Twisties and Trails, Doing it all in Arkansas!

[gotdurt]

Wow, what a trip...

Wes is my oldest friend; we were almost literally born together (I'm a few hours older), and have remained close friends through thick and thin.

He went into the Army back when we were in college, so I didn't get to see much of him for about 10 years while he was in Korea, Georgia, Iraq, etc... until he was lucky enough to be moved to San Antonio a few years ago. We always talked of taking a longish bike trip somewhere, but never quite made it happen... that is, until he learned that he was was being sent back to Iraq in July, for another year+.

Wes wanted to make a trip to the Ozarks, and his plan was ambitious... at least for a riding partner with a tired DR650; no big deal for the purpose-built BMW R1200C that he'd be riding.

Monday, June 22nd
Wait, we're doing what?

After a communication mix-up on the dates we were going, we made a last minute decision to leave early Monday, the 22nd. We were to meet in the Ikea parking lot in Round Rock at around 6:30am. Neither of us were ready, but we would do it anyway. Plan 'A' was to make the haul 400-ish miles to Little Missouri Falls just inside the Ouashita NF. Plan 'B' was to make it to the Red River Army Post just outside of Texarkana. We really didn't have a planned route; part of the 'plan' for this trip was to just wander aimlessly, picking our route as we go.

Morning came, and I rolled up the Ikea on time. He ran into some traffic behind an accident in Austin, so we were off to a latish start.

The mighty DR, loaded and awaiting it's torture test

A side note: In person, at first glance, my somewhat tattered 10-year old DR650 doesn't inspire much confidence as a road worthy trip machine; in addition to it's off-road-bred ergos and design, this particular one is even more set-up for trail riding, and has seen fairly heavy off-road abuse over it's last 4 years and 15k+ miles. I've tried to baby it more than my poor XRL that preceded it, however the past few years of it's life pretending to be a dirt bike have left it less than pretty and with it's fair share of ailments... including some charging problems and bent, hard-to-balance wheels. Last summer I replaced a bad regulator/rectifier with another used one, which tested on the weak side of spec... but it was consistent, so I used it and never looked back. Charging issues reared their ugly head again recently though, and since I didn't have time to do proper testing, I just bought a new battery and carried a small charger with me...

I nearly dozed off lying on the grass before I was stirred by the distinctly familiar sound of the boxer with near-open pipes in the distance; I picked myself up and waited for my life-long buddy to round the corner.

Wes and the Beemer

We headed up to Georgetown and turned east on 29 and a few other nice back-roads that would allow us to avoid the worst stretch of 79 and drop us off at Rockdale, where we'd continue on 79 until Palestine. From there we picked-up some back roads to Tyler, then 155 to Gilmer. At Hughes Springs we stopped for a break... we couldn't decide between the Italian and Mexican restaurants on the main street, so we went across the street to the Dairy Queen

In front of the Italian food place we didn't eat at...

To be continued....

 

[gotdurt]

...Day 1 continued...

We somehow missed the road for our next back-road route, so continued out 11 to 8, which would take us to the Red River Depot. Before long, we reached 67, and since it was still early afternoon, we decided to press on to the Ouachita NF. Once across the border, we made a bee-line to 355 at Fulton, connecting to 278, then 70 to 369 north, which would be our corridor into the National Forest. We reached "Langley", which was a Gas station/ store on the intersection of 369/84, and decided to make a last stop for gas... only to find that the store had closed 10 minutes earlier at 6pm the owner had already closed the register, but said that if we stopped the pumps at the exact cash price,we could go ahead and get some; we put in $5 each, which would hopefully be enough for us to get to the next open station. Here is where our plans changed... our new priority was to find an open station, which took us east to Glenwood. Luckily we found a station, topped-off, and were on our way.

Unfortunately, it was too late to reach our target area and have our camp set-up by dark, so we headed up 8 to Caddo Gap, where we found a private camp-ground on the clear Caddo river. Getting our stakes in the rocky ground was a challenge, but ending the day soaking in the river was the reward for our long day; we ended the day with about 500 miles on the clocks.

We sat in the river and talked for a couple of hours, only to be interrupted by a bunch of kids that came down to party... with tents They were a loud bunch, but luckily fatigue prevailed...

