A short Ozark blast

[Ritten]

Good friday came as just another friday off. I had planned to prep the bike and get ready for my four day scoot up to Missouri and have everything done ahead of time. Around lunch time, my two way goes off with the sound of a whispy 3 1/2 year old saying "Parrain, come eat crawfish at MeMe's". So, I jumped in the truck and headed over to the boil.

William and Misty are two of my best friends and Emily, their daughter, is my goddaughter. Some time between being stuffed with seafood and catching up with family, Misty asked when I was leaving for Mexico. I mentioned the trip wasn't until May, but I was heading up to Missouri for a four day jaunt on Easter Sunday after all of the family stuff. Being that the friends I was going visit up there is ALSO William's aunt and cousins, Misty volunteered her husband to accompany me on the trip! When the unsuspecting victim walked over I looked at him and said, "Dude, you've just been volunteered by your wife to run 2000 miles in four days on your Hayabusa......wanna borrow the Aprilia?"

Fast forward two days, a broken tire changer (see Shop-Talk), more gear on the GS and here we are, getting ready to head out, with my father and his new Canon 30D taking test shots...
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I had to let William borrow a backpack and tankbag so he could carry his own clothes...
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We took the superslab up to north Louisiana to try make as much distance as we could. This would give us enough time to enjoy the mountains the following day. We turned off of I49 just before Shreveport to take a break and check the GPS to make sure we were on the right exit to get to Minden, La.

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We arrived in Minden and picked a local hotel, unpacked, cranked up the A/C, and called Dominoes. Ohh yea, and the families too.
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Naq was worried about the 'busa, so we chained it to the pig and figured it would reduce the value of it if some punk saw he had to take the GS as well...
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[scootertrash]

And Then?

Don't keep us in suspense here Ted.........

[Ritten]

The next morning the alarm was set for 8am but we were both awake by 7, so we packed up the bikes and took off north for the state line. This was Naq's first overnight bike trip and first time he had done more than 500 miles on one trip, so I knew he would get a kick out of the whole thing. It would also be his first time riding in mountain twisites. I had routed out taking Hwy 7 up through the Ouachita's, Hot Springs, and up to Deer, AR and then across to 23 to ride north through the Ozarks and stay the night in Eureka Springs. The anticipation of the coming roads was overbearing, but we still managed a few pictures...

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You can almost see the grin through the tinted shield...
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The roads started to get a bit more hilly the further we went and before getting into Hot Springs we had an SV650 pull along and ride with us for a stretch.
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As the group tightened, I noticed that we all had on the same jacket. Crazy people must think alike.
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Isn't it funny how a rider with less experience will usually follow behind someone with more? I damn near had to throw my helmet at that red bike to get him to ride in front so I could get a decent picture!
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We hit Hot Springs and the little SV that could pulled off for petro. We sat in mid-day traffic for a few minutes and then started out of town.
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Once I started seeing "35mph curves" I knew this sign wouldn't be far behind...
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The park is gorgeous and I don't think we had to pass any vehicles to maintain a fun pace. As you can see, it was perfect weather...
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I even climbed up a hill for a few fly-by's...
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There was nothing but miles of this stuff along with some 15-20mph corners that were fun to test the knobbies of the GS on. That said, I was still able to scrape pegs!
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Rolling up to Dardanelle
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We cut west on Hwy 16 at Deer then up 23 into Ozark Nat. Park and got to see some beautiful vistas which made for a good break. I think the chicken strips on the rear of that Busa were finally gone.
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Just before getting into Eureka Springs, I saw a sign for the Biker's Rest Motel and it was decided that would be our place. When I pulled into the gravel drive, I knew it was exactly what we were looking for.
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The place is VERY clean, VERY cheap (price), and one could tell it was built by bikers, for bikers. The owners are extremely hospitable and informed us that they aren't very busy on the weekdays, but weekends are packed. I could see why. We got the Marlon Brando room and started to unload the bikes.
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What good is a porch without a dawg...
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The "Chili Bob's" outdoor bar is used when a big group of people are there. The bonfire is lit, chairs are out, and I can only imagine the stories that have been told here...
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A sharpie hangs from the rafters for travelers to leave their mark......so I did.
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With the bikes unloaded we headed into town for some decent Bar-B-Q at a local joint. Decent food, but good scenery.Bobies Popcorn2 We rolled back to the motel to find that we were still the only people staying there for the night. With magnificent roads ridden, bikes under cover, and a warm shower I slept like a baby.

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[scooterhose]

Nice report Dude!!!Great pics too.. Looks like you had a blast.

A Busa and a GS??? Talk about ebony and Ivory..er um crimson..

Thanks12 rocket.ride

[Flying Low]

is there more? there's got to be more. man, now i have something to look forward to reading this morning.

