Me and two good friends decided to head up to ride the Talimena Scenic Byway and had the route all picked out.
Well Mother Nature didn't cooperate last Sunday as the monsoon level winds caused us to postpone the trip. Well we crossed our fingers for this past Saturday and what do you know, things worked out.
So we met up early Saturday morning (6am) and started the way every good ride should...breakfast tacos. We met up at the Rudy's in Frisco and filled up our stomaches and our gas tanks.
Well we hit the road and headed north to OK and then east to Mena, AR. When we got to Mena it was very evident that there was a lot of damage there. I feel like such a dummy as I didn't even know that they had been hit by a tornado a week earlier. There were piles of destroyed mobile homes, giant trees that had been completely uprooted, and buildings downtown that had large pieces ripped off of them. I didn't take any pictures of this but it was very eerie seeing the destruction that Mother Nature can bring.
Well to prepare for the trip across the Talimena, we decided to grab a bit to eat in Mena. We saw a Mexican restaurant that seemed pretty busy so we felt that was a good sign. Well it certainly was as the food was awesome! The place was called Papa Poblano's and I highly recommend it to anyone that is passing this way.
(sorry I couldn't wait to start eating before taking a picture)
Well with full stomachs, it was time to tackle the Talimena. Starting from Mena side, the allure of this route hits you right away. Man is the scenery breathtaking and the road even better.
Fire Tower I believe
Me and my machine
More fun waiting for us at the bottom of the mountain!
Man, what a road!!! I defintely see a return trip in my future as the pictures cannot do justice to the day we had. Well we started the long ride back to DFW and were in a race to beat the impending weather moving into Dallas. Mother Nature cooperated for the most part. Well we just made it back as I started to get rained on a little the last 20 minutes until I got home.
This is my first long ride and thus my first trip report. It was an awesome experience of good friends, good food, good weather, beautiful scenery, and of course...the bikes. In total, I rode 551 miles and I have to say my new Mustang Seat made every mile enjoyable. I cannot wait to take the next big ride and will use several shorter ones to practice.
- Bill
Well Mother Nature didn't cooperate last Sunday as the monsoon level winds caused us to postpone the trip. Well we crossed our fingers for this past Saturday and what do you know, things worked out.
So we met up early Saturday morning (6am) and started the way every good ride should...breakfast tacos. We met up at the Rudy's in Frisco and filled up our stomaches and our gas tanks.
Well we hit the road and headed north to OK and then east to Mena, AR. When we got to Mena it was very evident that there was a lot of damage there. I feel like such a dummy as I didn't even know that they had been hit by a tornado a week earlier. There were piles of destroyed mobile homes, giant trees that had been completely uprooted, and buildings downtown that had large pieces ripped off of them. I didn't take any pictures of this but it was very eerie seeing the destruction that Mother Nature can bring.
Well to prepare for the trip across the Talimena, we decided to grab a bit to eat in Mena. We saw a Mexican restaurant that seemed pretty busy so we felt that was a good sign. Well it certainly was as the food was awesome! The place was called Papa Poblano's and I highly recommend it to anyone that is passing this way.
(sorry I couldn't wait to start eating before taking a picture)
Well with full stomachs, it was time to tackle the Talimena. Starting from Mena side, the allure of this route hits you right away. Man is the scenery breathtaking and the road even better.
Fire Tower I believe
Me and my machine
More fun waiting for us at the bottom of the mountain!
Man, what a road!!! I defintely see a return trip in my future as the pictures cannot do justice to the day we had. Well we started the long ride back to DFW and were in a race to beat the impending weather moving into Dallas. Mother Nature cooperated for the most part. Well we just made it back as I started to get rained on a little the last 20 minutes until I got home.
This is my first long ride and thus my first trip report. It was an awesome experience of good friends, good food, good weather, beautiful scenery, and of course...the bikes. In total, I rode 551 miles and I have to say my new Mustang Seat made every mile enjoyable. I cannot wait to take the next big ride and will use several shorter ones to practice.
- Bill