Our general route:
Day 1

 

[gotdurt]

Day 2: The search for the perfect campsite

We slept in Tuesday, getting up well after 8am. After another dip in the river, we packed up and moved north, in search of a secluded campsite near a clear creek or river further north so Wes could have access to the Ozarks the next day. We headed north east, only to find that the rivers were pretty disgusting that direction... even the Petit Jean, which I had somehow remembered to be clear, was anything but inviting.

The day was off to a frustrating start; the easterly roads were lackluster, the water was dark and dirty, and I had monkey-butt developing in a bad way from our previous day. After a stop in Russellville for lunch, we decided to try our luck with the Ozark NF north of us.

heading north on 7, we entered a section of 7 that suddenly reminded me of 89 north on the east side of Flagstaff AZ... what a bizarre feeling... everything was in the right place, so familiar.

The maps showed lots of creeks and rivers east of 7, so we chose 164 as our corridor and headed west. We took the road up to Long Pool, which while it was a nice campground, wasn't what we were looking for. We continued west and turned north on 123, poking around on a few side-roads looking for creek and river crossings, eventually arriving at the Haws Creek Falls campground... beautiful, small campground, but it was just that, a campground, and it was crowded to boot. We continued north, poking around trails at crossings, until we reached a trail on our right... I went in (being on the dirt bike, I was the campsite scout), only to find EXACTLY what we were looking for! The site was perfect, the section of the creek was perfect and easily accessed and someone even left a clothes line We were home

Our bikes moved into claim-staking position...

The trail to the creek

The creek, looking north

The creek, looking south

All set up

The general route for the day:
Day 2

 

[gixxerjasen]

I'll admit, I just skimmed the pictures. I'll wait till I have time and you've completed your report to sit down as I'm interested in locations and such. Looks like a good time.

 

[Mer]

NICE!! Beautiful pic of the creek too!! Looking forward to the next installment......

 

[gotdurt]

Day 3: The DR gets dirty

By Tuesday night my butt had enough... it was at that point were it hurt to sit down, but it hurt even more right after I stood. My plan for the next day was to just sit and enjoy the creek while Wes made his back-road boogie to Eureka Springs. Hopefully I'd be in better shape for a little riding on Thursday, then the long haul return on Friday.

By morning, however, my attitude had changed... I'm here, I have a DS bike, scenic dirt roads abound, and dual sporting doesn't require sitting down...

A little time studying my maps I had copied from the Arkansas atlas and I had a general route planned out... the challenge would be navigating, as the atlas doesn't provide any names or numbers for the trails and dirt roads I loaded up the boxes with food, water, enough tools to rebuild the whole bike, as well as a few just-in-case odds-n-ends... I'm traveling alone and a long way from home; better safe than sorry. The plan was to make a big loop via gravel and bladed earth roads, with Jasper as the halfway point. Nothing challenging, since again, I'm alone and a long way from home...

I saddled-up and headed up the road. Judging from the map, the road I wanted starts just across the "Big Piney Creek", then follows the creek for a few miles NW before joining another road west. This road turned out to be a great start...

It wasn't long before I came to the first water crossing for the day... two sections, about 18" deep at the deepest points, with scattered football sized river rocks... I splashed through without a hitch though.

The road meandered along the creek, rising and falling, with stone shelves and lush vegetation protruding over the road.

If you look closely, you'll see that this is a waterfall... much more obvious in person. Ride under it on a hot day for a good soaking...

Eventually the roads joins the next one, which begins to switchback out of the river valley and up the mountain.

If you look closely, you'll see the road that I just came up in the backround, before the switchback

At this point, all I know is that I'm taking a right after a few miles... how many miles, I don't know, but since it's the only road turning off on the map, I'll have to assume it will be a pretty well traveled one. There are lots of tracks on the right, but I finally come up on one that is gravel, although it doesn't appear that it's been traveled in a while... it has an old stop sign though (coming from that direction), so I turn. After about 1/2 mile it begins to turn to double track and continues, winding for several miles in the general direction that I want to go... until it finally becomes a grassy shelf trail, about jeep width...

