Motorcycle Arkansas

Ft. Smith

2011-10-11T10:15:00.002-05:00

I rode to Ft. Smith last Friday. I didn't take my camera because I couldn't find it (I found it when I got back home). Wouldn't you know it, seems like everytime I forget my camera or lose it I find lots of photo ops.
I was going West through Paris and saw police lights in the distance, behind the police were probably 100 bikes. I don't think they were going to a funeral because most of them had smiles on their faces. There I sat, on the side of the rode with no camera. Thats not all, going back home the afternoon sun was hitting some old barns and house just right. Oh well, maybe there will be another perfect day this year and I'll ride that road again, this time with the camera in the pocket.

BBBQ 2011

2011-10-11T09:04:00.007-05:00

Friday October 1, 2011, Zach and I rode to BBBQ 2011. We took Interstate 40 to Alma then Hwy 71 to Dickson Street. The weather was absolutely fantastic, it could not have been any better. That's the way it usually is during the BBQ. There were quite a few riders on 71. I like 71, it has plenty of straight stretches along with curves and some of them are really tight.
We only stopped once, in Alma for gas so I didn't take any pics on the way up. Actually when we arrived there I didn't take many. We were there during the day and it just wasn't getting wild yet. Here are the few I did take.

We rode back on Hwy 71 to Alma then Hwy 64 back to Russellville. We didn't spend much time at BBBQ but we did see a lot of motorcycles and enjoyed the weather and the mini vacation.

2011-06-12T22:42:00.005-05:00

Five of us went for a ride to the second annual Bikes, Babes and Bling Saturday, We were expecting crowds and motorcycles on Dickson Street in Fayetteville, Ar. There were few bikes, few babes and no bling that I could see. For one thing, it was being held at the Washington Co. Fairgrounds. I guess they like fencing the bikers in. When we arrived the gate guard said there were maybe 50 bikes inside. We didn't add to the number. Maybe someday we'll be back if it gets better.

On our way out of Fayetteville we stopped and had lunch at the Golden Corral. You just can't go wrong with Golden Corral, most of the time. Don't ever stop at the one in Muskogee, Ok., it is not good.

The bunch getting ready to leave after a good meal.
In the pic are Zach, Chris, Mike (Cooner) and Mike (Ham). I'm always the one behind the camera.

Old Toyota.

On our way up to Fayetteville, we went via I-40, the Pig Trail and Hwy 16. Leaving we took Hwy 412, 74, 21, 16 and 7.

This is at a roadside park on Hwy 74 between Huntsville and Kingston.

There were a few bikes going by.

At a gas stop in Kingston, Zach decided he was going to make his shirt sleeveless. With Chris yanking on the shirt and a local guy cutting with his pocket knife, this is end result. Definitely cooler, Zach decided he wasn't going to ride with his tit hanging out so he put on his spare tank top.

This is at Rotary Ann on Hwy 7. Everyone tried to get some shade. The morning ride was nice and cool all the way North, the afternoon ride was not.

My self portrait showing my hillbilly air conditioning (notice the water poured onto my shirt).

There was a really big group of bikers that came by, probably at least 50 to 75 bikes. I didn't catch the groups name.

This is my famous helmet camera shot. Notice the new pavement on part Highway 7, very smooth.

Last leg of the ride, going South from Dover. It was a great ride.

Oklahoma visit

2011-05-30T20:56:00.008-05:00

Saturday, the wife and I went to visit my Daughter and Son in Law in Muskogee, Ok. No motorcycling on this trip but I need some content on my blog so I'll use what I can.
Saturday morning we went to Paul's Diner in Muskogee. Now I can't tell you how to get there, it's kind of in a out of the way place but I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to get directions. At Paul's Diner I spent $9.46 for two meals, bigggggg meals. They are known for their huge biscuits. I didn't eat again until around 9 pm. The food was excellent, a great choice for anyone traveling to the area. They also have lunch and dinner but breakfast can be ordered at anytime. The place isn't much to look at but the food is fantastic.

The huge biscuit minus one big bite. My Daughter and her Husband look like they're praying, I think they were just thinking how they were going to eat all the food.

I found this nice looking and friendly lady at the Three Rivers Museum.

I just don't understand Shriners.

There was some type of Parade downtown Saturday. We thought it was a Memorial Day parade but there were no military to be seen anywhere. There were a lot of Shriners though and about 50 to 100 people in attendence.

One reason there were not many people attending could be the Muskogee Renaissance Fair that was going on every weekend in the month of May. If your interested, heres the link www.okcastle.com/ .

There is an organ in the trailer being played as they roll along.

Indians.

More Indians.

This three wheeler must belong to his wife or else he's just a colorful Shriner.

The Joe Dirt clown.

The Shriners M/C ?

Cool ride in late May

2011-05-26T14:41:00.006-05:00

Today, Zach, Chris and myself went for a ride North and South of I-40. We were going to ride up Hwy 27 to Clinton then back down 65. By the time we arrived at Hector, we had decided it was too cool for a ride in the mountains. We went back West then over Buck Mountain road to 124 and over Crow Mountain. From there it was 247 to Dardanelle and 7 to Ola. We gassed up at Ola then took Hwy 10 to Perry. After all the country road riding it was nice to get on Hwy 10 and twist the grip a little more, Hwy 10 is great for that, being wide and smooth, making it possible to watch for deer, dogs and other hazards.

