AR-OK Mini Journey 2018
3/11/2018 - 3/13/2018
3 days - 758 miles


Here is the route:
Click "ROADS" at the lower left
Click name of road at the top of the left sidebar
https://rideplanner.harley-davidson.com/rideplanner/ridePlanner.jsp?roadId=972116&locale=en_US

Here are the pics:
Click the "full screen" (two arrows icon) in the lower right so the film strip bar doesn't cover up the pic descriptions.
http://s471.photobucket.com/user/gtmalone/slideshow/AR-OK%20mini-journey%202018?sort=9&hotlinkfix=1521141428282




Day 1 - Sun 3/11 - 257 miles
Allen, TX to Mena, AR


Finished packing a few minor things. On the road about 11am. Really windy today with the wind howling down from the north about 1000 mph. Temps in the 50s and cloudy. Riding east I had about a 5 degree list to port. Stopped in Blue Ridge at the Cattlemens Cafe for lunch. One of my favorite stops for local riding. Decided to ride US259 in OK up to the Talimena Scenic Drive. Nice road after you get past Broken Bow and Hochatown. Lots of tourist traffic visiting the tourist traps. Onto the Talimena. Excellent ride! One of my favorite roads. Temps in the 50s to low 60s. Wind was tough but the clouds cleared out by early afternoon. Got to Mena and the hotel about 5:30. Unpacked stuff and put it in the room. Ate supper at the hotel. The buffet selections sounded and looked good but most of it was just okay. Back to the room. Started reading "The Alienist". Great writing and detective story. It's the basis for the mini-series on TV. Sipping on a little Stranahan's Diamond Peak whiskey. Out about 9:30 and not because of the whiskey!




Day 2 - Mon 3/12 - 241 miles
Mena, AR to Dardanelle, AR and back


Up about 7. Slept pretty well. Whiskey might have had something to do with that. Breakfast at the hotel. Tried the buffet. Geez, how do you mess up scrambled eggs. If I had dropped them on the floor they would have bounced. Biscuits and gravy were pretty good. Packed up stuff on the scooter. On the road about 8:30. Temps in the low 40s and light wind. I can live with that! Mostly cloudy but the clouds burned off after about an hour. Sunshine and mid-50s. Nice day! Great roads, too! Stopped for lunch in Dardanelle at Fowler's Restaurant. A little hole-in-the-wall place. It's one of the places where everybody knows everybody. One guy was talking about his trip to a doctor 85 miles away. He said he went there to get something cut off his back. He waited an hour and 15 minutes past his appointment then left and wasn't going to reschedule. He was having this conversation out loud with 2-3 other folks there. Well, maybe that's TMI but I love seeing this slice of life in small towns. Food was good and service was great. Got back to Mena about 4 and got another room at the hotel. Unpacked my stuff and turned on the HVAC unit which emitted some sort of noise from another dimension. I know the noise was from another dimension because I watched The Outer Limits TV program. I didn't want to be part of The Outer Limits so I got another room and moved my stuff. Light supper at the hotel, shower, read, whiskey, and out.


Day 3 - Tue 3/13 - 264 miles
Mena, AR to Allen, TX


Up about 7. Stepped outside for a minute. There was a hard freeze last night that left thick frost on the scooter. Have to wait awhile for the temps to warm up a little. Breakfast at the hotel - from the menu this time - French toast and it was good. I scraped the frost off the scooter and packed up stuff. On the road about 9. Still pretty brisk especially with higher altitude on the Talimena but there was sunshine and only light wind. Had to stop a couple of times to warm up my hands on the rear cylinder. All that heat from a Harley engine is useful at times. Nice ride on the Talimena as usual! Stopped in Talihina, OK at Pam's Hateful Hussy Diner for a second breakfast and to warm up. Breakfast is good and cheap here. Temps into the upper 50s, pretty nice day. I didn't want to ride US271 or US82 on the way home so I found secondary roads in OK to work my way over to Bonham, TX. Mostly nice roads and little traffic. I had a couple of miles of road between Albany, OK and Yuba, OK that was closer to being a sidewalk than a road. Actually, a sidewalk that needed repairs is a better description. I was having second thoughts about this route but what the hey, always need a little adventure on a trip! Stopped in Bonham for a short break and got home about 4. Nice trip but the best part is always home.

 

Looks like you had a pretty nice trip. I like going up and across the Talemina Drive from one end to the other. Last time up we stayed at the Queen Wilhelmenia Lodge. Its been remodeled and the room prices during the week aren't that bad. The restaurant there is also pretty good. When we stay in Mena, we stay at the Sun Country Inn. They are motorcycle friendly and if you want to splurge, they have a jaqueze tub room that is really nice after a hot summer time drive. We also like the restaurant that has the cycle shop built beside it down town in Mena. I wish that the old cat fish restaurant (the Fish Net) further south on Hwy 71 hadn't gone out of business. We always looked forward to eating there, but it closed a couple years ago. Nice roads to ride in the area. We like north west Arkansas, not many roads up that way that you cant go wrong on.

 

Love reading these road trips, looks like a good ride!