[scootertrash]

Ted We need to schedule the dates of a ride so I can tag along, you have some cool reports.

[Ritten]

Tuesday morning rolled around and we made sure that everyone back home knew we were alright. The weather couldn't have been more perfect, mid-60's and dry mountain air. Riding out of Eureka Springs is an experience in itself and other than getting caught behind someone's great-great-grandfather doing 18mph with his brakes on going downhill.....it was nice. We hit the Missouri state line for a few pictures since we didn't get any coming into Arkansas.
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Looking back...
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The plains of southern Missouri really aren't that great for carving, but when it comes to relaxed cruising, they're hard to beat. We arrived in Sedalia for lunch and I called Chris to tell him I was in town. Now, since William decided to late to make the trip, we chose not to tell anyone he was coming, so when Chris saw that red-ass bike with Louisiana plates, he was grinning from ear to ear. The three of us used to play together as childhood buddies, and only once since we were 8 years old, have we been able to hang out.

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Chris' wife, Stephanie was more than suprised to see both of us...
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In fact, we had the whole family oooh'ing and aahhh'ing that we made the trip to only stay one night...
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That evening, Mike and Ginger (Chris' parents) lit the pit and we all enjoyed a good home grilled meal. Ginger broke out her super secret 5 cheese macaroni and we ate like kings. They have been plagued with tornadoes during the last few weeks and the weather, although nice that day, was taking a turn for the worse...
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We ended up storing the bikes in the garage for the night, just in case, and sat up as late as we could stand, talking and catching up.

[Ritten]

Really, the original purpose of the trip was so I could test out new equipment and gear before my ride south of the border. The Continental TKC-80's I put on the GS the week before were holding up marvelously, and completely surpassed my expectations at extreme lean angles. These tires are awesome. They're only drawback that most people seem to have are their wear rates during interstate-type speeds. Today I was going to put them through HELL!! +-800 miles from Sedalia to Houma.......stringing gas stops together.

We awoke to yet another crisp, clear morning and Chris came over to see us off.
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We loaded the bikes up, and said our good-bys. Ginger and I...
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The ride home was pretty uneventfull. We switched bikes for 150 miles just for a change of pace and I had forgot how much fun it is to ride a bike with so much power....even if I did feel like a monkey humping a football after being used to the GS. Lunch was simply a sandwich from a gas station deli and water was chugged at every stop.
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We got home around 10pm and made it in 12 hours. My new Sargent saddle worked well, but it's still a long time to sit on a bike. I KNOW William was hurtin' and the comment was made, "On the next trip, I'm going to take you up on the offer to use the Futura". I know the 20lbs of clothes and gear he had in that backpack didn't help much either.

All in all, it was a great trip and a great time. The tires actually didn't show any more wear from the ride home, the pants were well worth their cost, my new lights are invaluable at night, the tankbag is a breath of fresh air from the conventional straped-down version, and the seat was an improvment over stock. Next up......Ted's Mexican Adventure.

[Juice]

Nice Job Ted Thanks12

I bet you was a cussing that Busa with stops for fuel every 120 miles or so....Head Bang Bable12

[JayD]

Great report and pix (like always ) ;)

[Ritten]

Nice Job Ted Thanks12

I bet you was a cussing that Busa with stops for fuel every 120 miles or so....Head Bang Bable12


Believe it or not, both bikes were getting about 40-45 mpg at 80mph. Both have a 5.5gal fuel tank. When I was on the busa it got a little less though due to a few 0-140 stoplight runs....God I love that bike.Not.Worthy

[nickatnite]

Dood.... Those road from Hot Springs and up are awesome. THat is where Dirk and I rode. When ya'll got to the junction of Hwy 2 and Hwy 27 you shoulda took a left and went to Mt. Nebo. It overlooks the wole river valley!! That would be a good road trip!!!

[Flying Low]

man, i loved this one as much as your other ride reports. i'm looking forward to hearing about your mexico trip.

in the words of the immortal speedy gonzales: ariba! ariba! ariba!

[Rocky]

Looks like an ADVENTURE of a lifetime. Enjoy yourself and be safe. Keep the reports and pictures headin' this way!

[Drivin&Cryin]

excellent

[Loss4wrds]

That makes me miss home... I used to have 5 or 6 diffrent roads I loved and rode weekly back home in Conway, AR... I miss the hills... Hwy 7 rocks, Petit Jean Moutain and state park are great, Mt. Nemo is cool, love it up there by Eureka Springs, ooh and Greers Ferry, and Moutain Home...


Ok now I am officially home sick...

[Save-the-Manatee]

Very well done. You should write a book
Looks like a great ride man, on a great GS to boot.