2010 South Family Motorcycle Trip
Arkansas Ozarks, May 8-15
Day 1 -- May 8, 182 miles
I left my home in Weatherford, OK in early afternoon to meet my dad and brother at Lake Eufala State Park. They traveled north from Lake Fork to meet, and got there a couple of hours before me. They already had a campsite chosen and tents up when I arrived after nightfall. It was fun driving through a mostly pitch-black park at night, but Richard had given great directions and I pulled up to see waving flashlights at our campsite. We had a good visit and hit the hay.
Our campsite:
Some views of the park and the lake -- springtime and everything is green:
Getting ready to ride to Arkansas -- (l to r) my 1982 Suzuki GS1100E, Dad's 1994 BMW R1100RS, and Richard's 2001 Triumph Trophy 1200:
Day 2 -- May 9, 237 miles
We had breakfast, packed up sleeping bags and tents, loaded the motorcycles, and headed out on I-40 for Arkansas. Weather was iffy -- overcast with a chance for rain all day. The first half of the day was an interstate cruise, a good way to make mileage, but pretty boring as rides go. We had lunch at a cafe in Ozark, then headed north.
Using information from Ride Texas! magazine, we rode to AR 215 and headed east on what they describe as the "Dragon West." It was a scenic and fun ride, but we neglected to note that at Oark, we were supposed to backtrack and then take another highway to Clarksville. Instead, we continued east and soon found ourselves on a county road -- a dirt and gravel road in the middle of Ozark National Forest. It was fairly smooth, so we continued, as our maps indicated we would soon come out onto Hwy 21. Arriving at a fork in the road, with numbered signs bearing no relation to either printed state maps OR to Microsoft Streets and Trips software, we nevertheless surmised where we were (correctly) and determined that the right fork offered a shorter route to AR 21. However, the short route turned out to be the MEAN route. Our smooth dirt road became a very steep road with deep soft dirt and rocks, not the best recipe for success on heavily loaded street bikes with street tires. There was a hairpin and then a steep run uphill. Richard and I got through, but dad's BMW got stuck in the deep dirt at the hairpin. We turned around to go back to help him get out of the deep stuff, and then after a short rest stop took the other side of the fork. It was fairly level and smooth all the way to AR 21 -- a much better choice.
Next we continued through beautiful country on state highways that were every bit as fun as the more highly touted AR 215. Since it was Sunday, not much was open in the small towns. Most had no gas station, and the few that did were closed on Sunday. We stopped in Sand Gap to ask where we could get gas since we were nearing "E." The only sure answer was Dover, some 25 miles south, but not in our desired direction of travel. We headed that way, and finally arrived at a gas station with our bikes running on fumes. Since rain was threatening, we elected to get a motel for the night in Russellville. We elected to do some laundry since all of our riding gear was covered in dust from the dirt road and found a laundromat and then a car wash. After a HUGE dinner at the Chinese Buffet across the street from the motel (I'm pretty sure they didn't make any profit on us that night), we crashed.
Day 3 -- May 10, 113 miles
After rain during the night, we had a very cold and hazy morning in Russellville. Soon after we departed to head to Mountain View, we encountered fog. It was very elevation-sensitive, and in some places we would go in and out of the fog as we rode over hills. When the elevation of the road remained high, we were in thick fog, with visibility often extending only a hundred feet or so. Because it was still and quiet, it was a surreal and peaceful ride through the chilly fog.
The layer of fog is visible in the picture below. It had begun to burn off by now.
We had lunch at a diner in Marshall. Classic diner fare at inexpensive prices. We arrived in Mountain View and set about finding a place to stay. We planned to camp, but there was a forecast for severe storms in the area. We eventually settled on the Dogwood Motel and it was a bike-friendly place. That night, severe storms rolled through Oklahoma (bearing tornadoes) and headed straight for Mountain View. As we watched the sky and the radar, the storms completely (almost magically) dissipated about 30 miles away, dropping only sprinkles on Mountain View.
Day 4 -- May 11, 132 miles
After a quick parking lot replacement of my Suzuki's brake switch (Richard had procured one for me in Dallas), we embarked on our first loop ride from Mountain View. Road Runner magazine had just printed a set of four loops around Mountain View, and we would run almost all of them. Our trip in had covered most of one of their loops, and our first actual loop took us northwest and almost immediately past our planned campsite, so we dropped in and rented the campsite, set up tents, and then headed northwest through more of the Ozark National Forest, this time on very nice paved roads. After about thirty minutes we were on Push Mountain Road, one of the finest and most fun cycle roads anywhere! Excellent pavement, and turns coming so fast that we were just standing the bike up after the previous curve when it was time to lean into the next one. Awesomely fun. Riding in front, I did have one tense moment with a wild turkey who decided after crossing the road to go BACK across in front of me. I successfully missed him, but I wonder how smart they really are... We tried (and FAILED) to maintain posted speeds. It was just too tempting and too fun.
