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Arkansas: Squeaky's POV

Squeaky

2
Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 6, 2004
Messages
13,312
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Location
Plantersville
First Name
Rebecca
Last Name
Reed
I hadn't been to "The Natural State" state since I had my SV back in 2004. I'd learned a lot about myself and my bike in those three long days of curvy, twisting miles and I had been looking forward to repeating the process with my VStrom since the day I brought it home.

I didn't want to be in unknown territory with one mirror, so I ran by David's place (Cagiva549) on my way out of town to pick up one of the mirrors he'd so graciously left for me.

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I met Roger "RSquared" near Tomball and we headed up to Arlington the long, scenic, warm-up-the-tires-and-bodies-before-the-trip kinda way.

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As was bound to happen, the GPS routed us onto an unpaved road. I decided we'd skip it and just wander north until the Quest picked us back up and helped us finish the route.

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There must be some horrible pollen counts up in this neck o' the woods - both Roger and I were having sinus issues. We decided to stop for a break. Dunno where.

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We split off once we reached Arlington - him for his daughter's place at UTA and me to Biwwy and Mel's house for an oil change, dinner, and a place to rest my head for the night.

Max and Shadow had the guard dog duties under control. Nobody messed with the loaded bikes through the night.

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I was too rushed getting rolling at Biwwy’s to take any pictures of my own. Oops.

We rolled out into the sun and dealt with traffic. Not too bad, but apparently my tailbag wasn’t secured well enough and Chris “Stinky93071” told me to pull over and fix it since it was covering my brake light. We managed to get it fixed and get caught back up with the group before the next stop. For gas. Wait, I… um… You guys were rushing me to get going so I forgot to look at my gas gauge!

I had to pull off again to grab a gallon and a half as quickly as possible then try to catch up yet again. We weren’t too far behind, but we were the last to pull in at the Sherman meet-up point.

We made small talk and worked out a few last-minute details, and then we were off as a group toward the Oklahoma line. This was my first visit to the state.

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People looking at bikes:

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Bikes looking at people:

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Jerry “QuickSilver” demonstrating the dance of the MC Gods for good weather. (It worked wonders!)

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I tried to get up alongside the group to take individual pics, but all I managed were a decent pic of Tim & Leia, a few half-shots, and mass confusion.

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I’m still working on getting better shots from the saddle, so be patient and eventually I’ll get there.

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I wasn’t taking a hand off the bars FOR ANYTHING while going through the scenic Talimena Skyway. The twists and turns got tighter and more technical as we passed through the hills and trees, crossing from Oklahoma into Arkansas. It smelled like nature.

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I could hear Elzi “TexasShadow” squealing with delight through the passes. “WEEEEEEEEE!”

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Melanie “WhiskeyGirl” (aka Peanut) was so cute and clever, she turned a leaf into a noisemaker while we waited for the remainder of the group.

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We got to the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge for their lunch buffet. The food was great and the deserts plentiful.

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Stinky convinced me to walk out onto the deck to get a picture. Scary stuff, but worth the pic. (Yeah, ok Chris – you were right. There, I said it.)

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Chris and Mel goofing around

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Biwwy getting in on the action

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She’s just so darn cute!

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Headed out after lunch in search of some pigs in them ‘thar hills

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Stopped one last time before the Ozarks for a “comfort break” at a roadside rest area

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“Is it time to hit the twisties yet?”

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Once through the twisty stuff (again, no chance for pics when I’m having that much fun!) we stopped for stickers and ice cream at the Turner Bend store.

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The sun was beginning to find it’s resting place beyond the horizon, so we motored out of there and onto the campsite. We had to scurry to set up tents before dark, then decided to take a run down to the local Subway before they closed to get dinner. I rode on the back of the Strom with Stinky piloting up front – laughing the whole way while I cringed in terror from the sight of the cliffs by moonlight. If I had nails they would have needed to be surgically removed from his back after that!


(more to come...)
 
I gotta try your route some day. Looks like a lot more fun than Indian Nations Turnpike - yuck!
 
I'll post all the veideo links at the end so you can watch in sequence.
 
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Great pictures and videos, Rebecca. You have a steady hand and an eye for good shots.

What is the name of the tune 7 artist in the day1 vid?

That was a fun trip? Ready to go back.

:sun:
 
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Sure, where's the trailer? :cool2:
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It's rigged for only one bike at this time. However, the inside diminisions of the trailer are 7 X 12 (fender wells on the outside), so, it's certainly doable to rig it out for another bike. The only problem is that I don't have another bike with which to make accurate measurements for the wheel chock and the flush mount tie-down rings.:-(

This guy also makes for a good sleeper especially if caught out in the rain.

:sun:
 
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It's rigged for only one bike at this time. However, the inside diminisions of the trailer are 7 X 12 (fender wells on the outside), so, it's certainly doable to rig it out for another bike. The only problem is that I don't have another bike with which to make accurate measurements for the wheel chock and the flush mount tie-down rings.:-(

:sun:

That is obscene.
 
:-) Yea, but I think Becca was referring to the idea of trailering a bike. She is a pretty hard core motorcyclist, ya know.;-)

:sun:

Trailering a bike, whatever.

Trailering a Goldwing? Obscene. They pull trailers, not sit in them. :eek2:

//All in good fun, really. I'm sure you had a GOOD excuse. :doh:
 
Nice pics so far. Me likey. And I never knew that Mel smoked weed.... AND I LIVE WITH HER!!!!
 
Trailering a bike, whatever.

Trailering a Goldwing? Obscene. They pull trailers, not sit in them. :eek2:

//All in good fun, really. I'm sure you had a GOOD excuse. :doh:

Trailers are crappy.... right up to the point where you wreck your bike and need a way to get it home. They are slightly less crappy at that point. (Don't ask how I know this.)

