The Long Ride to Eagle Rock

Last weekend Kate and I took our longest ride yet.  We covered 165 miles and were out for about six hours.  My goal was to start out heading east out of Fayetteville then turning north, eventually making our way up to Eagle Rock, Missouri.

It was a beautifully warm April day in Northwest Arkansas as we pulled out of the driveway on our BMW 1200 GS Adventure.  The only downside was the wind blowing pretty hard out of the west.  Leaving town in our rearview mirrors we took Highway 16 East, passing by Lake Sequoyah on our left.   

Just before coming to the town of Elkins, who's mascot is an Elk (insert lack of imagination here), we turned onto Highway 74 North.  I was looking forward to this part of the ride because I didn't remember ever driving this road in the past.  I was actually a little disappointed with 74 and was happy when we made it to Huntsville and transitioned onto Highway 23.

We took our first break just past Huntsville as we crossed War Eagle Creek and pulled off at an access point.  It felt great to stretch my legs a little and check out the creek.  I struck up a  conversation with a couple of kayakers just finishing a float and talked about our own trip down the Buffalo River the previous weekend.  

The kayakers strapped their boats onto the roof racks of their cars, done for the day.  Kate and I had pretty much just started ours so it was back in the saddle for us and pointed the nose of the Adventure towards Eureka Springs.

I really enjoyed the ride on Highway 23.  The scenery was beautiful and the roads fun to ride.  We passed by Withrow Springs State Park and cut through the edge of the McIlroy State Game Management Area.  There's lots to see and do just off the highway and I'd highly recommend swinging by the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge and check out some of the big cats they've rescued.

Kate and I blended in with all the other bikers as we pulled in to Eureka Springs for another leg stretcher and a bite to eat.  After a nice lunch the plan was to continue north on 23 up towards Missouri then take Missouri Highway 86 on up to Eagle Rock.  My carefully planned route broke down when I missed the sign for 23 as we departed Eureka Springs and ended up on Highway 62 heading back towards Bentonville and Rogers.

I'd driven 62 out of Eureka last year when we brought the family over for the Eureka Springs Fat Tire Festival.  The Festival is a fun weekend of mountain bike races and other competitive events.  I'd forgotten how tight and steep some of the turns are through the mountains and really had to concentrate to keep my speed down and not drift into on-coming traffic.

Watching my GPS as we rode I kept my eyes open for a road that would take us north to Missouri.  At Gateway we took 37 North up to Seligman, Missouri.  We stopped at a convenience store to consult the GPS and saw we weren't too far from Eagle Rock!  

We rode east on Missouri Highway 112 to the Roaring River State Park then continued east on Highway F.  I'm not quite sure why Missouri uses numbers and letters for their roads.  The campgrounds were full of families playing in the river, hiking and grilling over an open fire.

Now this is where the riding gets good.  An unexpected bonus of missing my turn out of Eureka Springs was we ended up riding through the Mark Twain National Forest.  The roads were wonderful over rolling hills and offered spectacular views.  I can't wait to go back when all the trees and foliage have bloomed, and I'm sure the changing leaves in the fall will be breathtaking.

Passing through the forest Highway F dead ends into Highway 86.  We turned south and motored into Eagle Rock.  We'd finally made it!  I pulled into the marina at Eagle Rock Park and was greeted by this sign.  I may have driven straight into the lake if it hadn't been for the  warning.  Really?!

Anyway, we took our last break so Kate could hop off and take a few pictures and get some feeling back into her rear-end.  Did I mention this was our longest ride so far?  

While Kate was taking her pictures I took one myself.  Can you guess what the main subject of my picture was?

By the time we were finishing up at Eagle Rock it was getting pretty late in the day so we decided it was time to head home.  We backtracked through the Mark Twain National Forest and worked our way back into Arkansas and Highway 62 towards Rogers.  

One funny note on the way home happened when we were back in Seligman, Missouri.  We were at a stop sign turning south back to Arkansas when six or seven other bikes came up behind us.  They were all heading our direction and I led the pack for about twenty miles or so.  Kate and I were both laughing at me leading the pack riders back into Northwest Arkansas.  

This long ride absolutely stoked the fire of traveling by bike so Kate and I are already planning our first overnight Adventure.

The Quest for Lake Frances

In our last post I mentioned wanting to continue down Country Road 244, past the cattle ranch and silo where Kate took the picture of the sunset, in search of the lake I saw on the map.  It appeared to be only a mile or so across the state line and in some spots the lake may have even crossed back over into Arkansas,

So on Saturday, Kate and I geared up, loaded the cooler in my top box and headed West past Lake Wedington once again.  Just like the ride on Tuesday evening, the weather was excellent and the road just as much fun.

