Left Hand Turns - Elly Goes To Arkansas

[dutchinterceptor]

Take a Suzuki Burgman, stick a Danish import on top of it, drag both of them to Arkansas and you're assured a fun-filled, laugh induced trip.

Some time ago on a second Thursday of the month I had organized a run to one of our meet and greets in Canton. This wasn't just any run though as I had stipulated that it would be a "fast" ride covering nearly 100 miles of curvy road even though it was only 30 miles to the restaurant. Most riders settled for a pleasingly sedate jaunt to dinner but me being me had to spice things up a bit. The hiccup came when my good friend Elly showed up on her little scooter with every intent to ride with the “fast guys”. As politely as I possibly could I sent her off on her own knowing that she wasn’t up for our pace. She thanked me for my honesty and scooted off to dinner where we would join up later. I felt a bit guilty for turning her away that night and I think she secretly vowed to ride with us speedy guys at some point. So after a bit of prodding I agreed to set things right by organizing a ride north to Arkansas.

Jay took charge of the route selection and I reserved some rooms at our favorite motel. Early Friday morning at the liquor store in Big Sandy was our jumping off point. With my VFR in the lead and Jay’s Bandit as sweep we had a nice little group with Elly tucked safely in between. We had a pleasant 400 mile run with a few scenic stops along the way including a bit of lunch in Mt. Ida. After arriving at the hotel we started unpacking our bikes and stashing our gear in our rooms. About that time I heard Jay’s Bandit fire up and I walked out of my room only to notice him speeding away. Was it something I said? Within a couple minutes he arrives with a carton of suds strapped neatly to the back seat which we promptly iced down. Word of warning: Don’t have a drinking contest with Elly….she’s good.

The next day we headed out for a long day’s ride in hopes of entertaining Elly with curve after curve and of course some scenic vistas scattered along the way. I know you are wondering about the title and it can easily be explained as a phobia that Elly has for left turns. Everyone seems to corner better one way as opposed to the other but she has a definite issue with left handers even with Jay and I coaching her along. Two trips up 123 and one the day before seemed to help but it also made up her mind that she didn’t like switchbacks. For lunch we ate at the Eagle Rock Café and can’t exactly recommend the taco salad but the burgers are pretty decent. 250 curvy miles later we landed at the hotel and with beers in hand we headed for the pool where we proceeded to talk, lie, joke, laugh, and generally have a good time.

Sunday morning Jay and Elly opted to head out at the crack of doom while I slept in. I just hate early mornings. They worked their way south passing through Petit Jean State Park and finally worked their way back to Texas. I did a little picture taking before finally heading home later that afternoon. All in all we had a great time even if it was at a much slower pace. It’s amazing how much you can see when you aren’t speeding with your eyes fixated on the road ahead.


The Route

The Video

[Tourmeister]

Great route! I would have taken that part on US 65 and run over to Pindall. That stretch between Pindall and Yellville is really nice!

[donroger1]

Very nice!

Really enjoyed the video.

[Gilk51]

Good on you 2 guys for guiding Elly to Arkansas.


Hey, Dutch, have you 'splained your video camera set-up elsewhere? It seemed to work really well...

[txbanditrydr]

...... Nice work, Dutch - thanks for putting that together!!!

[cwdancer]

Thank you for the guided tour and the help with my left handed turns - I am not done with Arkansas yet - Hope to make more trips.

Thanks Dutch - the scenery pictures were great.

Elly

[SparkyBlue]

Most excellent Elly; you are fortunate to have two friends such as these guide you through Arkansas. Great video and pictures Dutch. Great job Jay on route selection and cleaning your bike

[dutchinterceptor]

Glad you enjoyed it.

Chuck, there's nothing special about my video setup. It's just an aging Canon Powershot 620 mounted to the back of my bike via a Bogen Magic Clamp and mini tripod head. The rear suspension on my bike is a bit harsh so it makes the image jumpy but works well enough till I can get something better.

[Hotboot]

Nice riding Elly, these two guys are fun to ride Arkansas with. I see Jay can still master the clean bike and drink beer routine.
Good video and great Peter Gabriel Dutch.

[dutchinterceptor]

Thanks Larry! I had to dig pretty deep in my collection to pull that one out. Jay doesn't clean his bike nearly as much since he has 60K on it....who am I kidding....it still looks new!

[Hotboot]

I have to ask...what does the picture of the parking lot block represent ? I know Jay's prone to hitting those at night, so am I.

[dutchinterceptor]

Originally Posted by jetblue

I have to ask...what does the picture of the parking lot block represent ? I know Jay's prone to hitting those at night, so am I.

My mistake, I should have made the images larger when I uploaded them. Look closely and you should be able to make out "Honda Only" written on it. I have to mark my territory when I'm around some of those Suzuki riders you know.

[cwdancer]

Originally Posted by dutchinterceptor

My mistake, I should have made the images larger when I uploaded them. Look closely and you should be able to make out "Honda Only" written on it. I have to mark my territory when I'm around some of those Suzuki riders you know.

I had forgotten about that- too funny

[voyagerrider]

I loved the video. Looks like Elly has overcome her dread of left-handers. Great job Elly. You must have had a great time. Kathy and love riding Arkansas also. When we go to the CMA Changing of the Colors Rally we always try to ride somewhere out by ourselves. Last year we did the Magazine Mountain loop, and we always do the Talimena Scenic Byway up to the lodge.
Marty

[Eltee]

Obviously, with that big grin pasted on Elly's face, she is hooked on riding the twisty Ozark roads.
OK, that's all I can take, I'm riding back to Arkansas again.
Neal

[wanabeguru]

Excellent video! Thanks for bringing us along!
Wally

[txbanditrydr]

One of many funny stories yet untold from that trip.... we pull into the parking lot after hammering away all day long. Get settled in (gear off, shorts on, cold beverage in hand) and a hotel guest saunters up and sez "What are a couple of old gray-haired dudes doing ridin' crotch-rockets?"

Obviously he was targeting me since I am old and Dutch has.... errr, never mind. Soooooo, we launch into the gotta ride while you can, it's fun, beats rearranging your sock drawer routine.... just knowing what was coming next.

"I'd like to get a bike" he sez..... "but my wife won't let me get one." (OK - that was the set-up... you have to pay attention now) Continuing on he goes "Besides, the one I want cost over $17,000.00 and I can't quite afford that right now."

We comment on how many crotch-rockets you can buy for that amount.... plug the MSF course..... good gear - all the usual banter you give to "woofo's (Woofo you ride for???) He's eating it up and his eyes glaze over as he blurts out "Yup, I'm gonna get me a bike in a year"

I grinned and as seriously as possible asked "Is that when you get rid of the wife??"

[txbanditrydr]

Originally Posted by dutchinterceptor

I have to mark my territory when I'm around some of those Suzuki riders you know.

I'm just thankful all you use is a rock.....

[dutchinterceptor]

Forgot about the dude blabbing about his wife not letting him get a bike.

That also reminded me of the attractive young girl that pulled up, stepped out of her truck, hocked a big loogy on the ground, and then hollered, "where the **** can you buy some **** beer in this town?"

Oh yeah, how about the guy that stopped to chat when we were taking a break in Russellville. He was quizzing Elly about her Burgman asking the usual questions, gas mileage, cost, comfort, etc. The last question to her was how fast it would go and without hesitation she said, "Oh I had it up to 100mph earlier today!" The guy had the funniest look on his face when she told him.

[dutchinterceptor]

Originally Posted by txbanditrydr

I'm just thankful all you use is a rock.....

There was that night you went to bed early. You just thought that was condensation on your bike.