mini-journey 2018 - AR-MO
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Tourer
Joined: Nov 2015
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From: Dallas area
mini-journey 2018 - AR-MO
Part 1 of 3
AR-MO Mini Journey 2018
(formerly Epic Journey 2018)
5/10/2018 - 5/21/2018
12 days - 2,101 miles
Here is the route:
https://trips.furkot.com/ts/gdrm83
The original Epic Journey route was north to MN, across part of Canada, then south through ND, WY, SD, NE, KS, OK. You'll see what happened below.
Day 1 - 262 miles
Allen, TX to Mena, AR
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2001
Took a short shakedown ride early this morning to make sure nothing falls off. All good. Got on the road about 10. Temps in the 70s to low 80s. Nice but wind was pretty gusty most of the day. Stopped at Pam's in Talihina for pecan pie and coffee. Nice ride on the Talimena as usual. Trees helped knock some of the wind off. Had the road almost to myself - just a few cars and two bikes. Had planned on camping at Queen Wilhelmena State Park but allergies are going nuts today. Decided to get a hotel in Mena instead. Ate at the hotel restaurant then back to the room. Showered, read a little, then out about 9:30
Day 2 - 211 miles
Mena, AR to Eureka Springs, AR
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2002
Up about 6 and breakfast at the hotel. Pack up stuff and on the road about 7:30. Nice day again but still windy. I always have a route that would look out of the way for some people. Part of that out-of-the-way route was AR309. Nice twisty road, great scenery, and goes up to Mt. Magazine State Park which is the highest elevation in the state at 2,753 ft. I rode this a few years ago and wanted to do it again. After AR309 it was on to AR23 to Eureka Springs. AR23 has a section called the "Pig Trail". The road got it's name from its use as a shortcut for University of Arkansas Razorbacks fans traveling to Fayetteville. This was the first time on this road for me. Nice and twisty! Love it. Got to Eureka about 2 this afternoon. Where is everyone? We're here for a Springer rally and no one around. They were out riding and rolled in later in the afternoon. Looks like about 20 of us here. Great to see new and familiar faces! I think a few more are rolling in tomorrow.
One of the Springer guys from Houston was having problems with the tail light on his bike. After helping him troubleshoot the problem, we found a short in the bulb socket and fixed it by disconnecting wiring for extra lights on the bike. As a bonus we had several others "supervising" our work. Thanks, guys. lol.
We all walked to the Rowdy Beaver, Moderately Agitated Beaver, or Beaver Something restaurant across the street for dinner. Good food and service. After dinner we went back to the Tall Pines Inn (nice place!) and sat around the fire pit for the meet and greet and told exaggerated stories and outright lies. In bed around 11. I had the A/C on and after about a half hour, I smelled something burning and it was getting warm. I looked around the cabin and didn't see smoke or fire. There is a gas stove that came on when the temp dropped from the A/C. Geez... Had me wound up for a few minutes!
Day 3 - 177 miles
Eureka Springs, Harrison, Jasper loop
Route for day trip:
https://trips.furkot.com/ts/w9FXi9
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2003
Up about 7 and make coffee. Gotta have it. Last night someone said we would ride to breakfast at 8 - yeah, right. This group is like herding cats to do anything together. Anyways we managed to leave for breakfast about 9. I think that set a new time record. We ate at the Filling Station. Good food and service! Back to Tall Pines to sort out the day's rides and herd some more cats. There was discussion about the Pig Trail. I and a couple of others did that yesterday. Five of us decided to take a loop into MO then to Harrison, Jasper, and back. I got elected to lead the ride. Okay, but I haven't been on some of those roads. I got the missed turn thing out of the way in the first two miles. Cool. Now we won't have to worry about that for the rest of the ride! We stopped at a hole-in-the-wall diner in Harrison for lunch. Again, good food and service. We spotted a family of ground hogs living in the rocks next to the diner. Not sure if they saw their shadow. We didn't ask. We had a really nice day, nice roads (about 180 miles), and best of all, nice company. We got back to Tall Pines about 5.
After herding more cats for about a half hour, we managed to get a line up of the sweet Heritage Springers for a photo op. Pretty cool seeing all these bikes together.
Everyone pretty much did their own thing for dinner. Alan (also from Dallas area) and I went back to the Really Excited Beaver for dinner. We all hung out around the fire pit again and continued the gross exaggerations and outright lies and discussed locations for a rally next year with limited success. Dang cats again! Said a few goodbyes since I'm leaving pretty early and most of the guys and gals won't be up. Out about 11.