At Perryville we took another nice road, Hwy 60 East, to Conway. This road does have one left turn going East with a guard railing but the curve is quite a bit more of a curve than you would think, so be ready for that one. I went through there a few years ago and had to help with an injured Motorcyclist on the curve.

When we got to Conway we were hungry. We should have followed the rule that if there are not a lot of vehicles in the parking lot, don't stop.
We stopped because it was New China and I've been to two and they were good so I thought this one would be the same. NOT the same. This place sucked bad. I won't go into detail, just don't stop there, it is bad.
Zach had a Doctors' appointment, so he went on his way and Chris and I rode on back to Russellville via Hwy 64, 113 and over Crow Mtn from Atkins.
We stopped at Morrilton and I took a few pictures of the building that had fallen there not long ago and of the new Caboose at the Train Station Museum.

The building that fell killing a two year old child.

A rare picture of yours Cindy and I.

Pyatt, Everton and more in North Arkansas

2011-05-19T21:08:00.018-05:00

This is the way it looked this morning at Rotary Ann, the roadside park just South of Pelsor. The morning was Chrisp and clean with no hint of incoming rain.

We had started North on Hwy 7, Rotary Ann was right at the 38 mile mark.
After a short break to take in the view, we continued North and took Hwy 123 at Lurton. Arkansas's Dragon Tail is a ride no one should miss.

Chris's Wide Glide looking good in the morning Sun, at a pull over on 123. There wasn't a lot of sand and gravel on the road but there was one really bad gravel spot on one of the tightest curves.

A view from the pull over. After a break, we continued on 123, going through Mt. Judea and crossing the Buffalo National River at Hasty landing.

After making a left on Hwy 65 then a right onto Hwy 206, we arrived at Everton, Ark.

I had never been there, it was a really interesting little town.

The old store.

This may have been the old Post Office. The flag pole was old, as was the Confederate flag blowing in the morning wind.

The door of the building had a more modern flag draped across it.

The old Everton Hotel, a huge old building. Next time I'm in the area, if I have time, I'll gonna ask about a tour.

Hwy 206 was a good ride, narrow with shoulders needing mowed. We finally reached the Junction with 125. In front of us was the old Eros, Ar. school house, the new one was next door.

We made a left on Hwy 125, passing the old Eros store and a newer boat. The buildings were all built with small rocks in this town.
We eventually reached Hwy 62 and made a right turn where we would again turn onto 125 N in a few miles.

Making a turn off of 62 onto 62B we crossed a one lane bridge and some railroad tracks and checked out the town of Pyatt. Not much in Pyatt anymore. Some old buildings and houses, which is what I like to photograph. I'll be back again for some more pictures.

Chris on Pyatt's main street.

Heading out the way we went in, on the one lane bridge.

We went back out to Hwy 62, found 125 N again and followed it to Hwy 14.
We made a left to go West on 14 all the way to Hwy 65, where we turned South towards Harrison, Ark.

We stopped at this Chinese place in Harrison. The buffet was very small, I didn't think the food was all that good, but we were hungry and it was good enough.

After eating, we continued on South on Hwy 7.

Which brings me to the "some people are stupid or something category".
We were going around a tight right hand curve just North of Jasper and there were two motorcycles stopped in the road, one was probably 2 or 3 feet out into it. That's all I have to say about that.

Nice view from the pull over South of the Cliff House.

Same pull over, our bikes.

Quite a few riders out today.

Looks likes they're having a good time.

We put over 250 miles on the bikes and if I didn't mention it earlier, most of it was curves.

After one more stop at Rotary Ann, we made it to our homes, it was a good day.

Beebe ride, an attempt to reach Des Arc.

2011-05-17T08:00:00.008-05:00

A few days ago, after all the rain, Zach and I attempted to ride to Des Arc. We didn't make it. We met at Morrilton and then rode on to Conway via I-40. We then rode Hwy 64 to Beebe, Ark. Along the way we passed through Vilonia and saw the destruction caused by a recent tornado. I didn't get to take any really good pics due to the time we had for the ride. I can say this though, unless you were there you just can't imagine how much damage was done. It started at the edge of town and went for a while. It must have been a huge tornado.

We stopped in Beebe at the old train station. Apparently the station is now privately owned unless it's rented because it houses an antique shop now.
I guess Beebe is not really into the preserving history ideology.
We took Hwy 31 South from Beebe and then made an East turn on Hwy 38, going through Butlerville and Hickory Plains communities.

About ten miles West of Des Arc we hit water in the road and were told we would need to make about a 21 mile detour to reach Des Arc. Thats where we decided to save Des Arc for another day. I was wanting to cross the White River and see how bad it was flooded but didn't make it.

Headin home we took 38 W into Cabot and had a Chinese lunch at the King Buffet with my old friend Charle P. Going home we rode with Charles to Hwy 107 N to Vilonia and then back home.The weather was cool to warm that day and riding on the interstate was bad windy. All in all though, a good ride.

Don Juan talking to Carlos Castaneda about becoming a Warrior

2011-05-16T16:09:00.001-05:00

You think about yourself too much and that gives you a strange fatigue that makes you shut off the world around you and cling to your arguments.
A light and amenable disposition is needed in order to withstand the impact and the strangeness of the knowledge I am teaching you. Feeling important makes one heavy, clumsy, and vain. To be a man of knowledge one needs to be light and fluid.

