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- Joined
- Jun 4, 2009
- Messages
- 560
- Reaction score
- 9
- Location
- Granger, TX
- First Name
- Carl
- Last Name
- Niskern
This is not about a big ride or grand adventure but about a visit to my parents in Flippin Arkansas. Yes that's a real place.
About the end of March I bought a 2012 Concours 14 ABS. Dark "Candy Arabian Red" and not a nick in the bodywork. Got me a shiny.
Longest ride since picking it up near Houston has been the ride back from the dealer - 220 miles. Only using it to commute and the odd +80 mile play day since then. And I've been wanting a road trip to test the bike (and me) and need to visit my parents .. why not both? Worked out a route that used few big roads and plenty of mountain fun when I got up that way. Around 1400 miles. 
Day 1 - 6/16 - 610 miles
Headed out from Granger before daybreak. Trying to beat the heat. Set g-maps to start at Granger, hit Athens TX, Smithville OK, Russellville AR, Harriet AR and end at Flippin AR. Bouncing around that way got me on roads that looked good. The only pics were at the start and an hour out. Oops.
No street-ride road trip is considered started until you have visited one of the bastions of mega-convenience capitalism. Buckees in Temple for me.
The loadout:
RAM mount pocket-type holder for either of my phones with g-maps running.
Tankbag with the extra phone, wallet, keys and other bits and bobs.
Camping gear, wet gear, extra gloves and electronics in the sidebags.
Drybag at the back is clothes, then my venerable feet-up camping chair, a smaller drybag with cooking gear and a little food then the cooler on top that with Gatorade/water and a half-dozen frozen sausage links.
Jacket has some papers, mp3 player, extra ear plugs and the backup key/fob.
Most of the quicker roads heading north from here are bland. Most interesting stop in Texas was a Picnic Area about 2.5 miles short of the Red River on TX37. Tall pines, good shade but still open air. Mid-80s and below until I got into Oklahoma then it shot up to +95 and stayed there. Around Hochatown OK to just before you cross into the Ouachita National Forest was one long tourist trap. Slow with lots of stopped traffic. Once in the forest it died down and was a comfortable run north to Smithville OK.
Heading east from there is OK 4 which is a blast. Quick turns, sudden lifts and drops, yup. Road surface is pretty good but you can see small weeds and grass growing in the center-line cracks. Not a heavy use road. Me and maybe 3 cars the whole way. Zoomified!
Gassed up at Scotty's in Cove AR with straight gas - not gasahol. Big Red said 'yum' and ran real purty on that. Cove thru Mena to just outside of Waldron on US 71 has good mountain scenery but was pretty busy. And hot. Both phones overheated while running g-map and charging.
That actually became a thing. I could only get a phone to continue running if it was not on the charger. But running the display for very long on just the battery killed it quick. Lasted longer if I blinked it off when not needed and back on near turns. And I could charge a phone in the tankbag so I was swapping them out on breaks. Worked ok but not real convenient. Guess a real GPS dodad may be the way to go.
Waldron to Dardanelle was fun and actually cooler than the roads before or after. Then I got on 27 which is one of the roads I'd been wanting to run for a few years now. At Russellville there was a jog around (124 - 105) that g-map recommended and I took it .. just because. But once I got back on 27 again I stayed on it the whole way to Harriet. G-map wanted me off at Tilly but it was too much fun. Smooth road, deep turns, cruise-n-view stretches and lots of mountain scenery.
I've done Marshall to Harriet in cars several times. It's even better on two wheels. Saddle-grabber in a couple of places - more so than OK 4. Finally thought of a pic when I stopped at the Harriet Post Office for a water.
Then the run up 14 to Yellville. May have set a faster pace here since I already knew the road. Actually better than I thought it would be because I was pushing it in the right places. Pulled into Mom and Dad's with a bit of daylight left. Stripped the bike and 'camped' in a backroom. They don't get visitors and keep no place for such so the pad and sleeping bag were used. That counts...right?
Day 2 - 180 miles
My original plan for the day was a spiral in the mountains to the east covering several nice roads. Flippin to Melbourne, Mountain View, Big Flat, Norfork, Calico Rock, Harriet and back to Flippin. But it got hot before I even go to Melbourne and only got worse deeper in and I was still a bit worn from the day before. So at Big Flat I headed up to Mountain Home and back to the house for lunch and relax out the rest of the day.
Went to prep the bike in the morning - couldn't find the key. Had the fob but no key. Luckily I brought the backup key/fob. Would have been dead in the water without it. Need a key for gas. Never did find it.
Ready to go in the morning.
