What a fantastic weekend!! I made some new friends including a fellow NHF member. I put about 350 miles on my bike. I brought the hand tools, lubricants, etc and of course all I needed was a tire pressure gage and a paper towel to check the oil!
Luckylindy and his Posse' are first class. They showed me a great time in this area. The roads are in great shape, and traffic was practically non-existent. Some are real twisty and technical, others are easier and all are very scenic. Fuel stops are 60-75 miles apart, so one must plan accordingly- especially if he has a small tank and a heavy wrist!!
The food was delicious and the Limetree Inn in Mena, Arkansas is very affordable, clean, and bike friendly. Ya'll know me - it was an adventure... it always is!
Hope you enjoy our pictures.
I arrived in Mena Arkansas on Friday about 2:30pm. Very welcoming...
20 minutes later I was dressed out and grabbing 700 gears. The Talimena Scenic Byway starts about 1/4 mile from my motel. So, I fill up the bike and off I go. Doesn't take long before I'm seeing this from the road.
This is one of the State Parks along the Byway
The Byway was an old Military Road in Choctaw Territory
Here's a little Geology. The folds on this mountain were formed by a phenomena called Syncline. It happened when the earth's crust was shifting a lot.
I stopped at this old Fire Watch Tower a little while. Too bad it was fenced up - would have made a great view I'm sure.
While I was there, I discovered that someone left this lying around. I picked it up and packed it on the hawk - should make a nice spare for my son. I think I like this place -free party favors!
I spooked up 2 deer on the side of the road. Thankfully, neither one jumped in my path. But that was my signal that it was getting late in the day. So I headed back to the motel. The hotel restaurant had a buffet - fried catfish, fried shrimp, stuffed crabs, salad and sides, and a big glass of sweet tea for.... get this...$7.95!!!
Woke up Saturday and met Luckylindy and his group. His friend Alabama has this Wing Trike - it's a 3 bedroom house with wheels!
Ray rides this big Honda V-twin. I think it's a VTX, but I'm not sure. The exhaust pipes on this bike are huge.
Here's a picture of Lucky's bike
We take off down the Scenic Byway again. Lucky and I are just shredding the twisties and having a ball. Ray and 'Bama are enjoying their own pace as well.
We decide to split for a while. Ray and 'Bama will take things a little slower, and Lucky and I will stretch the 'Hawks legs a little. Lucky leads me to US Hwy 259 - a little stretch he calls "The Curves". What a blast! We run this stretch back and forth several times. Reminded me of the Cherahola Skyway, but much wider so we could use more road. We decide to stop and take some pictures of each other riding. Here's a few of Lucky
Rippin it!!
My personal favorite - being from Texas, I believe I can see him saying "YEE HAA!!" under that helmet.
Pants wasn't too shabby either
We start heading back toward the Byway and we decide to switch bikes for a run. The newer 750s are different - the power is smoother throughout the engine range. Plus the ride is a little different. I really like Lucky's wind screen.
We head back to the Byway and meet the others for lunch at the Queen Wilimena Lodge. Swankie Dankie!!
Here's what $10.00 will buy you (including the drink).
Looks like Alabama got a little carried away with the mashed 'tators.
Something for the sweet tooth?
New friends.
The State Park there has an old train.
And a small train.
The 4 of us ride back to Mena, Arkansas to gas up, stopping along the way.
Birds of Prey
I barely made 35 mpg on one run - I'm having a good time and I am making my Mac Header sing!! We hit Hwy 8 which meanders through a rural area to this little store and museum.
Old medicines of the past
A lot of neat old stuff
Here's a hand carved fishing pole with a primitive reel and lure. Sweet.
I never knew that there were so many different kinds of barbed wire
I bought a patch for my riding jacket and this is the register the clerk used. It was like a stepped back 50 years.
We each bought a soda pop and sat on the front porch to chew the fat a while. Good stories and great company. Lucky, Ray, and Alabama decided it was time to head home. I wished them well and broke off for some more adventure. I headed North on AR59 - the road followed a railway and for about 5 miles I rode next to a moving train - that was so cool
I found this old barn and I thought it looked cool. It was locked up pretty well, though.
I hit "The Curves" again and rode around stopping a lot to smell the air. These roads are real good for biking
25 mph? Doubt it.
I think her head band is armored.
One last stop on the way back to the motel
At this stop, I talked with an 'ole timer that was sitting in his truck. Turns out he is a retired railroad worker. Says he comes to that spot every weekend "to watch you kids have fun on those toys". He told me that he enjoyed watching others doing what they enjoy. (Hondo - forgive me for these last sentences -edit as you wish). He told me that he thought God gave us these mountains so we can enjoy them. And that's what we should do. What a perfect ending to a perfect day. I shook his hand and headed to the motel. Loaded my bike and went to bed early so I could dream of my Talimena Trip.