One has to reduce to a minimum all that is unnecessary in one's life.

Once you decide something put all your petty fears away. Your decision should vanquish them. I will tell you time and time again, the most effective way to live is as a warrior. Worry and think before you make any decision, but once you make it, be on your way free from worries or thoughts; there will be a million other decisions still awaiting you. That's the warrior's way.
A warrior thinks of his death when things become unclear. The idea of death is the only thing that tempers our spirit.

To be a warrior you have to be crystal clear.

My acts are sincere but they are only the acts of an actor because everything I do is controlled folly. Everything I do in regard to myself and my fellow men is folly, because nothing matters.
Certain things in your life matter to you because they're important; your acts are certainly important to you, but for me, not a single thing is important any longer, neither my acts nor the acts of any of my fellow men. I go on living though, because I have my will . Because I have tempered my will throughout my life until it's neat and wholesome and now it doesn't matter to me that nothing matters. My will controls the folly of my life.
Once a man learns to see he finds himself alone in the world with nothing but folly. Your acts, as well as the acts of your fellow men in general, appear to be important to you because you have learned to think they are important.
We learn to think about everything, and then we train our eyes to look as we think about the things we look at. We look at ourselves already thinking that we are important. And therefore we've got to feel important! But then when a man learns to see , he realizes that he can no longer think about the things he looks at, and if he cannot think about what he looks at everything becomes unimportant. Everything is equal and therefore unimportant.
We need to look with our eyes to laugh. When our eyes see , everything is so equal that nothing is funny. My laughter, as well as everything I do is real but it also is controlled folly because it is useless; it changes nothing and yet I still do it.
One must always choose the path with heart in order to be at one's best, perhaps so one can always laugh.
You don't understand me now because of your habit of thinking as you look and thinking as you think. By "thinking" I mean the constant idea that we have of everything in the world. Seeing dispels that habit and until you learn to see you will not really understand what I mean.
Our lot as men is to learn. I have learned to see and I tell you that nothing really matters. A man of knowledge lives by acting, not by thinking about acting, nor by thinking about what he will think when he has finished acting. A man of knowledge chooses a path with heart and follows it; and then he looks and rejoices and laughs; and then he sees and knows. He knows that his life will be over altogether too soon; he knows that he, as well as everybody else, is not going anywhere; he knows, because he sees , that nothing is more important than anything else. In other words, a man of knowledge has no honor, no dignity, no family, no name, no country, but only life to be lived, and under these circumstances his only tie to his fellow men is his controlled folly. Thus a man of knowledge endeavors, and sweats, and puffs, and if one looks at him he is just like any ordinary man, except that the folly of his life is under control. Nothing being more important than anything else, a man of knowledge chooses any act, and acts it out as if it matters to him. His controlled folly makes him say that what he does matters and makes him act as if it did, and yet he knows that it doesn't; so when he fulfills his acts he retreats in peace, and whether his acts were good or bad, or worked or didn't, is in no way part of his concern.
You think about your acts, therefore you have to believe your acts are as important as you think they are, when in reality nothing of what one does is important. Nothing! But then if nothing really matters, as you ask me, how can I go on living? It would be simple to die; that's what you say and believe, because you're thinking about life, just as you're thinking now what seeing would be like. You want me to describe it to you so you can begin to think about it, the way you do with everything else. In the case of seeing , however, thinking is not the issue at all, so I cannot tell you what it is like to see . Now you want me to describe the reasons for my controlled folly and I can only tell you that controlled folly is very much like seeing ; it is something you cannot think about.
Our lot as men is to learn and, as I've said, one goes to knowledge as one goes to war; with fear, with respect, aware that one is going to war, and with absolute confidence in oneself. Put your trust in yourself. There's no emptiness in the life of a man of knowledge, everything is filled to the brim and everything is equal. For me there is no victory, or defeat, or emptiness. Everything is filled to the brim and everything is equal and my struggle is worth my while.
In order to become a man of knowledge one must be a warrior. One must strive without giving up, without a complaint, without flinching, until one sees , only to realize then that nothing matters. You're too concerned with liking people or with being liked yourself. A man of knowledge likes, that's all. He likes whatever or whoever he wants, but he uses his controlled folly to be unconcerned about it.
My controlled folly applies only to myself and to the acts I perform while in the company of my fellow men.

You must talk to the plants you're going to pick before you pick them. In order to see the plants you must talk to them personally, you must get to know them individually; then the plants can tell you anything you care to know about them.
You fail to understand that I am not joking. When a sorcerer attempts to see , he attempts to gain power.
You think everything in the world is simple to understand because everything you do is a routine that is simple to understand.

You have to have an unbending intent in order to become a man of knowledge.

Im still here

2011-03-14T21:42:00.002-05:00

Waiting on good weather so I can get back into riding. I look forward to posting some more rides.

A short scene from BBBQ 2010

2010-10-08T22:36:00.002-05:00

BBBQ 2010 and the ride home.

2010-10-08T16:52:00.024-05:00

Bikes,Blues and BBQ 2010. I'm not going to say much about it. It's always a lot of fun. I'll try not to miss it even if I have to drive a car to get there. I haven't done any editing to the pictures. I just posted them like they were.
Shanna and I arrived at the event at around 2 pm and it was jam packed, but we were lucky and got a parking place on Dickson St. near the Church on the hill.