From now on I will be trailering my bike and enjoying the destination more. Not to mention I can now bring my BBQ and cook up some killer camp food.:eat:
 
Despite my deep love for the fine art of sleep, I was awake before my phone’s alarm could wake me. I was excited to get going – that’s the only explanation I can muster for being awake as the sun crawled back onto its perch.

I whipped up some breakfast – oatmeal for Donovan “txncdn”and myself, and Stinky opted for Ramen noodles.

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Don’t make fun of a man for eating Ramen for breakfast while he’s eating. Apparently soup coming up through your nose isn’t a pleasant experience.

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We unloaded everything but rain gear and electronic essentials and headed over to the hotel in town to meet the rest of the group. Biwwy and I had printed maps and routes… but we’d forgotten to label which was which and that part of the image had been cropped. Oops. I spent a few minutes deciphering what was what and handed out paper to anyone that wanted it.

The group I’d be in today consisted of 12 bikes with 13 riders. We’d attempt the ~297 mile route that hit the major sections of twisty Arkansas, but if the day got long we had places we could cut out sections.

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We wound our way to Jasper, only to discover we were too early for lunch to head straight to the Cliff House six miles up the road. Instead, the clerk inside the gas station recommended we do a loop of AR123 which would bring us back to the restaurant closer to noon. Sounds good!

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We all topped off the rolled out to meet some curves.

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I dropped back knowing that switchbacks were lying in wait. I tried to relax and just let my riding take over, but it was difficult. The scenic views are trumped in my head by the eerie thought of crashing and tumbling down a cliff. Having Stinky on the Chatterbox talking me through it sure helped… until he started singing to me!

We came around a set of curves and as I set up for the next one I was presented with a scene I dread. The bikes are all stopped, some have been parked, and someone is lying on the ground. My heartbeat races as I kill the bike and get it parked right where it is. It’s Biwwy.

He’s conscious and talking. I don’t see any blood. They’ve already got his helmet off and are keeping him still. Everything is a blur, but he is wimpering “something’s broken” as they try to see if his jacket will come off easily.

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Tim peers into the neck of Bill’s shirt and points out what appears to not belong. The bone is out of place, but it’s not coming through the skin. I had my first aid kit with us, but other than using the wrap to keep the arm still I’m not sure I could have done anything with it. I had some pain pills with me but I was told not to put anything in his stomach. I gave him some water out of my Camelbak to keep him comfortable, then we all just waited for EMS.

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The first responders from the local firehouse were most certainly volunteers. An old pickup truck with a hose reel in the bed rolled up to the scene and three or four guys in jeans and trucker hats attended to Bill. A few minutes later, an ambulance was up the hill and the process of getting Bill onto the backboard was initiated. The fear of neck and back injuries, combined with the pain of his shoulder, made it a difficult task.

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We shuffled Bill & Melanie’s bikes down the hill to the local school where Careflight had landed and was ready for transport to Washington Regional in Fayetteville. There wasn’t room for Mel in the helicopter, so Stinky and I would take her over to the hospital on the bikes.

But first – we must feed her. Melanie is an itty-bitty thing, but she needs to eat every few hours. We headed toward the Cliff House, since we were now arriving during lunch hours.

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Lots of discussion about what had just happened, weighing the risks we take against the pleasure these two-wheeled magic carpets bring us.

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After settling our tabs, Pacman agreed to lead anyone that wanted to follow him through the remainder of the ride. Thank you for stepping up Wayne!

It was a long ride to the hospital for the three of us. Stinky kept watch over Mel and I like he was herding sheep. We arrived and they let Mel back to see him; he’d finished the tests and was resting while the doctors worked out the terms of his release.

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Once a prescription had been written, Mel and I hopped on the Strom 2-up in search of a pharmacy and some food. After locating a Walgreens down the road a few miles, we dropped off the Rx and sat and had a good, girly talk. The whole accident experience can be a difficult one for a loved one and she was handling it like a champ.

We decided to ride through the Arby’s drive thru and got a real good laugh out of the guy at the window. These two crazy ladies are going to carry all that food back? You sure?

LOL

Sorry, I left the camera back at the hospital.

After Keith and Joyce came with the truck for Bill, Mel and I sat and ate for a minute to prepare for the long ride back. It would be dark soon, so it would be slow going and tedious.

I’m sure the roads would have been lots more fun if it wasn’t pitch black and filled with splattering bugs, but it was difficult not to curse the curves at this stage.

Once back at camp, we discovered the tent was already down and most of Bill & Mel’s stuff had been packed. We were now waiting for the bike to be brought back from Mt Judea and the trailer from Dallas to arrive for the swap.

Bill was getting cold, so we draped a sweatshirt over him.

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In an attempt to warm us all up while we waited, Stinky built a fire in the pit. He made too much noise trying to cut firewood, so we had to settle for scavenging. There are some creepy trails in the back of that KOA site…

We sat and played with the fire until Bill’s dad and friend arrived, then loaded the truck with all the gear. It’s amazing to think that all this fit on the bikes on the way up!

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When Keith and Wayne got back with the Strom, it stared at us sadly. It didn’t like being tied up like that. It’s a wild beast (and had demonstrated its untamed side earlier in the day) and wants to run free.

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We said goodnight and goodbye and headed off to sleep. This pair of five year olds was exhausted.
 
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Despite my deep love for the fine art of sleep, I was awake before my phone’s alarm could wake me.
.
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We said goodnight and goodbye and headed off to sleep. This pair of five year olds was exhausted.

Thanks, Rebecca. This is good. Now, what happened on Monday?

:sun:
 
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