actually, I can firmly recommend eating at Granny's. Hwy 23 makes a sharp bend in town as you pass the Shell station and the Sonic. Granny's is on the left past the car wash. They have the BEST pancakes of anywhere I think I've ever eaten. They are huge, light, fluffy, and have a hint of vanilla taste to them. They come with four strips of bacon. I couldn't finish them. I briefly thought about one of their massive cinnamon rolls and then came to my senses. They were tempting though! Beth had a giant Western omelette and said it was very good as well. Even the kids really liked the place. They had the pancakes like me.
With everyone nicely stuffed after breakfast, we head back toward Kingston to find the Ranch. Daniel has decided to ride with me on the GS and the girls follow in the truck. It is a beautiful sunny day with a strong breeze. The ride back down 23, 74, and 21 is really nice. We find the turn with no problems and head down the gravel road. It is smooth and has no serious steep sections like Cave Mountain Rd., from last night. We easily find the Ranch, right in the corner where it is supposed to be, and pull into find a spot to set up camp. Donny and Lynn are here and he tells us to just pick a spot. We pull up in the field across the dirt road from the main house, it is wide, relatively level, and full of deep lush grass.
We set about unloading the trailer and setting up camp. I get the bikes unloaded and drop the cross boards for the bed platform. The kids haul out the tents and Beth and the girls get them set up. The girls are active in a group called American Heritage Girls, similar to Girl Scouts but without all the PC stuff. They get badges for doing various things and Beth has them set up for knocking out a lot of the requirements for camping related badges this weekend. It involves things like setting up tents, cooking over a fire, planning and preparing meals for a group, etc,... Daniel helps me with the bikes but he is ready to ride NOW!
The grass seen here is typical of all the massive pastures on the property
My GS in the background near Donny's trailer
TONS of open spaces for Rachel to zoom around on the TTR50E for her first time riding without training wheels!
Once everything is pretty well setup and organized, Daniel starts to get up for a ride. I decide to head out with him and Donny will take us on a short ride out to check out a creek and waterfall. Rachel and Sarah aren't really ready to ride just yet. Everyone gathers up in front of the main house and then we leave as a group, Daniel and I bringing up the rear. We head out on a dirt road that runs through the pastures along the ridges between the hills. Then we cut off through a pasture, down some steep grassy hills and into the woods, crossing over a few small creeks as we go. Then we pick up a narrow two track road that runs along a fence line through some mud puddles that Daniel aims to hit dead center! One day he'll learn the lesson about unexpectedly deep holes under the water
We soon come to a sharp corner and the road starts dropping down pretty quick. Daniel has no issues with it at all. At the bottom there is another sharp corner, which if missed means going through a few trees and off a ledge... Just beyond the corner is a neat little creek that we ride through. Daniel is hesitant for a change so I ride on through to show him how to do it. As I am parking my bike to walk back to watch him, I see that he's already attempted it and he's picking up the bike. Apparently, he hit a slick rock and the front tucked. He's already back up and on the bike by the time I get to him and just needs a push to get the bike moving because the rear is just spinning in the mud.
Looking back. There's a large flat rock between the big puddle and the bend. It's covered in slick algae and that is what got Daniel.
Donny mentions needing to work on that last corner to get it marked to make sure no one blows it and goes over the ledge. So Daniel and I head up the hill on the far side of the creek to do a little exploring on our own. The hill climb is fairly steep with two good ruts and a fair bit of loose rocks, branches, and leaves, but Daniel gets up it with no problems. He's all about staying on the gas!!
Typical of the "roads" that go off into the woods around the property
We head off down another little road, crossing a few small creeks without issue, and then come to a gate. We stop short of the gate to have a look because I can see that the road goes down quite steeply. I pull up to the edge and consider whether or not to attempt it. I tell Daniel to wait while I go first. Almost immediately the back end of my KTM is trying to lead the way and is sliding on the loose rocks. I get about 20 feet down and the road gets even worse. I manage to get the bike halted and decide that we might not want to do this one just yet. I look back up at Daniel and shake my head. He seems to agree. So I manage to get my bike turned around and remount, starting back up from a dead stop. The rear is kicking out and spinning in the loose rocks but I am able to get back up without much trouble. Climbing this from the bottom would be a major challenge! We decide to keep exploring elsewhere.
Just past that gate, it drops quickly!
We ride around for a bit longer and then head back up to the camp area to see if the girls are ready to ride. Lynn offers to take Beth, Sarah and Daniel on a tour of the property in a Kawasaki Mule and they take her up on the offer. Rachel wants to stay back at the camp and start riding around out in the open. Unfortunately, her TTR50E doesn't want to start. It is as if the battery is totally dead!? Of course, when I put the bike in the trailer before leaving it was starting and running perfectly Now, push the button and NOTHING We discuss her maybe trying to ride Sarah's CRF110F. It is just a tiny bit tall for her, but she can reach the ground. There's no clutch, so it's basically just like her TTR50E. She decides to give it a try...