This is the way it looked when we arrived.

Gotta have that cigarette in the mouth for coolness.

Shanna wearing a shirt that Charlles picked up for me while in Montreal back in 1980 on one of his rides.

I guess this guys dining is cheaper, she probably doesn't eat much.

I think my Daughter was having a good time.

I took this picture just after she said " I got my looks from you Dad".

For Sale.

This is probably my favorite of the flashy choppers. I'm really more into the old style, not the pretty bikes.

I picked up that same shirt here about 5 years for free from Chevy. You were looking at the shirt right?

The guy wearing the Fox hat is the one that owned the chopper Shanna got her picture taken on. He was letting anyone get their picture taken on it.

Shanna sitting on a chopper.

Notice the arrow pointing down. Underground here is Hugo's. Shanna and I walked up the hill to the town square and ate here for lunch. I've eaten here several times, great hamburgers.

Helmets are required for anyone under 21 in Arkansas but the law and lots of other laws were not being enforced during BBBQ.

The Christian Motorcycly Association gives out a lot a free water, coffee and hot chocolate here at the Church. This is where the rock wall is. It's the best spot on Dickson St. for watching the bikes and people.

Looks like a head of cotton candy.

Get a clue lady....if you'll notice he is wearing full protective gear....and your on the back.

Can you tell she liked getting her picture taken? Doe's she look like a certain actress to you?

Nice hair.

The local Fuzz.

Banditos from Ok. and Tx. plus allies Ok. Riders were in attendance.

This has got to be one of the longest choppers I've ever seen.

New Attitudes MC, Illinois

Shanna and I got back home around 1 am. We were wore out. Sunday morning I was invited over to David and Rhonda's house, Bryans' parents. I ate some lunch there and then hit the road back to Arkansas at 2:30 pm. I took Hwy 69 South out of Muskogee then took hwy 64 West to home. I had decided I could make it on the old road before dark.

An artillery piece at VFW Post 474 in Muskogee.

Arkansas State line on Hwy. 64.

Paris.

Above is a Church at Paris that has a kind of medieval look to it.

Below is an old rock building East of Altus.

I got back home just after 7 pm, it had started getting cold, really cold for me around 6:30. By the time I pulled into the yard I was shaking I was so cold. I guess I'm just not a cold weather rider. Maybe before next year I'll have a heated vest and gloves, that should do the trick.

Ride to Muskogee, Ok. and BBBQ 2010

2010-10-07T09:24:00.014-05:00

Friday Oct. 1st I loaded up and headed to Muskogee,Ok. where I was to meet my Daughter Shanna. From there on Sat. we would drive to BBBQ.
I'd would first like to say that some of these pictures are not that great, I had made up my mind to get to Shanna's house before dark. I left Russellville at 11 am, I thought that would be eary enough.

I rode down I-40 to the Hwy 23 (pigtrail) exit. I went North up the trail. Motorcycles were everywhere. I immediatly got behind a foot dragger (definition: a motorcycle rider that cannot ride slow without having their feet down, can't go into a curve without hitting the brakes, wobbles when getting started from a stop, etc. etc.). At first he was comical but then he started swerving to the other side of the road in curves so I accelerated and left him behind in a cloud of pinecones. When I arrived at Tyler Bend there were probably 150 to 200 bikes there. I wish I taken a picture but I had a long ride ahead of me. The above pic is at a restroom break on the trail.

They have straightened out several curves along the trail since my last ride there.

Doing so has created some scenic views.

This one wide spot will probably be made into a scenic pullover.

There were hundreds of bikes along the trail.

This is on Hwy 16, to continue on Hwy 23 you must go for a short distance on 16 then go North again.

Back on the trail. This is a cabin just off the Hwy.

I finally arrived at Eureka Springs. The town was absolutely filled with Corvettes and motorcycles, traffic was at a crawl. There was a Rally going on at Eureka Springs Harley Davidson. I made one stop on the Northern edge of town at the Train Depot.

Letting my bike and rear end take a breather. You can see by the no parking signs that I always follow the rules.

There were still bikes coming by but not as crowded as downtown.

This thing spins in a circle.

After leaving Eureka Springs I continued on 23 North. When I got into Missouri, I made a left on hwy 86. I followed it for a ways then took Hwy F, which is a shortcut to Hwy 112. F goes through the Mark Twain National Forest and is a beautiful ride, nice curves, deep valleys and scenary. I eventually arrived at the Roaring River State Park.

This is a park I would like to come back to. Nice camping area in the valley between mountains and along the River. They also have a State run Inn.
Leaving the park I continued on Hwy F until I arrived at Hwy 37, my next turn. I know I should have written down the directions on my hand, I didn't. I made a left turn, thinking that, well, I should go South not North, wrong. By the time I came to the Ark. state line I'd already driven at least five miles and I was not going back. If I had went back, and went North on 37 I would have made a left on 90 and followed it all the way to Ok. through the mountains and missing all the traffic. I wish I'd turned around. I ended up in Gateway, Ar. and followed Hwy 62 and the traffic jam for the next hour and a half through Rogers.

I made a stop at the Airport in Rogers. Being Air Force, I could not bypass this display of the F-101B Voodoo.

I ended up spending a lot of time at the display. I met a man named Bill here who was waiting on his Brother to show up. He was ex Air Force and we shared a lot of stories.