Stopped for breakfast in Cotter, just down the road from the folks place. We've eaten here several times, never been disapointed in the food.
This is just a one egg plate with ham. Under $6.
Then just down the road from the cafe overlooking the White River.
Norfork Dam. You don't get to roll over many dams anymore.
Found this little roadside pull off just past Forty Four.
Hwy 9 out of Melbourne is curvy and fast. From the tire marks on the road, too fast for some of the locals. Found this bare knob with room to stop for a pic. Everything else was crowded with the trees. Fall would have to suck.
A dead store with a big tree in Big Flat made a good stop for water but it was here I called the day.
Hwy 341 back to Mountain Home would have been a better run if some doofus hadn't been dragging a trailer that dropped off the pavement on right-hand turns and kicked gravel up on the road. Riding marbles is not my idea of fun. Almost half that stretch of road was that way. And the pavement went over two feet beyond the white edge line so they really had to drift deep to connect with that gravel.
Day 3 - 600 miles
Original plan for today was to run to Norman AR to camp. Then finish the run to the house on day 4. But when I started day 3 I found 1) it was going to continue the heat, 2) not cool off below 85 in Norman and 3) throw a high chance of rain tonight and tomorrow. Let's just head to the house. Got busy riding so no pics.
14 to 27 to Marshall was still fun but from here it was mostly big roads. The C14 has no problems there I found. Giddy up!
Stopped at the rest area in Texarkana for a snack/lunch and found something on my neck. Freakout yank and I pulled a tick out. Yech!
Two small blasts of rain on the way home, no more than a few seconds, otherwise just a grueling slog through the heat.
Pulled into the drive, stripped the bike, took a shower. Phew!
Learned:
- Keep a spare key on you. That worked out but now I gotta start over.
- Stop more often for water or Gatorade. I was pushing the envelope a few times there.
- Stop for more pics. Jeez I'm no good at that.
- Don't go in the parents yard without DEET on. Second time I've come away with ticks and chiggers.
- Try for cooler times if your gonna camp solo. I seriously wimped out there.
About the end of March I bought a 2012 Concours 14 ABS. Dark "Candy Arabian Red" and not a nick in the bodywork. Got me a shiny.
Longest ride since picking it up near Houston has been the ride back from the dealer - 220 miles. Only using it to commute and the odd +80 mile play day since then. And I've been wanting a road trip to test the bike (and me) and need to visit my parents .. why not both? Worked out a route that used few big roads and plenty of mountain fun when I got up that way. Around 1400 miles. Day 1 - 6/16 - 610 miles
Headed out from Granger before daybreak. Trying to beat the heat. Set g-maps to start at Granger, hit Athens TX, Smithville OK, Russellville AR, Harriet AR and end at Flippin AR. Bouncing around that way got me on roads that looked good. The only pics were at the start and an hour out. Oops.
No street-ride road trip is considered started until you have visited one of the bastions of mega-convenience capitalism. Buckees in Temple for me.
The loadout:
RAM mount pocket-type holder for either of my phones with g-maps running.
Tankbag with the extra phone, wallet, keys and other bits and bobs.
Camping gear, wet gear, extra gloves and electronics in the sidebags.
Drybag at the back is clothes, then my venerable feet-up camping chair, a smaller drybag with cooking gear and a little food then the cooler on top that with Gatorade/water and a half-dozen frozen sausage links.
Jacket has some papers, mp3 player, extra ear plugs and the backup key/fob.
Most of the quicker roads heading north from here are bland. Most interesting stop in Texas was a Picnic Area about 2.5 miles short of the Red River on TX37. Tall pines, good shade but still open air. Mid-80s and below until I got into Oklahoma then it shot up to +95 and stayed there. Around Hochatown OK to just before you cross into the Ouachita National Forest was one long tourist trap. Slow with lots of stopped traffic. Once in the forest it died down and was a comfortable run north to Smithville OK.
Heading east from there is OK 4 which is a blast. Quick turns, sudden lifts and drops, yup. Road surface is pretty good but you can see small weeds and grass growing in the center-line cracks. Not a heavy use road. Me and maybe 3 cars the whole way. Zoomified!
Gassed up at Scotty's in Cove AR with straight gas - not gasahol. Big Red said 'yum' and ran real purty on that. Cove thru Mena to just outside of Waldron on US 71 has good mountain scenery but was pretty busy. And hot. Both phones overheated while running g-map and charging.
That actually became a thing. I could only get a phone to continue running if it was not on the charger. But running the display for very long on just the battery killed it quick. Lasted longer if I blinked it off when not needed and back on near turns. And I could charge a phone in the tankbag so I was swapping them out on breaks. Worked ok but not real convenient. Guess a real GPS dodad may be the way to go.