[Gotta run, heading to Austin for the TWT BBQ event at Woodbutcher's place. Will get back to this when I can.]
With everyone nicely stuffed after breakfast, we head back toward Kingston to find the Ranch. Daniel has decided to ride with me on the GS and the girls follow in the truck. It is a beautiful sunny day with a strong breeze. The ride back down 23, 74, and 21 is really nice. We find the turn with no problems and head down the gravel road. It is smooth and has no serious steep sections like Cave Mountain Rd., from last night. We easily find the Ranch, right in the corner where it is supposed to be, and pull into find a spot to set up camp. Donny and Lynn are here and he tells us to just pick a spot. We pull up in the field across the dirt road from the main house, it is wide, relatively level, and full of deep lush grass.
We set about unloading the trailer and setting up camp. I get the bikes unloaded and drop the cross boards for the bed platform. The kids haul out the tents and Beth and the girls get them set up. The girls are active in a group called American Heritage Girls, similar to Girl Scouts but without all the PC stuff. They get badges for doing various things and Beth has them set up for knocking out a lot of the requirements for camping related badges this weekend. It involves things like setting up tents, cooking over a fire, planning and preparing meals for a group, etc,... Daniel helps me with the bikes but he is ready to ride NOW!
The grass seen here is typical of all the massive pastures on the property
My GS in the background near Donny's trailer
TONS of open spaces for Rachel to zoom around on the TTR50E for her first time riding without training wheels!
Once everything is pretty well setup and organized, Daniel starts to get up for a ride. I decide to head out with him and Donny will take us on a short ride out to check out a creek and waterfall. Rachel and Sarah aren't really ready to ride just yet. Everyone gathers up in front of the main house and then we leave as a group, Daniel and I bringing up the rear. We head out on a dirt road that runs through the pastures along the ridges between the hills. Then we cut off through a pasture, down some steep grassy hills and into the woods, crossing over a few small creeks as we go. Then we pick up a narrow two track road that runs along a fence line through some mud puddles that Daniel aims to hit dead center! One day he'll learn the lesson about unexpectedly deep holes under the water
We soon come to a sharp corner and the road starts dropping down pretty quick. Daniel has no issues with it at all. At the bottom there is another sharp corner, which if missed means going through a few trees and off a ledge... Just beyond the corner is a neat little creek that we ride through. Daniel is hesitant for a change so I ride on through to show him how to do it. As I am parking my bike to walk back to watch him, I see that he's already attempted it and he's picking up the bike. Apparently, he hit a slick rock and the front tucked. He's already back up and on the bike by the time I get to him and just needs a push to get the bike moving because the rear is just spinning in the mud.
Looking back. There's a large flat rock between the big puddle and the bend. It's covered in slick algae and that is what got Daniel.
Donny mentions needing to work on that last corner to get it marked to make sure no one blows it and goes over the ledge. So Daniel and I head up the hill on the far side of the creek to do a little exploring on our own. The hill climb is fairly steep with two good ruts and a fair bit of loose rocks, branches, and leaves, but Daniel gets up it with no problems. He's all about staying on the gas!!
Typical of the "roads" that go off into the woods around the property
We head off down another little road, crossing a few small creeks without issue, and then come to a gate. We stop short of the gate to have a look because I can see that the road goes down quite steeply. I pull up to the edge and consider whether or not to attempt it. I tell Daniel to wait while I go first. Almost immediately the back end of my KTM is trying to lead the way and is sliding on the loose rocks. I get about 20 feet down and the road gets even worse. I manage to get the bike halted and decide that we might not want to do this one just yet. I look back up at Daniel and shake my head. He seems to agree. So I manage to get my bike turned around and remount, starting back up from a dead stop. The rear is kicking out and spinning in the loose rocks but I am able to get back up without much trouble. Climbing this from the bottom would be a major challenge! We decide to keep exploring elsewhere.
Just past that gate, it drops quickly!
We ride around for a bit longer and then head back up to the camp area to see if the girls are ready to ride. Lynn offers to take Beth, Sarah and Daniel on a tour of the property in a Kawasaki Mule and they take her up on the offer. Rachel wants to stay back at the camp and start riding around out in the open. Unfortunately, her TTR50E doesn't want to start. It is as if the battery is totally dead!? Of course, when I put the bike in the trailer before leaving it was starting and running perfectly Now, push the button and NOTHING We discuss her maybe trying to ride Sarah's CRF110F. It is just a tiny bit tall for her, but she can reach the ground. There's no clutch, so it's basically just like her TTR50E. She decides to give it a try...
[Gotta run, heading to Austin for the TWT BBQ event at Woodbutcher's place. Will get back to this when I can.]