AR-MO Mini Journey 2018
(formerly Epic Journey 2018)
5/10/2018 - 5/21/2018
12 days - 2,101 miles
Here is the route:
https://trips.furkot.com/ts/gdrm83
The original Epic Journey route was north to MN, across part of Canada, then south through ND, WY, SD, NE, KS, OK. You'll see what happened below.
Day 1 - 262 miles
Allen, TX to Mena, AR
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2001
Took a short shakedown ride early this morning to make sure nothing falls off. All good. Got on the road about 10. Temps in the 70s to low 80s. Nice but wind was pretty gusty most of the day. Stopped at Pam's in Talihina for pecan pie and coffee. Nice ride on the Talimena as usual. Trees helped knock some of the wind off. Had the road almost to myself - just a few cars and two bikes. Had planned on camping at Queen Wilhelmena State Park but allergies are going nuts today. Decided to get a hotel in Mena instead. Ate at the hotel restaurant then back to the room. Showered, read a little, then out about 9:30
Day 2 - 211 miles
Mena, AR to Eureka Springs, AR
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2002
Up about 6 and breakfast at the hotel. Pack up stuff and on the road about 7:30. Nice day again but still windy. I always have a route that would look out of the way for some people. Part of that out-of-the-way route was AR309. Nice twisty road, great scenery, and goes up to Mt. Magazine State Park which is the highest elevation in the state at 2,753 ft. I rode this a few years ago and wanted to do it again. After AR309 it was on to AR23 to Eureka Springs. AR23 has a section called the "Pig Trail". The road got it's name from its use as a shortcut for University of Arkansas Razorbacks fans traveling to Fayetteville. This was the first time on this road for me. Nice and twisty! Love it. Got to Eureka about 2 this afternoon. Where is everyone? We're here for a Springer rally and no one around. They were out riding and rolled in later in the afternoon. Looks like about 20 of us here. Great to see new and familiar faces! I think a few more are rolling in tomorrow.
One of the Springer guys from Houston was having problems with the tail light on his bike. After helping him troubleshoot the problem, we found a short in the bulb socket and fixed it by disconnecting wiring for extra lights on the bike. As a bonus we had several others "supervising" our work. Thanks, guys. lol.
We all walked to the Rowdy Beaver, Moderately Agitated Beaver, or Beaver Something restaurant across the street for dinner. Good food and service. After dinner we went back to the Tall Pines Inn (nice place!) and sat around the fire pit for the meet and greet and told exaggerated stories and outright lies. In bed around 11. I had the A/C on and after about a half hour, I smelled something burning and it was getting warm. I looked around the cabin and didn't see smoke or fire. There is a gas stove that came on when the temp dropped from the A/C. Geez... Had me wound up for a few minutes!
Day 3 - 177 miles
Eureka Springs, Harrison, Jasper loop
Route for day trip:
https://trips.furkot.com/ts/w9FXi9
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2003
Up about 7 and make coffee. Gotta have it. Last night someone said we would ride to breakfast at 8 - yeah, right. This group is like herding cats to do anything together. Anyways we managed to leave for breakfast about 9. I think that set a new time record. We ate at the Filling Station. Good food and service! Back to Tall Pines to sort out the day's rides and herd some more cats. There was discussion about the Pig Trail. I and a couple of others did that yesterday. Five of us decided to take a loop into MO then to Harrison, Jasper, and back. I got elected to lead the ride. Okay, but I haven't been on some of those roads. I got the missed turn thing out of the way in the first two miles. Cool. Now we won't have to worry about that for the rest of the ride! We stopped at a hole-in-the-wall diner in Harrison for lunch. Again, good food and service. We spotted a family of ground hogs living in the rocks next to the diner. Not sure if they saw their shadow. We didn't ask. We had a really nice day, nice roads (about 180 miles), and best of all, nice company. We got back to Tall Pines about 5.
After herding more cats for about a half hour, we managed to get a line up of the sweet Heritage Springers for a photo op. Pretty cool seeing all these bikes together.
Everyone pretty much did their own thing for dinner. Alan (also from Dallas area) and I went back to the Really Excited Beaver for dinner. We all hung out around the fire pit again and continued the gross exaggerations and outright lies and discussed locations for a rally next year with limited success. Dang cats again! Said a few goodbyes since I'm leaving pretty early and most of the guys and gals won't be up. Out about 11.