I remembered that I loaded some maps on my gps before I left, so pulled it out of my backpack for consultation... because we all know and trust Garmin Mapsource maps After a little panning I determine that I'm probably not on the right road, but that this trail "does" come out where I need it to... so listening only to my adventurous and curious drive, and against my better judgment, I continue. After another mile or so, and a couple of good sized logs and hidden mud bogs, the trail becomes so overgrown that I have to duck and push tree limbs and other vegetation out of the way, until it gets so thick that I'm practically inching along...

What's ahead:

What's behind

To be continued...

 

[gotdurt]

...Day 3 continued...

I checked the gps to see how far I was from the "end"... about 2 miles... well, as much as I want to continue, it is slow moving, and I still have a long way to go today... Now the challenge is to turn around, as there's a drop to the left and a hill to the right, and about a bike's length between the two... with a little work I get the loaded, overweight beast turned around and pointed in the direction I came. I had fun on the way back, jumping the water bars and whacking the throttle around the tight bends in the road. Before I knew it, I was at the old stop sign, and back on my original track. I continued to look for my track-right and eventually came to an intersection where I continued right. After a few miles enjoying views to either side of me, I came to a 4-way intersection and took another right.

The road followed along another ridge, the eventually began to switchback down the mountain.

My plan was to take the second left to Edwards Junction, and once I crossed the river, I took what seemed to be that left... there were no other lefts that appeared significant I noticed The road was an entertaining one, narrow and kind of rough in places, but nothing difficult.

Then I came to this bend... I'm glad I took a picture here, because around the bend to the left, things got much steeper, and much more technical...

I didn't stop for a picture there, because I was busy... Then things smoothed out for a while, but got narrower and more primitive...

Then the road began to steeply climb again and got much more technical, until it was a full-on 4x4 trail... for the next couple of miles I found myself on the throttle in sections, working hard to keep the highway-geared, heavily loaded 650 motivated over loose boulders, ledges and wash-outs. There was one steep hill that I was so focused on lines to keep the bike moving just a few feet ahead of me that I failed to notice the tight, technical left-switchback ahead... my focus suddenly changed to getting the bike to switch directions amid the chaos and on a good new line... after some more chugging and rock-chunking, I was safely at the top of the hill.

The road smoothed out for a while, then appeared to have been bull-dozed some to the intersection of the next road... maybe they are getting ready to crudely "smooth" out the rest of the trail? That would be a shame...

Looking back on the mystery road from the intersection

Now, this road I came out on was not paved, so the one I came from was not the one I was supposed to take... so, where am I? This new road was wide and well maintained, so it should be on the map, which means it would have to be one of 3 roads, all of which would require me to take a right to get to civilization.

I took a right, and ended at another intersection... this should mean I'm on the road to the community of "Nail", which would also mean that before turning onto the rough trail, I had to have passed 3 possible lefts that I somehow missed Anyway, on to Nail for gas, water, and a Gatorade, where I would have to have to wait in line for the pump .

Edit: Last night I got to thinking about the 'mystery trail', trying to figure out how I could have missed the road I was looking for, so I pulled out my maps... and discovered that I wasn't lining them up right (the road was divided by pages), and the route I was trying to do didn't exist The 'mystery trail' wasn't on the map, but just happened to connect me with one of the other roads... I just got lucky.

To be continued...

 

[Teeds]

Good stuff Casey.

I'm in for the ride!

I clearly need to grab my Roads of Arkansas.

 

[ekms377]

Great so far......I want a route map from your DS ride. Looked great.

 

[gotdurt]

Side note: Last night I got to thinking about the 'mystery trail', trying to figure out how I could have missed the road I was looking for, so I pulled out my maps... and discovered that I wasn't lining them up right (the road was divided by pages), and the route I was trying to do didn't exist The 'mystery trail' wasn't on the map, but just happened to connect me with one of the other roads... I got lucky.

 

[gotdurt]

I clearly need to grab my Roads of Arkansas.

'Roads of Arkansas' is what I was using, problem is lack of road name or numbers for county and NF roads.

I want a route map from your DS ride. Looked great.