I entered Oklahoma at Maysville, Ar. on Hwy 20 and not long afterwards came up on this Historic marker out in the middle of the flat land.

This is the other side of the road from the marker.

I can't remember the name of this town but I stopped to take a picture to show that I wasn't too far into Ok and the Sun was going down and it was getting very cool outside.
Right now I can't remember the name of the town but I was about 70 miles from Shanna's house. I arrived at 9 pm. The entire day, I had a bowl of oatmeal and some tea, half a 20 oz. bottle of Mt. Dew and a Milky Way bar. I was starving, thirsty, cold and tired. Shanna took me to the Sonic where I bought the biggest burged they had. Tormorrow, BBBQ.

BBBQ 2010 Wednsday

2010-10-07T08:56:00.004-05:00

The BBBQ 2010 started off with beautiful weather on Wednsday. It was a little cool in the morning when Zach and I went to Fayetteville but during midday it was perfect. We took the boring route there, I-40 and I-540. We had never been there on the first day of the event. Not many people had arrived yet and many of the vendors were still sitting up. It was still fun though and different not having to push through crowds.

We ate at "A Taste of Thai" up on the hill in old Fayetteville. I like trying out new Thai Restaurants. Zach and I had two different meals. Pad Thai and Yellow Curry and Chicken. All I can say is don't eat there unless you have been there enough to know what is good. I know a lot about Thai food and this was not good Thai food.

Want good Asian food that is not the American Chinese junk food you get from most Chinese Restaurants? Then go to Vientiane in Danville, Ar. at the junction of hwy 27 and 10. Awesome food made by Asian people.

Anyway, Zach and I walked around awhile and decided to leave to get home before dark.

One more thing. Fayetteville had implemented a new way of making money off the BBBQ attendees. They have numbered all the parking spots close to Dickson St. and are charging for people to park. If you want to park in one of the spots on Dickson St., the charge is $5. to $10. a day.

Cannonball Run pics from Charles

2010-09-22T17:31:00.001-05:00

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/photo.php?pid=104509&fbid=116034091787216&id=100001418765208

Cannonball Run

2010-09-17T10:54:00.002-05:00

I thought I would post this website. I may as well since I haven't been going on any rides do to work and have nothing else to post. This is a run of old motorcycles that came through Arkansas on its way to Santa Monica, Ca. If you highlight all the pics with your curser as you scroll down, you will eventually find one that is a video, a good one.

http://www.motorcyclecannonball.com/

Mayflower to Conway

2010-07-21T05:29:00.008-05:00

I made a visit to the VA on Tuesday. I'd taken Hwy 9 and 10 to get there which made for a more enjoyable ride than going I-40. Finishing up at the VA I decided to take a different route home.
From I-430 I took the Hwy 100 exit to Maumelle, I made a left on Hwy 365 North somewhere along the way. At the Pulaski/Faulkner County line I noticed a memorial beside the road, they even had a picnic table there.
I had never taken any pictures of a War of 1812 heroe memorial so I took two.

This one so you can read it better. I thought it was interesting, of course I'm just a history type of guy. Heres a link http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2872 .
When I arrived at Mayflower I made a left turn on Hwy 89. If you look at a road map you may notice that it doesn't say that 89 is paved all the way to Conway. It is all paved except for about four miles according to a local I talked to. I went to the end of the pavement and the gravel was deep, this was the only time that I have ever turned around when getting to dirt or gravel. It would have worn me out in the heat of the day and besides, I got a new front tire on.

The next four pictures are of a rock formation I found along the county maintained portion of the road.
I had to drive on about a quarter mile of gravel on Easterwood Point Road to get to the rock, but this gravel was well packed. I'm thinking this rock is called Easterwood Point...just guessing.
This picture does a better job of showing how large it is.
This is a private road in the area. The pic below is just to the right in this picture.
I thought this was nice looking for a swampy area.

When I reached the gravel and turned around, I thought I would need to go all the way back to Mayflower. Along the way back I noticed a road to the North called Rocky Gap Road going in the general direction of Conway. I followed it to "Old Military" Road then made a left on "Donnell Ridge" Road then a right onto "McNutt" Road which turns into "Hogue Ln". Hogue Ln is the road that cuts through the mountain at Conway. Hogue Ln is on the West edge of Conway which was a good thing. I stopped at Plummerville and rehydrated then took I-40 towards home.

It was cool

2010-07-19T13:26:00.005-05:00

I stood on the front porch and the sky was overcast and the air was cool, I had mowed the lawn the previous evening. So what was there to do but go for a morning ride.

This is the Pottsville I-40 intersection and new Hwy 247 truck route. I still haven't quite figured out how they're going to do the crossroads, thats hwy 64 just beyond the I-40 bridge. Looks to me like they'll need to raise 64 a little and put in some traffic lights. It doesn't look like the new road is going over 64.

I ended up at Dardanelle Rock. Morning riding is exhilarating, wakes one up, gets the cobwebs out.

Northwest Arkansas and Missouri

2010-07-18T10:40:00.017-05:00

This trip into Arkansas's Northwest didn't take much planning. It was more a spur of the moment thing. I headed North on Hwy 7 into familiar territory and then the trip took a change for the better. I took the turnoff to Deer and made a right to Alum Cove Natural Bridge. This is designated as Hwy 327 now. The last time I was on it, it was just a county road and half of it was dirt. It goes to Parthenon, Ar. and now it's paved all the way and is a beautiful, winding, mountainous road. It should end up being well liked by sightseers and bikers when it gets a little more well known.