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 497
Likes: 187
From: Dallas area
Part 2 of 3
Day 4 - 300 miles
Eureka Springs, AR to Osage Bend, MO
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2004
Up about 6:30. Finish packing and say goodbyes to the few that are up this morning. Went back to the Filling Station for breakfast. On the road about 8:30. Crossed the free ferry at Peel, AR across Bull Shoals Lake into MO. Met some other bikers on the ferry. Talked a little and one of them asked me if this was the Mississippi River. Uh, no...it's Bull Shoals Lake. Maybe you should work on that geography thing a little bit. I crossed on the ferry to get to highway MO125. Excellent road but the last time I was on it I had rain. Nice day today! I ran into a detour for MO76 on the way to Ava, MO. Took the detour then about five miles later there was a detour on the detour. The detour road was County Road UU. Wow. What a great road! Twists and turns and the road was pretty much cut through the forest. Sorry, no pics - I got caught up in the ride! I don't think I had more than 25 miles of flat road today. Excellent riding! Got to Tim's and Rita's (Springer folks) place about 5. There was a gin and tonic waiting on me. We have prior experience in this area. Tim grilled pork steaks for supper. Good stuff. Hard to find better hospitality than with these two folks. Thanks! Out about 9:30. Might alter the route tomorrow to avoid rain in east Iowa.
Day 5 - 140 miles
Osage Bend, MO to Hermann, MO to Osage Bend, MO
No Pics.
Up about 6:30 and pack up. Headed up to Hermann, MO and stopped for gas. Heard a scraping sound from the front brake. Not good. One of the brake pads was down to metal. I had checked the brake not long ago during other servicing and obviously overestimated the miles remaining. Called Tim and sang my sad song. He said I could stay with them until it's fixed. Rode back to Tim's place. Ordered brake pads for overnight shipping. Called my wife, Tonya, a couple of times to have her check email for status updates - nothing. Check again tomorrow. So anyways, we hang out and continue the exaggerations and lies from the rally. Tim smoked ribs for supper. Really good stuff! Still no updates on the brakes.
Day 6 - no riding
Osage Bend, MO
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2006
No status updates from the supplier. Called, left message. Call again. I'm told they don't process online orders until the following day. Geez. The said they think it shipped but had to check with the warehouse and will call back. Several hours and no call - I call again. It's going out today. The UPS service I paid for says it's supposed to be delivered by 3pm next day. Cool. I can get on the road tomorrow afternoon. We had leftover ribs for supper - no complaints! Thinking about not doing the Epic Journey.
Day 7 - no riding
Osage Bend, MO
No pics.
Hang out some more and keep watching the road for the UPS truck. Didn't arrive until about 6pm but they are here - Hoo Hoo! Takes about 15 mins to install the pads. Too late to leave today. Tim says stay another night. That kind of generosity seems hard to find. I really appreciate it. Rita heads out to meet up with some girlfriends. Tim and I drive over to Wardsville for pizza. New place there and the pizza is really good. Back to the house and out pretty early.
I've changed my mind about the Epic Journey. A little bummed over the brake thing and no longer in the mood for a big trip but it's okay. I decided to do some riding in MO and AR. Hard to go wrong with that. I'll ride to Hayti, MO to see daddy-in-law then to Batesville, AR to see a cousin I haven't seen in awhile.
Day 4 - 300 miles
Eureka Springs, AR to Osage Bend, MO
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2004
Up about 6:30. Finish packing and say goodbyes to the few that are up this morning. Went back to the Filling Station for breakfast. On the road about 8:30. Crossed the free ferry at Peel, AR across Bull Shoals Lake into MO. Met some other bikers on the ferry. Talked a little and one of them asked me if this was the Mississippi River. Uh, no...it's Bull Shoals Lake. Maybe you should work on that geography thing a little bit. I crossed on the ferry to get to highway MO125. Excellent road but the last time I was on it I had rain. Nice day today! I ran into a detour for MO76 on the way to Ava, MO. Took the detour then about five miles later there was a detour on the detour. The detour road was County Road UU. Wow. What a great road! Twists and turns and the road was pretty much cut through the forest. Sorry, no pics - I got caught up in the ride! I don't think I had more than 25 miles of flat road today. Excellent riding! Got to Tim's and Rita's (Springer folks) place about 5. There was a gin and tonic waiting on me. We have prior experience in this area. Tim grilled pork steaks for supper. Good stuff. Hard to find better hospitality than with these two folks. Thanks! Out about 9:30. Might alter the route tomorrow to avoid rain in east Iowa.
Day 5 - 140 miles
Osage Bend, MO to Hermann, MO to Osage Bend, MO
No Pics.