Oh the DS ride is far from over I'll provide a basic Google map for were I think I went when I'm done with the day. I should have written down the road names/numbers as I went (for those that had them), but didn't. I'll have to compare Map Source to Google and see what I come up with.

 

[gotdurt]

...Day 3 continued...


The next leg was to run over twisty 16 west to twisty 21, then north to my next dirt track that would take me to Parthenon.

The intersection at 16/21

The view from the intersection:

I was having so much fun on 21 that I blew right by my turn, but when I reached Mossville I realized my error and returned to find my road.

Toward the begining of the road:

My first turn:

The road rose and fell steeply as it wandered through the forest and along the hill, until it began it's steep descent...

Excuse me while I take a break...

During my break, I discovered my first casualty:

Another view:

The road eventually exits onto a nice sweeper

Parthenon, AR. This building had a sign in the window that said "Modern Art"

On the way to Jasper

From Parthenon I caught 327 into Jasper, poked around Jasper a bit (really nice little town, I hope to take the family there), then ran out 74 to 'Vendor'.

Hwy 74 near Vendor

I have no idea what this building was for, but it was important at one time:

On to my next track... which I found without a problem. However, judging from the map and my past experiences, this one could be a challenge to stay on route...

I was really digging this old farm house:

This road was a little different in that it was somewhat residential and passed through a lot of farm and ranch land. The first concerning intersection had me watching closely for tracks and a cemetery that would be my cue to track-right... found it, and was on my way... next I began watching for a fork, which I would fork-right... this was important, because the wrong road would go on for miles and miles before ending (according to the map). I found what I thought was my fork and continued... next I began watching for 2 more cemeteries on my right, divided by another track after a couple of miles to make sure I chose the right track... so I watched, and watched, and... never saw the cemeteries Maybe they were hidden? what about the road between them, that I also never saw? The road became narrower and more primitive as I watched for my landmarks...

I finally came to a 3-way intersection, where I turned right following my gut, then quickly followed by another 3-way... wait, this doesn't seem right... I ignored the gut and returned to the previous fork, taking the more southerly fork. The road began to get more primitive as it wound through the hills. Shortly after my turn, I came to a cemetery on the right... okay, seems a little late in comparison to the map, but maybe were are getting somewhere... but where is the other cemetery and the road between them? Oh well, on I go... after a while I came to another fork...the roads didn't seem right... I stopped for a water break and to ponder the map and to count creeks... while off the bike, I discovered that one of my rack mounts was loose... I didn't feel like digging into my tools at the moment and was preoccupied with my navigation, so I decided to put it off until I knew I was on the right track. I decided to double back to the previous intersection, and get back on the route that my gut sent me on in the 1st place.

Kid break! To be continued...

 

[Navaho]

Day 3: The DR gets dirty

I saddled-up and headed up the road. Judging from the map, the road I wanted starts just across the "Big Piney Creek", then follows the creek for a few miles NW before joining another road west. This road turned out to be a great start...

If you look closely, you'll see that this is a waterfall... much more obvious in person. Ride under it on a hot day for a good soaking...

...[/I][/B]

Thanks for sharing! Of all the places I've been on my DR, that's my favorite. Made my first trip up there in '06 ........................................................................

http://www.dualsportridersoflouisiana.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1902


...............................and have been back four times. Planning on spending a week or more up there this October.

I recognize a lot of the areas you where in, especially around the area South of Jasper where I usually set up base camp. Do you recall exactly where that road is in the picture above? I'd like to check it out.

Thanks,

Patrick

 

[gotdurt]

Do you recall exactly where that road is in the picture above? I'd like to check it out.

Well, the 'Roads of Arkansas' map doesn't show a name, but Map Source calls it "Big Piney Creek road"... that said, I'm pretty sure that name wasn't posted anywhere, but there was a county road number... I just don't know what it was It's easy to find though... There's a big, one-lane bridge on 123, a little north of Haw Creek Falls, goes over Big Piney Creek. Right on the north/east side of the bridge, on the left, the road begins and follows the "creek" (I've seen smaller rivers, actually ).

 

[jsb223]

All I have to say is wow...

 

[Navaho]

Ah yes, Big Piney Creek Road!

