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I thought about this hard last night and think that you need more time off no matter what direction you take.:deal: 9 days would give you more rad roads to cruise on.:rider:
 
Camping or moteling? 40 miles due south is Mt Magazine State Park. The lodge there is legendary, but I'd guess it will set you back $100 or so a night. Camping there is reasonable, the sites are big and semi-private, and the view is amazing. Great roads on and around the mountain.
 
I'm working this weekend and directing traffic at the Tour d' Italia the following Saturday. Two weeks later I'm off with no plans yet but you're getting into Darn its hot then.

I know you want to go now but also consider Pacman's curve-a-paloosa in the fall,
http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116972
I went last year and unless something comes up I plan on attending again. NW Arkansas and S. Missouri will change your life.

There's some interesting bike bike dirt near the Talimena drive. Lets see if this works,
https://www.maps.ie/map-my-route/viewMap.php?route=38867
This link sort of works but left portions off for some reason. Still easy to follow the road where the route in missing by just going directly to the next marked portion. Just click the boxes when they first pop up.

I'd like to spend time just exploring all the other forest roads between Hatfield and 375 sometime.
 
Instead of staying in Poteau on the way back, consider renting the small cabin in Big Cedar (Just south of the center of the Talimena drive) at,
http://www.bigcedarrvpark.com/
Mr2mch would have given it two thumbs up if he hadn't had the stint as a shop teacher years ago. :rofl:

Your route north of I-40 is good. I think I'd just go toward NW Arkansas rather than over to Hot Springs and then up.
 
I agree with dad ... re-route on 71 north and then pick a road ...

Not in the cards for me till the fall.
 
Big Cedar RV & Cabins.....
one of those quiet lil spots...at a crossroads....in the middle of nowhere

But with great roads nearby...

Perfect

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If you are itching to go soon and If you can squeeze a couple more days, the tenere guys are doing a little rally June 15-17 in buena vista co.

http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=24183

The nice thing about these get togethers is you can hook up with a group that meets your experience and skill level for each days ride. Great way to learn about areas where you are unfamiliar.


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:tab I would head straight for Clarksville on Friday and spend as much time as possible North of I-40. I avoid Hot Springs even though it has some cool stuff. There is just WAY too much traffic in the area, especially of the slow moving hard to pass variety. AR 7 North of Hot Springs can be particularly bad. I would also stay in Oklahoma as long as possible before cutting East. US 71 between Mena and Ft Smith will have a lot of traffic and few passing areas. AR 28 and 80 running East toward Danville aren't too bad. Most of the roads on the maps on your links that have the rectangular boxes will be unpaved but maintained gravel roads, but not all. Some are paved and some are barely roads. Generally, those with the thicker lines on that map will be well used and maintained, paved or not, like 18 between AR 80 and 10 just South of Waveland.

:tab In recent years, there have been many new hotels built in Clarksville. There are still some older and cheaper hotels though. The last few times I have been there I have stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. If you want cheaper and not quite as nice, the Sunset Inn, just up the road a bit will do. That is where several Texas Adventure rallies were hosted in years past. You can also get gas right in that area. There is a little Mexican food place in town, on the corner of AR 103 and US 64,

El Molcajete
101 S Rogers St
Clarksville, AR 72830

Excellent food and not expensive!

:tab From Clarksville, you can easily spend three days riding different routes out and back each day, or do a three day loop, staying in a different place each night, then coming back to Clarksville (or somewhere nearby), before heading home the last day (assuming a 5 day trip instead of 4). There are TONS of gravel roads in the area suitable for your AT.

:tab The real challenge planning routes in this area is NOT finding good roads. It is deciding which of the MANY good roads to leave out of your route because there isn't enough time to do them all. It will require a LOT of trips to really explore all of them! Years ago I headed up there for a three day weekend on a VFR 800 and tried to ride every single paved road in NW Arkansas as possible. I was cranking out 500 mile days and stopping very little while riding a pretty brisk pace. It was a superb weekend of riding and I hit many fantastic roads, but there were still so many I missed... Ride a dual sport and it only magnifies the problem :-P

:tab Keep in mind that if you are not used to riding long days on twisty roads, your concentration will start to fade in the late afternoon. I used to lead group rides up in that area and I saw this every time. Around the 250 mile mark or at about 4-5pm, people would start getting sloppy with their cornering. The twistier the roads you ride, the worse it gets. If it is hot, that makes it worse yet again. Staying hydrated and taking frequent breaks (every 1 to 1-1/2 hours) will help a lot. Cell coverage is spotty in many areas, especially on the unpaved roads but even on the paved roads, so ride appropriately.
 
Is Kerrville a good base camp for the three sisters deal?
Who needs the sisters when there's all those lil mischevious cousins runnin round n round nearby (aka any Gillespie County road)....or Kerr...or Blanco...Llano...etc

Heck...I'd go if it weren't already sooo hot
But my heat tolerance has diminished in recent years

If you want a reasonable motel. With a good restaurant ta boot...Hunter House in Ingram...hard ta beat for the $

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Cool, thanks for the info. Considering I might be solo on this one, I might just head for the Hill Country and save Arkansas for a group ride.

I've driven and ridden bicycles ALL over the Hill Country, so it will be familiar to me which seems better when solo. Doesn't look like the temps are much different either. Is that correct?

Meh... go to Arkansas!! It is sooo much better than the Hill Country ;-) No worries about going solo if you just ride smart and don't seriously hot dog it on the back roads.
 
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