Up about 6:30 and pack up. Headed up to Hermann, MO and stopped for gas. Heard a scraping sound from the front brake. Not good. One of the brake pads was down to metal. I had checked the brake not long ago during other servicing and obviously overestimated the miles remaining. Called Tim and sang my sad song. He said I could stay with them until it's fixed. Rode back to Tim's place. Ordered brake pads for overnight shipping. Called my wife, Tonya, a couple of times to have her check email for status updates - nothing. Check again tomorrow. So anyways, we hang out and continue the exaggerations and lies from the rally. Tim smoked ribs for supper. Really good stuff! Still no updates on the brakes.
Day 6 - no riding
Osage Bend, MO
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2006
No status updates from the supplier. Called, left message. Call again. I'm told they don't process online orders until the following day. Geez. The said they think it shipped but had to check with the warehouse and will call back. Several hours and no call - I call again. It's going out today. The UPS service I paid for says it's supposed to be delivered by 3pm next day. Cool. I can get on the road tomorrow afternoon. We had leftover ribs for supper - no complaints! Thinking about not doing the Epic Journey.
Day 7 - no riding
Osage Bend, MO
No pics.
Hang out some more and keep watching the road for the UPS truck. Didn't arrive until about 6pm but they are here - Hoo Hoo! Takes about 15 mins to install the pads. Too late to leave today. Tim says stay another night. That kind of generosity seems hard to find. I really appreciate it. Rita heads out to meet up with some girlfriends. Tim and I drive over to Wardsville for pizza. New place there and the pizza is really good. Back to the house and out pretty early.
I've changed my mind about the Epic Journey. A little bummed over the brake thing and no longer in the mood for a big trip but it's okay. I decided to do some riding in MO and AR. Hard to go wrong with that. I'll ride to Hayti, MO to see daddy-in-law then to Batesville, AR to see a cousin I haven't seen in awhile.
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 497
Likes: 187
From: Dallas area
Part 3 of 3
Day 8 - 294 miles
Osage Bend, MO to Hayti, MO
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2008
Up about 6:30 and pack up. Rita made banana muffins for breakfast. Tim, Rita - I can't say thanks enough for you guys letting me stay here until the bike was fixed. That means more to me than I can say. You guys are the best!
I get on the road about 8 and maybe I can go more than 70 miles this time. A few miles past Taos (no, not that one) I see rain. Looks like it will be short lived so I don't bother with rain gear. Yikes! Heck of a downpour for about two minutes. I'm mostly soaked from the waist down. I had a jacket on. Not the first time and won't be the last. I stopped in Linn for a break and it's looking like rain to the south where I'm going. I put on the rain gear. Nice ride on MO19 but hit rain at Cherryville, MO on MO49. Really nice road but would like to do it again without rain. Had to stop to refresh the anti-fog on the face shield. Not much fun riding when you can't see. Rain not too bad, had about an hour of it until about Lesterville, MO then turned into a pretty nice day - for awhile. At Poplar Bluff it started raining again. A couple of big lightning bolts got my attention. I stopped for a break and the bad stuff blew over. Light rain from there to Hayti, MO. Got to Pop's house about 5. Good to get out of the wet clothes! I have the Harley orange/black rain gear. It's about 50% waterproof and that's only when it doesn't rain.
Good to see Pop! Tonya didn't tell him I was coming. He said he would have a long talk with that girl. lol. We watched a little TV and he did most of the talking and I did most of the listening so business as usual. Wouldn't trade that for anything.
Day 9 - 135 miles
Hayti, MO to Batesville, AR
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2009
Up about 7. No hurry today. Easy ride to Batesville to cousin Jerry's place. Chances of rain in the forecast. Don't care. I have experience in this area. Hang out with Pop for a bit and pack up stuff. Nice visit. On the road about 10. I took a few roads I used to run when I was a teenager to work my way into AR. Hadn't been on them since then. Ah, flat Southeast MO. So flat you can watch your dog run away for three days (I stole that line from another Springer bud in Amarillo). Didn't mess with rain gear. Looked like it would rain for the first hour or so, then it cleared up. Stopped in Paragould at a Hardees for lunch. Hardees ranks a close second to Whataburger for fast food in my opinion. Anyways...Here's the conversation with the gal taking my order and bringing it out to me.
gal - what do you want, hun?
me - number 5 combo, please
gal - do you want that supersized, sweetie?
me - oh, no thanks
gal - alright, sug (sugar), that will be $xx. We'll bring it to you in a minute, sweets.
me - okay, thanks, dear
gal - (bringing food). Here's your order, hun.
me - thanks, darlin'.