Views along the way:
We stopped in Mountain Home, had lunch, and procured some refreshments for later which were unavailable in Stone county (Arkansas is wet or dry by counties), then continued our loop.
A stop to rest in Calico Rock brought an opportunity to visit the ghost town of Peppersauce, across the Calico Creek from the current settlement. Peppersauce was built too low, and flooded too often. It was eventually abandoned and is now a silent museum to its former glory.
Calico Creek:
Sign about Peppersauce:
Richard in the old Jail:
The current Calico Rock community:
After visiting for a long time with an elderly man who saw us reading signs and offered his own oral history, we continued back to the Sylamore Creek Campground. Our campsite was atop the bank of Sylamore Creek, a beautiful clear creek which emptied in to the White River about 300 yards away from the campground.
Sylamore Creek just behind our campsite:
Bluffs on the opposite side of the creek:
Richard and Dad:
Me and Dad:
Day 5 -- May 12, 148 miles
A peaceful night in our campground broke into morning with the sounds of birds in the trees above us.
Mountain View bills itself as the folk music capitol of the world. Our campground, about 8 miles north of town, had a large open field with a stage on the front of the cabin facing the field. In the summer, bluegrass jam sessions happen here.
Our campsite came with a large pavilion. We were able to park our bikes underneath and still have room for two picnic tables. A motorcycle camper's delight!
The day's ride would take us on a loop northeast of Mountain View. We immediately crossed the White River and started up the very twisty and very fun AR 9. After some exhilarating twisty bits, we arrived in Melbourne, AR.
I have always loved native stone houses, and in Melbourne we spied a couple in close proximity, probably built by the same person:
An old highway rest area contained several beautiful wildflowers and ferns:
After a Dairy Queen burger in Batesville, we completed our loop back to Sylamore Creek Camp.
The REAL reason motorcyclists carry side bags:
Day 6 -- May 13, 218 miles
Today's loop was west and southwest, and was the longest of the loops. It was also one of the most scenic, as we crossed the beautiful Buffalo National River twice and rode up and down its canyon numerous times.
We stopped for lunch in Jasper and ate at the Ozark Cafe, a historic eatery on one side of the courthouse square with good food and small-town (cheap) prices.
The courthouse was a WPA project.
The old jail was used until 2009!
Outside of Jasper there was a magnificent view:
Another rest stop -- more beauty:
Our last stop that day was in Leslie, where a former bank has been converted into Serenity Farm Bread, an organic sourdough bakery. The bread is cooked daily in a wood-fired brick oven. We bought some focaccia for dinner and some walnut raisin bread for snacks and breakfast. It was incredibly hearty and tasty.
Day 7 -- May 14, 346 miles
While checking email earlier in the trip, I had seen a notification that Asleep at the Wheel, the legendary Austin-based Western Swing band, was playing at the historic Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa Friday night. We quickly agreed to make that a stop on our trip and bought tickets online. After a long first stint, we refueled in Morrilton where we picked up I-40. At our next stop, outside Altus, a thunderstorm began to play it's tune. We suited up for rain, and drove on. Although we never got into a thunderstorm, it rained all the way to Tulsa. We checked into the motel, and took a cab to dinner at a Mexican restaurant near Cain's. Cain's Ballroom is the place where Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys gave a weekly radio broadcast across the nation. Pictures around the ballroom show stars of Western Swing and Country Music. We got seats in the first row behind the dance floor. It was an incredible show in every way. We saw farmers and ranchers with their wives from 40 to 80 years of age dancing the night away (some were very athletic), as well as much younger people dancing and enjoying the music. Asleep at the Wheel played a solid two hour set, with never more than 10 seconds in between songs. It was a hoot!
Day 8 -- May 15, 167 miles
On Saturday morning, we rose early to see more rain. Dad headed south to East Texas from Tulsa, while Richard and I rode to Oklahoma City. From there, Richard continued south to Dallas while I rode on to western Oklahoma. We were all tired and ready to see our wives or significant others, but more than ready for the next trip!