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Ft.+Douglas,+AR&sll=37.370157,-95.712891&sspn=27.463294,53.173828&ie=UTF8&ll=35.679958,-93.2335&spn=0.027539,0.051928&z=14

 

[gotdurt]

...Day 3 Continued...

Since I not one to admit defeat and turn back the way I came, going 'around' on the highway, I go back to where my gut led me to begin with, then stopped to check my rack and tighten things back up in case they got rough again... only to find that part of my mount was gone... but luckily the bolt was still barely hanging in there. I put a little Loctite on the bolt and threaded it back in... it's not going to hold the rack tight without the sleeve, but will help keep it from flopping around for a little while..

The road soon began to deteriorate, getting narrow, rough, and obviously rarely travelled; I didn't seen any recent signs of travel...

I stopped again to give this some more thought... the map indicates that this is a maintained gravel road, but it hasn't been that for miles... landmarks and intersections haven't matched in miles, and this road could go on for 20 more before fizzling-out into nothing... do I turn around now, or in another 20 miles? It's getting late and I don't want Wes to stress out over me not getting back before dark... The thing is, even if I turn around now, I have a lot of backtracking to do, plus finding a new route around... and the big one... I hate turning back!

And there was my gut, telling me that this will go through... My gut has a very high success rate, so I continued, but this time in haste. My reserved 'exploring-alone mode' started to go out the window, and my pace got quicker and quicker, the worn Maxxis 6006's struggling to find traction.

Man, I was having fun, and the more aggressive I got, the more the growl of the Supertrapp began to stir my soul... the front wheel comes up so easy with that extra weight on the back, and I began to find myself airborne on many crests, gently bottoming the suspension on landing...

Before long, the road seemed to widen again, and eventually smooth out some and becoming more of a built-up road...

At this point, my adrenaline was already pumping, and with the added excitement of possible success, I had to fight to keep myself from riding wide-open.

Luckily some views helped me slow down some

I finally reached the end of the road, sliding to a halt to the pavement of Hwy 7. I turned left and headed for 123... once at 123, I see a sign for 'Pedestal Rocks, 6 miles', but the wrong direction... that sounds interesting though, and I still have a little time, a 12 mile round trip won't take long...

It's bed time, to be continued...

 

[gotdurt]

...Day 3 Continued...

Okay, so where was I? Ah, yea, so Pedestal Rocks natural area is 6 miles away... My thoughts are that If I average 60 mph, I can run over, snap a few shots, and run back in about 15 minutes, right? That's cool, I can afford 15 minutes.

So I pull up to the entrance, which has a sign that says "Pedestal Rocks, 1 mile"... hey, so now they're adding miles? Well, I came this far... I cruise in and the drive ends in about 50 yards at a little parking area... uh, that wasn't a mile... well, okay, so where's the rocks? I dismount and grab my hot water bottle. Meanwhile, the fellow parked next to me is sitting on the tailgate of his truck with his son; he strikes up an conversation, and informs me that it's a hike, and it's more than a mile... he offers me a cold bottle of water out of his cooler, I accept. We chat for a while longer about the bike etc, then I have a decision to make... it shouldn't have been much of a decision; I should've hopped on the bike and left, but no, I started the "well, I came this far, and I'm here now, and don't know when I'll be here again..." I hate it when I do that. So, off I go, down the trail, in 100+ degrees, with a 50lb camera bag on my back and dirt bike boots on my feet... for those that don't know, I have a condition in my hands and feet called fibromatosis, and it can hurt like heck, especially if I subject them to much use and/or vibration. Well, a full day of standing on the pegs of a 650 thumper qualifies, and my feet were already giving me some pain... but hey, it's just an easy hike on a gravel trail, I'll be okay.

After a while I reach a fork with a sign... another 1.2 miles from this point?! "Well, I came this far"... So, I finally reach the rocks, and it's a pretty cool place, but I have no time to really check them out, so I just walk along snapping pictures, looking at things thinking, "I'll have to remember to check that out next time..."

I start the hike back on the other trail, which turns out to have a bit more elevation change and challenges, at least for a fatigued fellow in my condition. About half way back, I've had enough; my feet are killing me, my legs are like noodles and sweat is literally pouring off of me. However,of all places, I had a cell signal...!? I call the wife and fill her in on the day as I huff and puff into the phone...