A few more huns, sweeties, sug, and darlins would have bees buzzing around! Gotta love the south.
Had a few sprinkles on AR25 heading to Batesville. That's a nice road, too. Got to Jerry's and Marianne's sometime about mid-afternoon or approximately thereabouts. Hamburgers for supper. Supper, not dinner. Dinner is lunch. I have to revert to former terms when back in AR and MO. Talked about family. Jerry and I are working on family tree stuff. Talked about religion and politics without an argument. Having a really nice visit. Might stay another day.
Day 10 - no riding
Batesville, AR
No pics.
Up about 7:30. Planned on leaving about 10 for Mena but decided to stay another day. I am now rethinking that decision. I had asked if there was anything I could do for them around there. Yes, was the answer. I fixed a few broken boards on the fence. Couldn't fix two of them because the boards were too short. Jerry didn't have a board stretcher. I was really surprised since he used to manage Sears stores and he didn't have the Craftsman model 99-10679 board stretcher. There was some discussion about a chain saw and willow trees but I got out of that discussion. Marianne had been mowing and the garden tractor quit. I sort of fixed that. The air filter was clogged. Removed the filter and it runs. Need a new filter. Marianne said that overgrown bush over there needs trimming. Okay. I'll get on it boss. It's all good, glad to do it but I might not ever come back over here. One of their grandsons came by for a visit. He's about 25. Good kid. I had never met him before. Jerry and I talked more about family. Marianne went out and picked up catfish and hush puppies for supper. Good stuff. Watched a little TV, talked, and out about 10:30. It's been a really good visit. I will come back.
Day 11 - 257 miles
Batesville, AR to Mena, AR
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2011
Up about 7:30, coffee and hang out for awhile. No work! Marianne's bro and sis came by for a visit. Hadn't met either one of them before. Her brother was on a motorcycle trip with some friends. He's about my age and rides a GeezerGlide. Nice folks. I get on the road about 10. Nice day but a little warm when stopped. Temps around 90. Excellent roads today, too - AR14, AR9, AR298. Great riding in this part of AR. It's pretty much pick a road and it will be good. Took my time, lots of breaks and Kodak moments. Got to Mena about 5:30. Call home, unpack, and a light supper at the hotel restaurant. Long shower, read a little, and out early. Hitting the road pretty early to beat the rain in the forecast for tomorrow afternoon at home.
Day 12 - 265 miles
Mena, AR to Allen, TX
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2012
Up about 5:30 and pack up stuff. Rain overnight in Mena but it has stopped. Had a light breakfast at the hotel and got on the road a little after 6. A few sprinkles for the first half hour but not enough to mess with rain gear. Haven't had a ride on the Talimena quite like today. In and out of the clouds all the way to Talihina, OK. Visibility was down to a few hundred feet in places. Spectacular views when below the clouds and watching them roll up the side of the mountains. This is still one of my all time favorite roads. Took my time today, quite a few breaks. Mostly cloudy today so that kept the temps in the 80s. Nice day. Got home about 2 this afternoon. Always the best part of any trip!
Day 8 - 294 miles
Osage Bend, MO to Hayti, MO
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2008
Up about 6:30 and pack up. Rita made banana muffins for breakfast. Tim, Rita - I can't say thanks enough for you guys letting me stay here until the bike was fixed. That means more to me than I can say. You guys are the best!
I get on the road about 8 and maybe I can go more than 70 miles this time. A few miles past Taos (no, not that one) I see rain. Looks like it will be short lived so I don't bother with rain gear. Yikes! Heck of a downpour for about two minutes. I'm mostly soaked from the waist down. I had a jacket on. Not the first time and won't be the last. I stopped in Linn for a break and it's looking like rain to the south where I'm going. I put on the rain gear. Nice ride on MO19 but hit rain at Cherryville, MO on MO49. Really nice road but would like to do it again without rain. Had to stop to refresh the anti-fog on the face shield. Not much fun riding when you can't see. Rain not too bad, had about an hour of it until about Lesterville, MO then turned into a pretty nice day - for awhile. At Poplar Bluff it started raining again. A couple of big lightning bolts got my attention. I stopped for a break and the bad stuff blew over. Light rain from there to Hayti, MO. Got to Pop's house about 5. Good to get out of the wet clothes! I have the Harley orange/black rain gear. It's about 50% waterproof and that's only when it doesn't rain.
