Well, I was stuck in my tent for two solid days with all the rain they were having in Arkansas last week, but at least it cleared up Saturday and Sunday for some really awesome riding and site seeing.

I was questioning the wisdom of my plans on my way out of OKC into Eastern Oklahoma Tuesday morning. It was cloudy and dreary and cold. The sun came out just as I hit into Talihina. I stopped by the local watering hole to grab a hot cheeseburger before heading up the drive to camp. The pack rode really well and made for a nice backrest to boot.



This was where I took my favorite picture last year on my trip down on the Nightster. I was hitting it closer to peak this year than last, but the sun was on the other side of the hill and didn’t light up the colors as well as my shot of it last year. Not bad though.



Winding Stair Campground scenic lookout…… you can see the ridgeline into Arkansas from here.



This tree is always brilliant. I noticed that a lot of the more colorful trees were in people’s yards. Not sure if that’s because of the kind of trees they were or if maybe they got more sun?



Camp at Winding Stair…..



Winding Stair lookout at sunset……some cool little patches of fog in the valleys.



Wednesday the clouds were so thick you couldn’t see 10 ft. I finally just got off the mountain after the Queen Wilimena (sp?) state park.



Spooky how those clouds envelope the roadway. I caught this break in the clouds and got a few photos.


The sun came out just as I got into Hot Springs….. here’s camp at the Lake Ouachita State Park. They had pretty decent bath houses – not a bad park, but there were no tent pads in the section I was in. I got really tired of sliding down the hill in my bag.



A panorama from the top of the tower mountain overlooking Hot Springs…..



Then it rained for two days solid…….



I was cozy in my little tent. It sustained the thunderstorms pretty admirably. I was surprised I didn’t get more water inside with the intense rain that we had. It was pretty warm until Saturday morning too….. that Mont Bell bag was more than adequate for keeping me warm in the temps I had though.



All I could look at was the bugs that visited my tent for two days….LOL Lots of daddy long legs.



I had a $20 credit from Motorcycle Superstore from my tire purchase from them and used it to buy a balaclava from Schampa last month…… life saver! Kept my face from freezing on those cool mornings.



Me at Mt. Magazine State Park. Really, really glad that I took the time to shoot over there off of my trip up Highway 7. Some of the best views of the whole trip.



My favorite of the panoramas of Mt. Magazine



I hit Mt. Nebo too on my trip up 7. Fun going up those switchbacks to the top of the mountain.



Stopped in the Cliff House restaurant south of Jasper….. the food was just so so, but the view was pretty awesome. Wish there had been some color down there. They call this the Grand Canyon of Arkansas. Tip: They don’t take credit cards for totals less than $15. I’ve never heard of such a high amount for that……



No pics Eureka Springs to speak of….. no pics of the awesome roads that I got to ride really either. 7 and 23 were all they say they are though. I took 23 (The Pig Trail) on my way back home Sunday and the weather was fabulous!

1,135 miles total…… some of the best riding I’ve done so far.

 

Trips like that one will forever be in your memory. I can barely remember one "blasting down the interstate/motel" trip. I've been riding for 34 years and my fondest memories are of the adventure of the backroads and the people I've met there. Windshields, fairings and saddlebags are the popular "things" for two-wheeled vehicles nowadays. In my "old-school, opinionated" mind that is sad. Take care and keep riding.

 

Thanks awesome. I've been thinking about taking a solo camping trip to Big Bend National park.....You got me thinking a little harder now.

 

Thanks for posting your road trip. I'm in the planning stages to ride my '09 Street Bob from Houston to Winding Stair campground. It won't happen until spring 2010. I'll spend a couple of days camping and riding the scenic roads in eastern OK and western Arkansas.

Although Harley doesn't promote the Street Bob as a touring bike, I have found that the addition of a Mustang Wide Vintage Solo seat with backrest is a major improvement over the stock seat. I have done two day trips with the Mustang seat, one 500 miles and the other 400 miles with no problems. Click on Mustang Seat for my seat upgrade experience.

I added ISO-pegs on a mustache bar for the road trips. Just like the Mustang seat, I find the highway pegs are an absolute must for the long haul.

 

Great ride report! Thanks!

I did the Ozarks every weekend in October. The best foliage was in the middle. Unfortunately, it was well past peak when you took your trip. Still... glad you had a great trip and it sure sounded like one you'll remember the rest of your life!

Next time you plan a trip over this way, I would strongly suggest you try Hiway 103 to Oark, eat at the Oark General Store... then back Hiway 215 to Hiway 23. Excellent stuff and some of the best kept secrets in the Ozarks.

Hiway 103 is like portions of the Pig Trail on steroids. Hiway 215 between Oark and Hiway 23 runs alongside the tumbling Mulberry River and at times tall bluffs on the other side of the road. It is one of my favorite routes.

 

This is something I dream of everyday

I have two stupid questions: How did you put so much stuff on your bike? Because on the first pictures it doesn't look like you have 10 bags on your bike....I'm just curious how once can pack so much stuff lol....and 2nd question: I saw a GPS on your bike..how did you do to use it for so long? Do you plug it somewhere to recharge it?

Thanks!

Voony.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by LAMing

Great ride report! Thanks!

I may try to do a trip sometime just to the northern end of Arkansas to check out the roads….I appreciate your suggestions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voony

This is something I dream of everyday

I really only had my Cruzer Roll bag which has its own straps and then my tent which I strapped down with two bungees – then a compression sack with everything else in it (Jetboil and its bag, Thermarest, sleeping bag, etc.) The compression sack and tent had a cargo net over it to give it some side to side security and then I found these long bungee straps that I strapped over the whole lot of it to hold it down.

Here’s a link on it:

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-glide-models/435509-09-street-bob-packed-for-a-week-long-camping-tour.html

Everybody talked me into getting the cargo net…….

The GPS is hardwired to the battery. Search on here to find out how to do it. It was pretty easy. You just need to find a wiring harness that has the converter to your GPS’s voltage. I was using a car GPS that isn’t waterproof, but works just as well otherwise.

 

I live about 32 miles from Beavers Bend State Park. I ride Talimena Scenic Drive at least 6 time a year. Especially in mid to late October during the color change. During the regular riding season, I'm in and out of Beavers Bend area most every weekend.

 

Yeah, I have always hit Talimena to car camp every year and now that I have the bike it’s even more fun! Love those trees hitting their peak of color!

 

I like to camp on the island at Beaver Dam near Eureka Springs Ark. Surrounded by water, quiet and awesome......