We continued down CR 244 until it dead-ended into Highway 59.  We turned North on 59 then made a left on CR 801.  Calling 801 a road was a little generous as it turned to loose dirt and gravel after about a hundred yards.

    
We stayed on CR 801 for a couple of miles dodging rain filled potholes, riding parallel to Ballard Creek, hoping to come upon the lake.  The dirt once again turned to pavement as we approached the town of Watts, Oklahoma.  CR 801 linked back up with Highway 59 on the Oklahoma side of the border and the plan was to head North on 59 then turn off on N4740 or go up a little farther to Twin Falls road to the Frances Dam.

The first obstacle we came across was a train crossing where 801 met 59.  A train was stopped on the tracks blocking the way.  Three or four cars and a guy on a Harley were idling waiting for the train to move.  As we were preparing to take our place in line the guy on the Harley turned around and pulled up next to us. 

He told us the train must have some type of mechanical issue because it had been there for almost an hour.  He recommended we turn around and head back the way we came.  We thanked him for the traffic report and he accelerated down the dirt road.

Kate and I discussed our options and decided to take Harley guy's advice so we turned around as well and headed back towards Arkansas.  We figured we'd head back up to Highway 59 on our side of the border then find another road that led down to the lake.  Sounds easy, right?  

Before heading back though we stopped so Kate could take a few pictures and I managed to snap a few myself.  I somehow have a feeling that most of the pictures I take will be of my bike in the various locations we explore.

After a few pictures and a chance to stretch our legs it was back up the dirt and gravel to Highway 59.  If I thought CR 801 was sketchy, it was nothing compared to what was ahead of us.

As you can see in the picture above I had my Garmin GPS with me on this trip and it showed a couple of roads that appeared to lead from 59 down to the lake.

The first option I took was West Spring Harbor road.  Like I said, on the GPS it looked like to road went all the way down to the water.  It didn't.  

We went down as far as we could go but the loose dirt and gravel dead-ended at someone's home.  Being this far out in the country, and with "No Trespassing" signs posted at the entrance to the drive, I turned around as fast as I could. I don't think it was unreasonable to be concerned about an owner not being very happy about uninvited guests chasing us off with a shotgun!!

So once again we turned around and headed back up the dirt road to Highway 59.  The next road that looked like it would work was only a few miles up the highway so we'd try this option.  Things seemed to be looking up when we saw this.  Lake Frances Gate road.

Don't you think it would be a reasonable expectation that this road would lead us to the lake?  Well, it didn't.  I was just happy we were here during the day because this gate would be really spooky at night.  We continued down towards the water until the road ran out so we turned around, again, and headed back up.  We tried making a left about half way up onto Old Hotel road but as was typical for this day, we had the same result.  Dead end.

It was starting to get late in the afternoon and Kate and I had tickets to see the new Captain America movie so we decided to call it quits for the day.  We took 59 up to Siloam Springs then went South on 16 back towards Lake Wedington.  Just to change things up we turned back North on Robinson road, through Savoy then back down to 16 and home to Fayetteville.

The weather was warm and the sun was shining.  Our BMW 1200 GS Adventure was a joy to ride, even though I'm still a little shaky on the dirt and gravel.  I'm still at the point where it's a relief to get back on the pavement.  Other than the frustration of not finding Lake Frances, it was a glorious day of riding.

As I look at the map while I'm writing this it looks like there was a third option that we must've missed.  That will be an adventure for another day because the search for Lake Frances has become a challenge and I will not be defeated.

Into the Sunset

It's amazing how much freedom one seems to have when you own a motorcycle.  A perfect example was this past Tuesday evening.  After a long day at the office, an office I might add without any windows, I came home and fell into our normal after work routine.

I come through the door and announce my presence with authority, give Kate a kiss, check on the boy and greet the dog.  With my rounds complete I hang my workout clothes up to dry, change into some shorts and a t-shirt, since it was warm on Tuesday, and spend thirty minutes or so decompressing on the XBOX One.

Once I've asserted my dominance on the digital battlefield, the boy and I set the table and get dinner going.  We end up grilling fairly often so that task falls to the men in the family.  You know..... cooking meat over fire and all that.  With Daylight Savings Time upon us it doesn't get dark until around 8:30 so we still have plenty of time to do something after dinner.

This night, Kate and I decided to go for a ride.  It was gloriously warm..... and dry, especially after our last outing which I described in the previous post. So we donned our gear and headed out of town on Highway 16 West towards Lake Wedington.  A few miles out of town the road changed from four lanes to two and that's when things really became enjoyable.