This is the mailbox of an old house between Alum Cove and Parthenon, it looked neat so I stopped and tooks some pics.

Above is the same mailbox, only about 7 years earlier when the road was still gravel. It was rough riding on that stock Honda seat.
Probably had a nice front yard years ago.

This is how it looked 7 years ago.

The roof is on its last shingle. See the central fireplace that was probably a feeble attempt to heat the entire house in Winter.
So I'm assuming by the degradation of the place over 7 years, the house had probably not been abandoned long when these older pics were taken.

Nice design on the sofa, I wonder how many abandoned dogs have slept on it.

The fireplace inside. This is as far as I went, the floor had already gave way in much of the house so I didn't take the chance.
Another archive pic, this is Parthenon, Ar. There is actually a little more to it and as usual, I wish I'd stopped and taken a few more pictures.

One last archive picture, this is after leaving Parthenon and entering the valley.

I would suppose this is the Little Buffalo River valley since that is what cuts the bluffs thru here.

Nice cattle land, the river is in the distance.

These are some white bluffs.

Just to the East of the white bluffs are some rusty ones.

This strange local asked me if I could play a Banjo and tried to grab me, I left in a hurry.

After taking a right onto Hwy 74 then a right on 7, I arrived at Jasper. This is the Newton County Jail.

Newton County Courthouse in jasper. The Court House, Jail and other buildings in Jasper are built with the same color of grey stone. I can't think of another town that uses this color of stone. There are alot of towns in which brown sandstone is used. I suppose Jasper has a quarry nearby that has this stone.

After having a World famous Ozark Cafe Burger, I sat outside for awhile. Lots of bikers were on the road. This group was from Oklahoma City. They had travelled down the Pigtrail (Hwy 23) and then came up Hwy 7. I believe they said they were headed to Branson.

I like this shade of blue. Shotguns look good.

After leaving Jasper I headed on up Hwy 7. Coming to old Dogpatch USA, I thought I would go up and see if the Hub was in business or not. It was not, looks like the only thing going is the motel. The picture above is another business that was once on the famous slab of pavement.

After passing thru Harrison, I continued North on Hwy 65. Crossing into Missouri, I took Hwy 86 to the West. I'd heard alot about this road. I heard it was curvy and kind of roller coaster like in spots. It was definitely all that and more. A very scenic road, that also has attractions. Above is the bridge across Lake Tallycomo.

I stopped on the bridge and took this picture. The lake was crowded.

One other thing I found out....I wanted to go down and look at the Big Cedar Lodge. There was a sign on the way which read - Motorcycles - do not even think about taking this road. It didn't sound very biker friendly.

I took the turnoff to Eureka Springs and it was a busy place, I didn't stay. I just continued on down Hwy 23.

After taking Hwy 12 South I came to the Hobbs State Park information center. I went in for a few minutes then hit the road again, it was almost 5pm and the War Eagle store closes at that time. Too late, the store was closed as well as the bridge for repairs (bridge is supposed to reopen by Sept. 30).

If you double click the above pic, you'll see a deer running across the field, between the nearest tree and the one to its right.

These people were not very safety conscious. I would never break a safety rule :). Actually this time I really didn't. Night was getting closer, needed to get back on the road.

This Goose was nesting just above the water wheel on the mill.

Next few pictures are of an old store at War Eagle.

After getting back on Hwy 12 for a ways, I took Hwy 45 South and eventually 23 South to Huntsville. Stopping at the Acapulco Mexican Resuarant. I had the Acapulco, two plates, a hot one and a cold one. The hot had a cheese and a chicken Enchilada and a beef tamale with refried beans and rice. The cold one had two tacos and a tostada. More than one normal person can eat and all for $7.99. Great Mexican restuarant.

Traveling South on 23, I took Hwy 74 East towards Kingston and found this old house. This is as close as I could legally get so I just did what I could. It would be great to look around this place, do a little shoveling for old bottles and some metal detecting. I rolled into Kingston and rolled out. I like the town and usually stay awhile but didn't hang around, the day was getting long.

When I arrived at the intersection where Boxley Valley begins. Ponca is left and Clarksville right. There were cars pulled over to the side of the road looking at Elk. In the above pic are two bulls, small one on the left while the one to the right had huge antlers.

I made a left towards Ponca and saw a couple more.

Buffalo River looking downstream, water was at 3.5 ft.

Upstream.

After looking at the river, I went back toward Clarksville thru Boxley Valley. Here are two more bull Elk munching on some grass.

At first I thought the cow Elk on the left had a calf, but thats a deer. I didn't see any calves. Probably saw about ten Elk total.

There just aren't many places on Earth prettier than Boxley Valley. There is something about the valley, it has an air of serenity. If I could retire here I'd be a happy man. I actually have more pictures of the valley, they're in my archives. I like all the old houses along the road.

The trip home down 21 was uneventful, arrived at the house around 9 pm. The end to a perfect 12 hour day in the beautiful Ozark Mountains.

Check my links

2010-06-26T13:48:00.001-05:00

Check my links for Military Memorial, Life and History for some interesting places to visit.

