October 2022
Recently, I had 5 days and 1800 miles of motorcycle camping in the Ozark Mountains. I always enjoy a fall ride somewhere, with the weather getting cooler. Having just returned from North Georgia and points north and east of there, I passed on the Appalachians for this trip, and opted for destinations closer to home.
Many were invited to join me, but only my local friend Tom took the bait. We mounted new Dunlop Roadsmart 3s on his Versys 1000 before leaving. Me? After a 12-week hiatus during the humid summer, my pre-trip FJR maintenance consisted of changing the oil, and test running it through the neighborhood. All systems go.
We camped at Shady Oaks near Harrison, Arkansas. I’ve stayed there many times. It’s a great location for moto-camping. We were well taken care of.
We had possibly the best weather I can ever remember for a motorcycle trip. High 70s every day, upper 40s to mid-50s overnight, severe clear, not a drop of rain. Pretty hard to complain about that.
At over 85,000 miles, I was considering replacing my FJR with something newer as a retirement present to myself. After this trip, I decided to hold on to the ole girl a while longer – she’s still a keeper for me.
I hope you like the pics.
Day 1: Lafayette, Louisiana to Lake DeGray, Arkansas, approximately 500 miles.
(Yeah – I know it’s not that far, but keep reading. You’ll figure it out)
I met Tom at the gas station at 7 am sharp, excited and ready to go. We could take back roads north through Louisiana, but I’m itching to get into the elevation, so it’s I-49 slab to Pineville.
Are you following me?
North of Pineville, we rode Hwy 167, a divided 4-lane that has light traffic. It’s a good alternative to the interstate.
We got to Camden at lunch time, and when I stopped at the restaurant, Tom noticed my rear tire low.
I picked up a large framing nail and it was lodged in the tire skewed against the direction of travel. We found some shade and I put a plug in it and inflated it to about 30 psi with my portable compressor.
After lunch, we rode a short distance to Walmart so that I could finish inflating it. The guys at the Auto center were very helpful. The plug started leaking at about 35 psi, so I put a second plug in it with some sealant from the Walmart dudes. We waited 30 minutes for the sealant to cure. No luck – still leaking at about 35 psi.
So now I’m kind of in a bind. It’s Monday and most motorcycle shops are closed, and none exist in Camden. We started calling around and found a Dual Compound tire in Little Rock – that’s a good 3 hours away. We called several other shops about that distance with varied luck.
On a whim, I called this shop I found on Google in Pearcy, Arkansas, a little village just outside of Hot Springs. The guy was very helpful and told me he had a Avon Dual Compound tire in stock and could mount it for me as soon as I got there. So we removed the tire from my bike and strapped it down to Tom’s bike. I rode Tom’s bike to the shop, about 90 miles away.
I get to the shop and the dude is ready to go. Unfortunately, what he has is a 190/50 – 17 tire. Wider and a bit shorter. He also had a Dunlop sportbike tire in the right size. I elected to go with the sport bike tire – better to throw away less money than more money. I got the tire mounted and balanced in 30 minutes and I was on my way back.
By the time I got back to Camden, installed the new wheel, and re-loaded everything up, it was already almost 5:30 pm. While gone, Tom arranged for us to get a room at the lodge at Lake DeGray, a good choice considering the time.
We did enjoy a nice sunset over the lake getting to the lodge.
We checked into the spotless room with a view, and ate a good grilled chicken dinner at the restaurant. Watched the ball game on the boob tube for a few minutes before dozing off.
So, it can’t be adventure without some adventure. I reckon I rode about 500 miles, including the 175-mile round trip to get the tire. I’ve learned a long time ago to keep any plans soft and be ready to shift as needed. Nobody got hurt and all I really had to do was throw my credit card at it.
No harm, no foul. We’ll get to the mountains tomorrow.
Day 2: Lake DeGray, Arkansas to Harrison, Arkansas, about 300 miles
I slept good on the lodge mattress, and woke up to quite a nice sunrise.
After coffee and breakfast, we loaded up the horses, and away we go!
Just north of Hot Springs, it starts getting quite nice.
Mount Nebo just outside of Russellville is standing tall in the distance.
Last week, I texted a moto friend Mike, who lives in the Ozarks, to let him know we were coming. As luck would have it, he had time to ride with us. Mike ran south to meet us for lunch in Dover. I once had a 2005 Gen 1 FJR just like his.
After lunch, Mike led us north on Hwy 27. I’ve run this road many times, but usually in the opposite direction. The views were terrific on that afternoon.
We turned west on Hwy 16 and stopped at Deer, AR for a treat.
And then it was more of this.
Looking quite well, my friend!
We stopped at Steel Creek on the Buffalo River to take a peek. The afternoon light on that rock was wonderful.
We made arrangements to meet Mike in the morning, and shortly thereafter, he split off to go home. Tom and I got to the campground with plenty of light to set everything up.
We stopped in Jasper to pick up some groceries and a simple ice chest to keep the beer cold.
We tried this instant rice warmed in my pot. It worked very well, and with some chicken tenders, made for a fine meal.
A terrific day of riding under gorgeous skies.
Day 3: Ozark Twisties, approximately 325 miles.
I slept pretty good in the tent. The temperature dropped quite a bit about 2 hours before dawn, and I almost put my long handles on, but persevered instead.
First, coffee and breakfast.
Then we jumped on Hwy 65 north heading to Omaha, AR to meet Mike.
