2014 -- May 22-28 -- Arkansas again
It is difficult for us to resist riding in Arkansas. The roads are good, it is close enough for all of us not to have to spend multiple days in transit, and the scenery is beautiful. We chose to meet in eastern Oklahoma -- Poteau.
We had dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant and waddled back to the room. The next morning we headed into Arkansas and did a beautiful ride through the Ozarks, with a beautiful overlook.
This trip was memorable because of the unexpected. On Saturday, at our lunch stop, I noticed that my rear tire was worn so much that cords were showing. We were in Clarksville, and began calling motorcycle shops all over central Arkansas. Most were closed on Saturday afternoon, and the ones which were open had no tires in my size. Bentonville BMW in NW Arkansas was open and had the tires. However, they were 113 miles away, and closed at 4 PM. We headed that way, and might have driven at extralegal speeds to get there. They got my bike in immediately and mounted a new set of tires, finishing after their closing time. I was very impressed with the customer service and with the stock of new and used BMWs. We spent the night in Bentonville.
Next, we headed southeast and rode very scenic country, eventually ending in Ozark. I again walked to the historic cemetery which is on bluffs overlooking the Arkansas River. Many of the graves date back over 130 years.
Even with the unexpected detour, the trip was lots of fun and had great riding.