Waldron to Dardanelle was fun and actually cooler than the roads before or after. Then I got on 27 which is one of the roads I'd been wanting to run for a few years now. At Russellville there was a jog around (124 - 105) that g-map recommended and I took it .. just because. But once I got back on 27 again I stayed on it the whole way to Harriet. G-map wanted me off at Tilly but it was too much fun. Smooth road, deep turns, cruise-n-view stretches and lots of mountain scenery.
I've done Marshall to Harriet in cars several times. It's even better on two wheels. Saddle-grabber in a couple of places - more so than OK 4. Finally thought of a pic when I stopped at the Harriet Post Office for a water.
Then the run up 14 to Yellville. May have set a faster pace here since I already knew the road. Actually better than I thought it would be because I was pushing it in the right places. Pulled into Mom and Dad's with a bit of daylight left. Stripped the bike and 'camped' in a backroom. They don't get visitors and keep no place for such so the pad and sleeping bag were used. That counts...right?
Day 2 - 180 miles
My original plan for the day was a spiral in the mountains to the east covering several nice roads. Flippin to Melbourne, Mountain View, Big Flat, Norfork, Calico Rock, Harriet and back to Flippin. But it got hot before I even go to Melbourne and only got worse deeper in and I was still a bit worn from the day before. So at Big Flat I headed up to Mountain Home and back to the house for lunch and relax out the rest of the day.
Went to prep the bike in the morning - couldn't find the key. Had the fob but no key. Luckily I brought the backup key/fob. Would have been dead in the water without it. Need a key for gas. Never did find it.
Ready to go in the morning.
Stopped for breakfast in Cotter, just down the road from the folks place. We've eaten here several times, never been disapointed in the food.
This is just a one egg plate with ham. Under $6.
Then just down the road from the cafe overlooking the White River.
Norfork Dam. You don't get to roll over many dams anymore.
Found this little roadside pull off just past Forty Four.
Hwy 9 out of Melbourne is curvy and fast. From the tire marks on the road, too fast for some of the locals. Found this bare knob with room to stop for a pic. Everything else was crowded with the trees. Fall would have to suck.
A dead store with a big tree in Big Flat made a good stop for water but it was here I called the day.
Hwy 341 back to Mountain Home would have been a better run if some doofus hadn't been dragging a trailer that dropped off the pavement on right-hand turns and kicked gravel up on the road. Riding marbles is not my idea of fun. Almost half that stretch of road was that way. And the pavement went over two feet beyond the white edge line so they really had to drift deep to connect with that gravel.
Day 3 - 600 miles
Original plan for today was to run to Norman AR to camp. Then finish the run to the house on day 4. But when I started day 3 I found 1) it was going to continue the heat, 2) not cool off below 85 in Norman and 3) throw a high chance of rain tonight and tomorrow. Let's just head to the house. Got busy riding so no pics.
14 to 27 to Marshall was still fun but from here it was mostly big roads. The C14 has no problems there I found. Giddy up!
Stopped at the rest area in Texarkana for a snack/lunch and found something on my neck. Freakout yank and I pulled a tick out. Yech!
Two small blasts of rain on the way home, no more than a few seconds, otherwise just a grueling slog through the heat.
Pulled into the drive, stripped the bike, took a shower. Phew!
Learned:
- Keep a spare key on you. That worked out but now I gotta start over.
- Stop more often for water or Gatorade. I was pushing the envelope a few times there.
- Stop for more pics. Jeez I'm no good at that.
- Don't go in the parents yard without DEET on. Second time I've come away with ticks and chiggers.
- Try for cooler times if your gonna camp solo. I seriously wimped out there.
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Remember what I told you about those key fobs? Hope that it shows up. Maybe the ticks carried it away? Will get over that way someday. Glad you had a good ride.
74 East of Marshall is one of my favorites in that area. There is rarely ANY traffic on the road and the pavement has always been in excellent condition when I have ridden it. 14 up to Yellville is fun, but there is often a lot of traffic because of the Buffalo River rafters. One of my top ride experiences though was on 14 in torrential rain. It wasn't about going fast, it was about being super smooth. 27 is real fun all the way from I-40 to Marshall, even on a big heavy like a Honda ST 1300, which I borrowed for a trip up there many years ago. 9 on the East side of 5 is also really twisty and fun! If you find yourself in Mountain View around eating time, Kin Folk BBQ in the middle of town has good food! Their Apple Fritters are to die for... and they are HUGE 