Ozarks ... here we come !!!

[StevieWonder]

Leaving Houston at dawn tomorrow ... 480ish first day miles. Then two days circulating through the NW Arkansas Ozarks. Back the 480ish miles on Monday. I can hear "Dueling Banjos" already (just kidding and, yes, I know Deliverance was filmed in Georgia) on the Chatahoochee.

[StevieWonder]

More miles ... more road ... hopefully one less LARGE thunderstorm at night !!! Only two-up on the RT this time with the ol' lady ... her first bike ride with me in 31 years. Either her courage is up or her resistance has dwindled. :wave

[shoeman]

how about some pictures?

[StevieWonder]

Back to the cyberworld after the 4 day jaunt.

I now am sure why they call it HOT Springs ... 101 degrees last Friday !!!

The drive up was most long ... 450 miles and definitely hot. Hottest all-day ride I've had. It was nice up until about 10am and then starting getting really toasty.

Saturday was nice ... threatened rain but never more than a few drips as we traversed State Hwy 7. Simply stated, a challenging and beautiful ride. Great road, minimal traffic and magnificent views of the Ozarks. But the best road was State Hwy 43 from west of Boxley to Harrison. A great training ground for the Dragon if you've never been there. Very similar but on a much smaller scale.

Sunday was nearly a tragedy. After a glorious ride west-to-north-to-east of Harrison,one of our riders, a female on a Jap crotch rocket, missed a turn on State Hwy 27 west of Marshall. She ended up in a shallow ditch but was totally out of sight due to the depression of the ditch and some high grass. She had run out ahead of me and my wife (another story about that later on) to chase her husband who was also on another Honda sport bike. She never caught up but was well out in front of us so we weren't in the immediate area when she went off. Once we recognized she was MIA, we all circled back and began a very slow cruise looking for signs of where she might have gone off. There were stretches where the terrain dropped off at 50-60 degrees from the road into deeply forested areas. Had she gone off there, we're talking dogs and search teams to find and retrieve her. By the time we found her, help was already there in the form of police and ambulance. Turns out a local farmer heard her go off and went out to see what it was all about. After being placed on a backboard and extracted, she was off to the hospital in Clinton where it was determined her only serious injury was a broken shoulder blade.

We shortened and rerouted the trip to be at the hospital in Clinton and she was transported to private car to Hot Springs to spend Sunday night and then on to Houston today. She's VERY lucky to escape with such relatively minor injuries and likely so because she was wearing full gear (armored leathers, boots and gloves plus the full face helmet).

We didn't get many pictures ... but I have a few I'll post in a few minutes.

Bad experience with the accident, but Arkansas' Ozarks are a GREAT ride and I plan on going back for more.

[StevieWonder]

The girl in red is the one involved in the accident ... she's gonna be okay ... sore and bruised and a broken shoulder blade but minor under the circumstances.

[StevieWonder]

Showers in the Ozarks ... we suited up and headed north but just got sprinkled upon.

[StevieWonder]

Showers in the Ozarks ... lightning and rain approaching ... time to go

[StevieWonder]

The Mini-Dragon, State Hwy 43 east of the intersection with State Hwy 21 ... there be dragons in them thar hills.

[StevieWonder]

Nice lunch spot in Jasper, Arkansas ... save room for the chocolate/peanut butter cake !!!

[StevieWonder]

It was nearly 31 years ago that my wife last road 2up on a bike. She's a reluctant participant here but did actually enjoy the MiniDragon.

[StevieWonder]

Man, I didn't realize how much weight this bike makes you look like you need to lose ... kinda like television !!! ;)