Good to see Pop! Tonya didn't tell him I was coming. He said he would have a long talk with that girl. lol. We watched a little TV and he did most of the talking and I did most of the listening so business as usual. Wouldn't trade that for anything.
Day 9 - 135 miles
Hayti, MO to Batesville, AR
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2009
Up about 7. No hurry today. Easy ride to Batesville to cousin Jerry's place. Chances of rain in the forecast. Don't care. I have experience in this area. Hang out with Pop for a bit and pack up stuff. Nice visit. On the road about 10. I took a few roads I used to run when I was a teenager to work my way into AR. Hadn't been on them since then. Ah, flat Southeast MO. So flat you can watch your dog run away for three days (I stole that line from another Springer bud in Amarillo). Didn't mess with rain gear. Looked like it would rain for the first hour or so, then it cleared up. Stopped in Paragould at a Hardees for lunch. Hardees ranks a close second to Whataburger for fast food in my opinion. Anyways...Here's the conversation with the gal taking my order and bringing it out to me.
gal - what do you want, hun?
me - number 5 combo, please
gal - do you want that supersized, sweetie?
me - oh, no thanks
gal - alright, sug (sugar), that will be $xx. We'll bring it to you in a minute, sweets.
me - okay, thanks, dear
gal - (bringing food). Here's your order, hun.
me - thanks, darlin'.
A few more huns, sweeties, sug, and darlins would have bees buzzing around! Gotta love the south.
Had a few sprinkles on AR25 heading to Batesville. That's a nice road, too. Got to Jerry's and Marianne's sometime about mid-afternoon or approximately thereabouts. Hamburgers for supper. Supper, not dinner. Dinner is lunch. I have to revert to former terms when back in AR and MO. Talked about family. Jerry and I are working on family tree stuff. Talked about religion and politics without an argument. Having a really nice visit. Might stay another day.
Day 10 - no riding
Batesville, AR
No pics.
Up about 7:30. Planned on leaving about 10 for Mena but decided to stay another day. I am now rethinking that decision. I had asked if there was anything I could do for them around there. Yes, was the answer. I fixed a few broken boards on the fence. Couldn't fix two of them because the boards were too short. Jerry didn't have a board stretcher. I was really surprised since he used to manage Sears stores and he didn't have the Craftsman model 99-10679 board stretcher. There was some discussion about a chain saw and willow trees but I got out of that discussion. Marianne had been mowing and the garden tractor quit. I sort of fixed that. The air filter was clogged. Removed the filter and it runs. Need a new filter. Marianne said that overgrown bush over there needs trimming. Okay. I'll get on it boss. It's all good, glad to do it but I might not ever come back over here. One of their grandsons came by for a visit. He's about 25. Good kid. I had never met him before. Jerry and I talked more about family. Marianne went out and picked up catfish and hush puppies for supper. Good stuff. Watched a little TV, talked, and out about 10:30. It's been a really good visit. I will come back.
Day 11 - 257 miles
Batesville, AR to Mena, AR
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2011
Up about 7:30, coffee and hang out for awhile. No work! Marianne's bro and sis came by for a visit. Hadn't met either one of them before. Her brother was on a motorcycle trip with some friends. He's about my age and rides a GeezerGlide. Nice folks. I get on the road about 10. Nice day but a little warm when stopped. Temps around 90. Excellent roads today, too - AR14, AR9, AR298. Great riding in this part of AR. It's pretty much pick a road and it will be good. Took my time, lots of breaks and Kodak moments. Got to Mena about 5:30. Call home, unpack, and a light supper at the hotel restaurant. Long shower, read a little, and out early. Hitting the road pretty early to beat the rain in the forecast for tomorrow afternoon at home.
Day 12 - 265 miles
Mena, AR to Allen, TX
Pics: http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtm...AR-MO/day%2012
Up about 5:30 and pack up stuff. Rain overnight in Mena but it has stopped. Had a light breakfast at the hotel and got on the road a little after 6. A few sprinkles for the first half hour but not enough to mess with rain gear. Haven't had a ride on the Talimena quite like today. In and out of the clouds all the way to Talihina, OK. Visibility was down to a few hundred feet in places. Spectacular views when below the clouds and watching them roll up the side of the mountains. This is still one of my all time favorite roads. Took my time today, quite a few breaks. Mostly cloudy today so that kept the temps in the 80s. Nice day. Got home about 2 this afternoon. Always the best part of any trip!
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Mar 10, 2016 12:13 PM