Mt. Nebo Wedding

2010-06-19T21:35:00.003-05:00

My Daughter got married at the lodge atop Mt. Nebo yesterday. I have been very busy. I did get to ride up Nebo this morning though. I forgot to turn in the lodge key.
Heres a pic along Highway 155 (Mt. Nebo road). I thought the old building and pond looked nice and the traffic was light. The mountain itself was busy, lots of people.
The pic below is just an old house along the way.

We were able to use a house on the East side of the Visitor Center for getting dressed. It belongs to a friend of my Daughters.

The old house was absolutely beautiful and I wish I taken time to take pictures. Pictures were the furthest thing from my mind at the time. The photographer Shanna hired did take a lot of pics there though. I should be able to post some later (not like we didn't pay for them).

Push Mountain Ride

2010-06-11T09:16:00.021-05:00

Yesterday I decided to do the Push Mountain Ride. I started by heading North on Hwy 7. The weather was fantastic, cloudy, the way I like it with temperatures in the mid 80's. As always the ride up 7 was nice. Not much traffic out, probably as many motorcycles as automobiles. After passing Rotary Ann Rest Stop I had a deer (luckily it was alone), run across the road in front of me, I missed it by about 20 feet.

Scene from the Cliff House.

Scene at the Cliff House. The Cliff House is just South of Jasper, great food.

The Hub is just North of Jasper at the old Dogpatch USA. I don't know if its permanently closed or open just on weekends but it was closed on this day.

Back in the day when I was a po boy (I'm still close to that definition), this is where the wife and I spent the first night of our honeymoon. Rock Candy Mountain, awesome place, we read about it and made reservations (we were on our way to St. Louis). Turned out this place was nothing but mobile homes and sorry ones at that. We should of kept going but we had other things in mind.

This is the spot where the trailer was. History resides here, a forgotten history.

After passing the Dairy Bar which is just South of Harrison I made a East turn on Hwy 206, which I would follow to Hwy 65. I crossed Crooked Creek (known among fisherman as one of the best Smallmouth creeks in Arkansas), it was only about three feet wide. It gets alot bigger not too much further away. Hwy 206 is a nice easy slowly curving road, very open and scenic.
After reaching Bellafonte, I made a right on 65. After a few miles took the 65 business spur through Western Grove since I'd never been there.

I'll bet this was a really nice house when it was in good condition. Very unique rock work. I don't know what that rock contraption on the left side is, maybe some type of well with a large pulley.

Main Street was all like this, junked up. Another Arkansas town where the use of rocks was prevalent in the architecture and in this town it was small rocks.

An old house near the city center.

I took the spur back out to 65 and rode on to Pindall, a little town thats been around since 1904. I then took Hwy 235 North to Yellville where I took hwy 62 East.

I would love to have a retirement house in this Northern Ozark rolling hill country. The scenary here is as good as it gets if you like rolling farm land.

Easy swooping curve with lots of wild flowers.

Looking the other direction.

A nice old house in Yellville.

Crooked Creek, a little bigger here. Thats a pedestrian walkway next to the highway.
From Hwy 65, thats the old bridge across the White River on the right and the rail bridge on the left.

When I reached Mountain Home I took Hwy 201 South. Not too long after getting on it I had my next close encounter. On a left curve I met a little low rider car that obviously thought he was a Rally car. He came around on the wrong side of the road, I came a hair from hitting grass. So it goes, the life and times of being a motorcycle rider.

Hwy 201 was another good road. Found this old gas station, I'm not sure if it was ever actually a working station or a collector put it together. The lighting was not right for the picture. Notice at the bottom of the pic, the sign says "new indoor toilet".

This is kind of a strange looking Church next to a Grave yard. I believe it was in the Arkana community.

Finally I made it to Hwy 341, the Push Mountain ride. I actually came in from the opposite direction. I was going along at a good clip and passed the turn off.

The above picture is looking North and the below is South.

These are the only pictures I took on 341, I was having too much fun riding. Besides I'm more of a photographer of things and there just weren't many things along the way, just a lot of good curvy road.

I also had my third brush with the afterlife of the day on this road. Another speedster, this time a Chevy S-10 came around his right hand curve on the left side of the road.

Arriving at the T in the road I went on over to Big Flat and then took Hwy 263 South. I didn't take any pictures on 263. Mainly because the majority of the Northern portion is so closed in. A lot of it is like going through a tunnel in the trees. There is no shoulder and the trees and the rock bluffs are just feet from the road. I probably didn't go over 40 mph on most of the road. I really enjoyed it, surprisingly different, curvy, hilly and shady. It gave me the feeling of being way out in the boonies.

Timbo, Ar. Gas station and Dairy Bar.

I went in and had a large ice cream cone, just what I needed after a long hot ride. I eyeballed some of the catfish that was said to be the best in the Ozarks and it did look good. I'll be back for a meal at a later date.
This was South of Fox, Ar.

I believe it is probably the old Fox Church/School.

Someone out there isn't doing much to preserve their history.

An old barn on 263 not too far from Shirley, Ar.

This picture is taken from the same spot, this time looking South. In the distance is the cabin in the picture below.

I couldn't get any closer, they had a good fence up.

I continued on the Hwy 9 and then to Clinton.

I stopped at the Clinton Mall and had a Snow cone, much better than I've ever had in Russellville.

Not too long after this picture it was raingear weather, which I wore until reaching home.

It was a good day. I put in around 350 miles. Can't wait till the next ride.