Once back on the bike, I'm in a hurry. It's nearly 7pm now, and I'm ready to be sitting in my own cold, personal, private creek. I pull out of the park and whack open the throttle, letting the thumper sing through the gears... man, she's running sweet... Of course, that sound an feel, mixed with a sense of urgency stirred something and I wrang that poor little 650's neck down 123.

I'm having so much fun that I almost completely miss the entrance to our campsite, having to turn around and return. As I pull in, I find Wes on his bike puting his helmet on... he was on his way to look for me... such little confidence in your friend's abilities! Actually, he knows me too well

We head straight for the creek, talking about our day while I soak in the falls.

We finish our day with another fire and good conversation

 

[ekms377]

I've been at the 16/21 split so I know where that is but our signs are different. Just different parts of the intersection. Keep it coming!!! I likey!

 

[gotdurt]

Yep, that's the one... not sure why I felt it was necessary to take pictures of the signs, but I do feel better now knowing I'm not the only one

 

[gotdurt]

Day 4: "Meet me at the Hospital" or, "Standing around in my underwear"

Wednesday night we had discussed the plan for the day, and had arrived at the conclusion it it would be good to head west, then south, shooting for Mena or the Red River post, depending on how our time went. I expressed that it would be wise for me to get as far as possible (Red River) to try and minimize the miles on my poor butt for Friday. We'd discuss it further in the morning.

Morning came, and I arose earlier than days passed. I began packing up, and did some thinking about my plan for the day... if I'm going to make the long leg of the trip Friday, I should probably not spend much time on my butt today... so I proposed to Wes that we split again, and I'd take a slightly more direct route to Mena, while he heads north, then west, before heading south. He agreed...

Kid #1 needs a bath, to be continued...

 

[gotdurt]

...Day 4 continued...

...but how would we know where to meet in a town we've never been to? We could pick a highway intersection, but there's not always a place to wait at an intersection, especially one with shade. I pondered the map for a minute, and noticed the blue "H"... "let's meet at the hospital, just follow the signs; there's always signs when there's a hospital." We agreed.

We continued packing our stuff, and when I went to change into my riding clothes, I discovered that they were still wet from my plunge into the creek the night before . Well, heck, I'm wearing clean, dry underwear, I'm not about to put this stuff on now, but I need to pack the clothes I'm wearing... so I spent the next hour or so walking around in my whitey-tighties , until it was time to get on the road; they'd dry out quick once I got moving.

Wes rolled out for his long way 'round, I was on the road about 30 minutes later.

Passing back through Hagarville

I poked through Clarksville, standing, wondering where Scott and crew would be arriving later that day, then made a stop for gas. The station was covered in Mayflies, saturated in that fishy odor that always accompanies them. I browsed the store, but the prices were up there for Gatorade and water. I made another stop on the way out at a truck stop, still couldn't find what I was looking for. Oh well, I'll try again later.

I made my way through the old communities around Magazine Mountain, stopping in Booneville for an extended lunch break at the Taco Bell/KFC... not because I wanted to hang out for a while, but because I was forced to wait about 20 minutes for my 'cheesy double beef burrito'... I was in no hurry though; it was air conditioned. While I waited, I watched a young lady, probably mid 20's, come in with her 3 kids, all girls... I'd guess 2, 4, and 7 years old. She went up to the counter and handed the youngest to the oldest, who struggled to keep the small child on her hip. She began to order a mix from the two merged restaurants' menus, meanwhile the oldest girl put the youngest down, so the mom, mid-sentence in her order, picked the little one up and set her on the counter, diaper crunching as it pressed against the laminate surface. The child quickly stood-up and began walking around on the counter... the woman at the register nervously trying to get her to sit down, as Mom continued to ponder the order.

I sat for a while in the controlled climate, looking at my maps. Finally I refilled my Gatorade bottles from the soda fountain and made my way through the hot sun back to my bike, waiting in it's shady spot by the dumpster.

Once on 71 south, I kept getting behind excruciatingly slow vehicles, the worst of which was a convoy of touring bikes, most towing trailers, riding 10+ mph under the speed limit... eventually I found the opportunity to pass the long line of bikes (and cars behind them).