At the meeting place, Mike is right on time and ready to ride.
There was some cool eye candy to check out there.
Pretty cool little town.
As it turns out, Mike has a nice muscle car of his own.
The 3 amigos are ready for some fun!
Today, Mike will lead us into the Missouri Ozarks. I’ve ridden a little bit of that before, and was looking forward to learning more.
I always did like the blue color on the ’05 FJR.
Here, on a Wednesday, we have the whole world all to ourselves.
We get to Hwy 125 and I took the lead and turned the reins loose on the horse. Stayed in 3rd gear the whole way, and I got into a nice rhythm with the road. Plenty of grip on that sport bike tire, LOL! That was a great run.
Shortly thereafter, I decided to stop and let the adrenaline wane down a bit.
Then it was a run on Hwy 76, with Tom leading (another terrific twisty road). We are having a stupendous day.
Thank you for riding with us, Mike.
Chef’s Salad for lunch, very good.
And after lunch, we are off and running.
The Missouri Ozarks are not quite as steep as Arkansas, but the plateaus are less wooded and it makes for some good views. The roads are all clean (gravel free) and in terrific shape. I really enjoyed riding southern Missouri.
Midafternoon, we stopped at the Roaring River State Park.
There’s a fish hatchery there and I was wishing I had brought my gear.
This is a beautiful park.
That spring fed river was just too inviting to pass up. I suppose riding shorts will have to pass for a swimsuit!
Now heading more southerly in the general direction of “home”, Mike took a small detour to show us the Beaver Bridge over the White River. I’ve been here before, but it’s been years.
Pants has a thing for bridges, and this was a real treat.
Tom and Mike discovered this critter under a rock. I gave him (her?) a lot of room.
What a wonderful day.
At every stop, Mike would entertain us with some local knowledge of something related to what we were doing. I love to ride this way: get some info of the area from someone that knows.
Lake Table Rock is looking quiet this afternoon.
Back at the MO/AR border, we stopped to thank Mike for the day and wish him well on a family trip set to commence tomorrow. Tom and I rode to Harrison and stopped at one of my favorites.
They have good beer here.
Good pizza too.
Today was the kind of day that riders dream about. Awesome roads, perfect weather, good food, and great friends to share it with. We had the world by the balls, and we knew it.
Day 4: More Arkansas Roller Coaster, About 250 miles.
We had a nice campfire last night and I sipped on the shampoo a little. That put me to sleep like a rock and I woke up rested and ready for more.
Today we will ride south for lunch. Out of Jasper, I turn left onto Hwy 374. This little 10 mile stretch to Mt. Judea is, in my humble opinion, the most picturesque road in Arkansas.
If you look closely, you might notice that over the week, some color is starting to appear. It was happening right before our eyes.
We took a right on Hwy 123, and again, I let her rip. Apparently, there’s a big pirate shit show in Eureka Springs this weekend, and the Harleys are starting to appear on the roads. This however is little more than a short nuisance, as I am dispensing them in short order.
We stopped at this old cemetery to drink some water.
Another terrific day.
My new GPS routed me north of Clarksville to Oark. I was skeptical that the roads would be gravel, but was pleasantly surprised when it was not.
We arrived at the Oark General Store just in time for lunch.
This car looked flawless, but when he left, the motor had a knock in it.
The next picture needs no narration.
In case you didn’t know, the old lady that had been making pies for the Oark Store for over 50 years recently passed away. Before she became ill, she did share her recipes with two younger ladies at the store.
The pie was good, no doubt. It wasn’t as good as the old lady made it. The crust was not quite as flakey and dark (without being burnt). I know I’m splitting hairs, but a rider’s pie is a special thing. Hopefully the girls will hone their skills. I’ll keep trying.
After lunch, it’s getting warm and Tom is feeling like cooling off. I found this pullout on the Mulberry River.
That water was very cold. I was OK standing in it, but could not remain submerged for long.
We air dried off and started heading back to camp. I ripped Hwy 21, 16, 43, 74, and 7. This is the only picture I took and if you ask me, it’s a dandy!
Back at the camp, we ran to the local grill for dinner and then lit another nice campfire with some good tunes and a little more shampoo.
Home tomorrow.
Day 5: Harrison, AR to Lafayette, LA, about 500 miles
After coffee and breakfast, we packed our horses and turned them south. The ride home was nice and largely uneventful. Tom is a rock hound, so we stopped at one of the rock shops in Hot Springs Village so he could look around. Our Mexican lunch was good, and the ride was just fine. Smelling the barn in Alexandria, we hopped on the slab, I fanned the coals, and we made great time behind a nice rabbit disguised as a Camaro. That sportbike tire made it fine for the week, but at 1,500 miles under that heavy load, it was almost gone.
Uncharacteristically, I didn’t take any pictures that day. I guess I was pre-occupied with my thoughts. I’m a little over 3 months into retirement now. It has been everything that I could have possibly dreamed, and much more. I no longer watch the clock, preferring to take each day as it comes. My wife and I are traveling and we are having fun. We have our health and we have each other. We take none of that for granted, rest assured. Thinking about that as I rode gave me peace.
I also thought about my trusty Yamaha FJR. We’ve been all over this country together, sharing countless adventures. I’ve grown particularly fond of this bike, more so than the others. So much so that I’m just not ready to part with her.
She’s still a keeper, for now.
Stay thirsty, my friends…..