Vientiane Restuarant

2010-05-07T08:10:00.003-05:00

A few days ago I got the urge for some Pad Thai, a Thai dish that is one of my favorite. I knew of only one place that made authentic Pad Thai and that was at Thai/Mex, a place in Danville that opened not too long ago. I rode over and it was closed down and for sale. I never thought the idea of a mix like that was going to work and it didn't. I had eaten there once, the Mexican food was terrible but I took home some Pad Thai and it was great. It was closed though, so I headed over to Vientiane at the intersection of Hwy 10/27. They have some great Asian food but when I was there last I hadn't noticed Pad Thai on the menu. I was probably too busy eyeballing all the other great dinners. They have pictures on the wall of the meals they offer. I'm sure that you could get any combination of food you want, just tell them what you would like.
I asked the cook if she could make Pad Thai and she said, sure. I made sure she understood that I wanted the real thing, not any watered down noodles, she assured me I would like it. I did like it, it was wonderful and filling.
For anyone that likes Asian food, Vientiane really should be the next place to eat. Not the old regular tasting American Chinese food that one gets at Mulan's or New China. This Asian food is different. You can even get curry and I love yellow curry, chicken, peppers and steamed white rice. They have a buffet that I've never tried and have no idea what they offer on it. They always have egg drop soup and hot sweet sour soup in case you just got to have some of the old regular.
I spent alot of time in Thailand and was married to a Thai for several years and not once did I eat anything remotely like what you find at any of the American Chinese Restuarants.
For a different eating experiance try it, you'll like it.

American Legion,Shores Lake and Hwy 215

2010-04-17T08:07:00.010-05:00

Finally the weather met my idea of comfortable for a long ride. Its been way too long since my last one. On this ride I decided to go to Mulberry and take Hwy 215 North to Shores lake. To my recollection I had never ridden or even driven on it. I was hoping it was going to be paved all the way to the junction of Hwy 23 just North of Turner Bend Store.
I took Hwy 64 West and stopped at this American Legion Post situated along Cedar Creek in the center of Clarksville.

To get to it turn left off 64 just after crossing Cedar Creek, then turn left and over the jogging and bicycling trail.

This post has the look of a castel which I think may be unigue in Arkansas.

The grounds are well kept and there is an old anti-tank gun out front.

After leaving Clarksville I took I-40 to Mulberry then 215 North. This is an old bridge along 215.

The creek flowing under the bridge.

A look at the road going North.

The only community before arriving at Shores Lake.

The lake is in the valley in the distance.

After 14 miles of really nice road and scenary, I arrive at the turnoff to the lake.

I was really surprised, I thought this would be a run down area with maybe a picnic table. I was wrong, this is a nice area, beautiful lake with dock, clean edges, camping (I don't think it has electricity), a swimming area with sand and several restrooms. One of the restrooms has showers. This is a pay area. I know I'll be returning to camp out here.

After leaving the lake area, I went past the turnoff to look at the feeder stream. These rocks were on both sides of the road.

The bridge over the feeder creek.

The feeder creek.

The rock outcropping was big.

Going back and turning right on 215 again, this bridge was across the creek coming from the lake.

Above the lake looking down.
Mountains and dirt road. I made a decision a long time ago that when I get to dirt I don't turn back. If I had a Harley I would turn back because of the belt drive. Luckily Cindy is an old Honda.
More of the lake from the overlook.
The overlook.
An old wooden bridge along the way.
I stopped at least five times in the eleven miles to Hwy 23. It was rough fighting the gravel, pot holes and dust.
Another stop.
After what seemed like hours. I find civilization in a Babtist Church Camp.
Hwy 23, finally.
Looking back, 11 miles to Shores Lake, 14 more on pavement to I-40. It was a good ride, a tiring one, one I won't soon forget. It was about 3pm by this time, I hadn't eaten or had anything to drink since about 9am. I went South on 23 from here, stopped at Turner Bend for food and drinks and talked with some bikers. Then home.

This video starts at the intersection at Shores Lake going East to Hwy 23. I started my video and wasn't totally surprised when the pavement gave way to dirt and gravel. The rough pavement doesn't make for a good video but its the best I could do.

Hot Springs Yesterday

2010-03-07T08:23:00.004-06:00

The family and I went to Hot Springs yesterday. I had to get out of town, it felt like I was starting to grow roots. Heres some pics.

There were lots of bikes in Hot Springs, it was extremely loud, reminded me slightly of BBBQ. I don't mind loud motorcycles in their place, although I don't think Hot Springs when there isn't a Rally in progress is the place. There were even a few bikes not only revving thier engines but had Rap going full blast at the same time. I was getting about as ticked off as the non-bikers. I mean, no kidding, I went to Hot Springs for R&R and I can't even hear myself think. I also had the misfortune of having a run in with a "bad ass biker". He didn't like me stopping my car with the bumper a little ways into the cross walk. Not something I do purposely. What an absolute idiot, a disgrace to the human race, the guy had obviously forgotten to take his Xannex. It was one of my Kodak moments and I don't think his girlfriend was so impressed with him after he ignored what I had to say. What a punk.

Wow, that sounded like a gripe session, I didn't intend it that way, it just happened and I shall not repent.

Plans

2010-02-07T10:17:00.001-06:00

I'm working on plans for a whole new bunch of posts this year. So keep checking back when warm weather arrives.