Approach to Mena

Okay, I'm tired, continued tomorrow.

 

[gotdurt]

...Day 4 continued...

Once I reached Mena, I followed the signs to the "Hospital" only to find a small building with minimal parking, much less with shade... I turned around and went back to an abandoned gas station on the corner, where I was sure I'd see Wes when he approached. I began to unbuckle my helmet and happened to look up at the busy intersection just in time to see a bike approaching in the distance... well, there are bikes everywhere, right? Especially ones with 3 lights... I couldn't hear it yet, but I somehow knew it had to be him... but nah, it's way to soon. The bike got closer, and I could make out the distinct sound of the near-straight-piped boxer twin... Wow! How's that for timing! I waved him down and we stopped to discuss lunch.

Since the day before, I'd had a hankering for a big, fat burger and a coke, so this was our mission. However, do you have any idea how hard it is to find a cafe/grill in the little touristy town of Mena, Arkansas? We couldn't believe it, and we rode pretty much everywhere. Finally, we stopped at the local Autozone to ask some local good ol' boys for suggestions... I had to wait about 15 minutes to get the chance to talk to one of them good ol' boys, but once I did, he thought a while, and came to the conclusion that there weren't any... until one of the good ol' boy customers chimed in... "what about the Chopping Block? It's down across from the State Farm office on the way out of town"... "Oh yea! Yep, that's a good place... what ya wanna do is go back to 71, take a right, then pass through 2 lights, when you see (some sort of warehouse, forgot what he called it), start looking to the left." "Thanks!", and we were off... again.

We almost passed it, but noticed the log building just in time. So far, the place looked perfect. We went in and were seated by a window, ordered our drinks (the didn't have Coke, but Pepsi never tasted so good!), and took turns getting cleaned up a bit in the men's room... oh man... there's a window AC unit at head height next to the urinal... I didn't want to leave .

They had a great menu... Wes ordered "Texas Toothpicks" to start, which are a "spicy blend of jalapeno peppers & onion strips dipped in a light batter"...

Texas Toothpicks

We both ordered the "5 Alarm Burger" (1/2 lb burger, pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, & chiptle mayo, served on a sourdough bun)... They butcher their own meats, and excellent meat it is! Man, I couldn't have asked for a better way to satisfy my cravings, even the Pepsi Bob was our server; an older gent, and quite the character... be sure to ask for him if you go

Wes, digging in

The Chopping Block's website, so you won't have to spend an hour driving around town looking for a burger joint: http://www.menachoppingblock.com

I could've ended the day there and been happy, but we pulled out the maps to figure out how we were going to finish our day. It was 100 miles to Texarkana on 71, and since it was only 2, we'd be there fairly early. Then, I made the mistake of suggesting we push further... see how far we can get, since there are several state parks along the way home. Wes agreed that this sounded like an entertainable idea. "Or..." I then suggested that we could even try and make it all the way home... mostly joking Wes liked that idea too... I pulled back the reigns a bit and settled on finding a park. We discussed it some more, then something started nagging at me... the signs that I'd been seeing for the Talimena Byway that exited west of town... well, we are here, and it is there... Seems silly to ride right by it... and then we could just drop south out of Oklahoma... and ride all the way to Austin... on my DR650... after having already ridden most of the morning. I don't know what kind of peppers were in those burgers, but it actually seemed like a good idea

Bedtime, to be continued...

 

[Cagiva 549]

You made the right choice going to Oklahome , 71 south to Texarkana sucks , plenty of slow traffic , 50 little towns with 35 mph speeds and no place to pass . When you look at 16 on the map you know its all good , 16 is 500 miles long but Arkansas is only 200 miles wide . SEYA

 

[gotdurt]

You made the right choice going to Oklahome , 71 south to Texarkana sucks , plenty of slow traffic , 50 little towns with 35 mph speeds and no place to pass . When you look at 16 on the map you know its all good , 16 is 500 miles long but Arkansas is only 200 miles wide . SEYA

Heh, little towns with 35-45 mph speeds are what saved my butt That's an opportunity for me to get up on the pegs