| State Maintenance Ends Yes, that's what this trip is dedicated to, State maintenance. One of the most enjoyable places for a gathering is in the middle of nowhere where the blacktop turns to mud. It was by far the best alternate route, as I call them, on one of the rides we have taken. More on this later. For now, let's just wonder about the picture below and get back to this topic later. |
| Once again I wish to start by thanking all of the adventure seekers who followed me on another of my journeys to places we have traveled before as well as unknown places we have now added to our travel resumes. It seems as though if I can find a line that looks interesting on the map, then I have friends who will travel with me. This trip included three friends who have experienced my travels before and four who were virgins to the amount of camaraderie and fun that is the real reason that I take the time to plan these little excursions. I truly hope each and every one of you had as much enjoyment from and with this group as I did. Now let's take a little trip down Arkansas way and see what new and exciting things occurred in these four wonderful days of adventure. Thanks also for the pics, all. |
| Thursday morning we met in Louisburg, Ks. for breakfast at Miss B's Cafe. If you notice, there were 5 bikes with 6 riders at this time. |
| After a good breakfast, we headed out for a day of good riding. Cabool, Mo. was our destination the first day. First a fuel/restroom break in Garden City, Mo., then on to Warsaw, Mo. At our fuel stop there, Trudy somehow, I just don't know which story to tell on here, with the help of Jackie, so she blames, ran over her own foot with her own bike. It was the left, shifting foot. OUCH!!!! At this point it was decided by all, and with no regrets, that we would get her to the motel as soon as possible. The question was, could she somehow manage to shift with her sore foot? What a trooper she turned out to be. As she was not going to leave her bike in Warsaw, she climbed aboard and off we went for an hour and a half trip to Cabool. Each shift was painful and we finally made it to the motel. |
Trudy runs over her foot.
| Once at the motel in Cabool, we called Jon, who was to meet us the next day along the trail, and asked if he would be willing to bring his trailer down to get Trudy's bike since she was done riding it for the trip, so we thought. Jon suggested putting it in a storage shed and retrieving it after the trip. We looked up and right there at the motel was a storage shed. Her bike was then abandoned and she rode the next 2 days, sore foot and all, on the back of Jackie's bike. |
| Trudy's bike was left here. |
| x |
| It took 3 guys and Karen to get Trudy on the bike to go to dinner. |
| We found out that the best food in Cabool was at the truck stop on Hwy. 60 just down the road. Trudy found a cane/weapon there and started to get around much better. |
| Trudy's sore foot didn't stop us from enjoying a good meal the first evening. |
| Day 2 Cabool, Missouri to Ozark, Arkansas |
Low water bridge on Highway 95 in Missouri.
| Little chilly but a nice day so far. |
| Steve at a rest stop in Gainsville, Mo. |
| Talking to Jon about where to meet up. Notice that it still has not rained on us today. |
| Just a little garden shower to start the day. Didn't last long. Back to the truck stop for breakfast then on our way. |
| One thing you can count on when you travel with me. You will have good food and plenty of it. Karen just loves to have her picture taken while she is eating. I don't remember if that was her second or third trip to the buffet. |
| Overlook above the White river outside Cotter, Arkansas. |
| Old highway bridge and rail road bridge from same location. |
| Off to meet up with Jon and Justin in Bellfonte, Arkansas. |
| At this point in time we have few pictures until we reach Ozark, Arkansas. Shortly after this we met up with Jon and Justin in Belfonte. From there we headed to ride highway 7 and then to the pig trail. Shortly after meeting up with Jon and Justin, it started to rain on us. With rains suits on we headed down highway 7 in the rain and had some spectacular views from the seat of the bike but with the rain and the curves, we didn't stop for safety's sake. We still haven't figured out if Jon or Justin brought the rain with them, but it had to be one of them that did. No rain till they joined the fun. We also rode through about 20 little towns with no gas stations or anywhere else to use the restroom. Poor Karen. After about an hour and a half, and in the pouring rain, we pulled into Turner's bend souvenir shop on the pig trail. From there, and when the rain let up, we headed on to Ozark. |
| These are the people with which I traveled the first day and a half. What a great group. I don't think Steve has figured us out yet, but he still fits in nicely. What a great group of people. |
| Jackie, Trudy, Steve, Karen, and Scott. Scott, Karen and Trudy are veterans of Tony's rides. Jackie and Steve are first timers. I hope they will all join me next time to see what kind of adventures we can find. |
| Justin and Jon, with Karen, checking in at the motel in Ozark, Arkansas. |
| Justin, in black, and Jon are traveling with us for the first time. Sharing a room together to save money, or so they say. Look at this picture and tell me that is the only reason. Will there be more to tell in the morning? |
| Now that we were all checked in, it was time to see what there was to eat in this town. It was 7:45 and we were getting hungry. There is a bbq restaurant in Ozark that, according to the reviews, is very good. Just one problem. It closes at 8. Let's try the restaurant at the motel. Once again, it closes at 8. Down the street was a Pizza Hut. I can do that at home so I didn't like that idea, but that was about it. As we pulled into the drive at Pizza Hut, I noticed a little Thai steak house next door. But what time did it close? Was there actually life in the food service industry in Ozark, Ar. after 8 p.m.? Yes, open till 9. So in we went. Nice clean little place with some good specials. Drink and food orders taken then time to enjoy the evening. Someone, possibly me, started telling Arkansas jokes. We all had each other laughing and enjoying the evening. The food was very good and the company was absolutely great. Justin, having never been to the mountains, was thrilled at the views he had seen and was enjoying the trip as much if not more than the rest of us. Thanks for coming and thrilled you enjoyed yourself. With stomachs full, it was back to the motel and a good night's sleep. |
| Thai steak house |
| Day 3 Ozark, Arkansas to Noel, Missouri Saturday morning was a little cool but dry when I first walked out of the room. Jon, Justin, Jackie, Trudy and I were in the back half of the motel and I could see they were all up and about. I took some pictures of the morning while I was packing the bike and this is what I witnessed from my vantage point. I will let you be the judge of what was happening at times as I was not quite sure what I was seeing. |
| Beautiful morning in Ozark. |
| One night with Jon and look at the smile on that young man's face. I also noticed the limpness in the wrist. Any stories that can be told in public, boys? |
| They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I just don't know what to say about these two. |
| Breakfast done and ready to head out. Please notice that the shadows from the sun in the above picture are no longer present. Could it be a sign of things to come? |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| Crystal clear water at the low water bridge |
 |
| |
 |
| So now as we depart Ozark, Ar. for our journey to Noel, Mo., we are expecting to have a good trip to Devil's den state park with some good sights and riding for the day. Hopefully we can find some little roadside gift/souvenir shops along the way to enjoy. But, this is Tony's rides so the surprises just keep coming. Click on the wet ride home link below and enjoy the tale with us. What a fun day we had. |
Was this really my fault?