The pavement was smooth with plenty of gentle curves and elevation changes.  Since we were out a little later in the evening, traffic was light and we had the roads to ourselves for the most part. The plan was to stop somewhere on the lake and enjoy the sunset, but once we got there it seemed the hills and trees were blocking the view.

Searching for the perfect spot to watch the sunset, we stayed on Highway 16 and continued our ride toward the giant fireball.  A few miles past the lake the highway turned north so we continued straight onto Country Road 244 which offered a perfectly flat landscape with cattle ranches on either side of the road.  I pulled over to let Kate hop off and start snapping photos.

After a minute some curious cows wandered over, looking for some type of treat, no doubt, or just checking out the couple of strangers and their odd machine.  While all this was going on, a young man out on his evening jog stops to talk.  It turns out this is his farm and the cows we'd been socializing with are his as well.  After a short chat, he continues on his run and Kate goes back to taking pictures.

We took a few more minutes to admire the sunset before I turned our behemoth around and pointed it back in the direction of home.  The ride back to the house was no less enjoyable than the one out to the farm, and on a warm evening, the cool air in the lower elevations was pretty refreshing.

Any stress that I brought home from the office was blown away and left on Highway 16.  I'm curious to explore a little more of Country Road 244. On the map it looks like the road turns into dirt or gravel and continues west to the border with Oklahoma.  According to the map, the road takes you to a Lake Francis which I'm excited to explore.

Just one more unpaved road for our 1200 GS Adventure to experience.

Our First Mini-Adventure

As I mentioned on our About page, my wife and I bought a BMW 1200 GS Adventure last Tuesday with the goal of experiencing what the backroads of our country have to offer.  The plan is that I'll do the driving and Kate will be along for the ride, using her photography skills to document our travels. We'd taken a few short rides around the area during the week but decided to venture out a little farther on Friday.  The weather was cool and overcast with a 40%-50% chance of thunderstorms but they weren't supposed to start until later in the afternoon so we loaded up and away we went.

Kate and I live in Fayetteville, Arkansas and since this was our first adventure ride, we didn't want to go too far until we were more comfortable on the new bike.  So, West Fork sounded like a good option for the trial run.  West Fork is a small town that's been around since the 1880's and is nestled along the White River in the picturesque Ozark Mountains. We took Highway 71 South out of town, quickly leaving Fayetteville in our rear view mirrors, excited to start exploring a town we'd never visited before.  Turning off the highway onto Woolsey Road/35 we crossed over the river on a really cool trestle type bridge.  Kate wanted to stop there and take some pictures but we decided to go down the road a ways to find a good place to turn around.  We found a good spot to pull over next to this beautiful old barn.

Our plan was to ride back down to the bridge for the pictures but the road ahead of us beckoned so we continued down Woolsey until it turned into McKnight Avenue, a nice little residential area.  Kate and I weren't looking for residential that day so we turned around and headed back down Woolsey until it became WinnCreek road.

Initially the road looked like this.............................But quickly turned into this.............................











We rode on dirt and gravel roads through places called Gum Spring Hollow, past Riley Creek and on past Weaver and Porter Hollows.  It was great fun but I have to admit to being a little nervous since this was my first time going off pavement on the big BMW. The skies were looking a little menacing but as I mentioned earlier, the storms weren't supposed to start for another couple of hours.

That being said we turned north on Bethlehem Road, back in the direction of home in case the storms weren't working on the weathermen's schedule. I decided to stop one last time to take the picture we're using for the header on this blog when a loud thunderclap exploded directly over our heads.  We packed up our camera gear and were back on the bike as the first raindrops began to fall.  My biggest concern at this point wasn't getting hit by lightning, which seemed to be striking a little too close for comfort, but the dirt roads turning to mud, causing us to bog down and get stuck. I was thrilled when we came upon County Road 224, also called Union Star Road and saw that it actually was road.  Wonderful asphalt tarmac.

By this time the rain was really coming down and I was thankful for several things.  Namely my riding jacket that kept my upper body dry and warm and my full face helmet.  Kate felt the same on the back.  Except for our legs and feet, we were dry and toasty.  I was also thankful for BMW's riding modes and traction control which helped the Adventure handle flawlessly in the pouring rain. 

Working our way through downtown West Fork we turned north on Highway 71 for the ride home.  Heading north put us our ahead of the storm and the rain slackened up the closer we got to home. Within 15 minutes of pulling  into the garage and changing into some dry clothes, the storm caught up with us and soaked the entire neighborhood.  It was raining so hard we couldn't see our neighbor's house across the street.  I guess timing really is everything.

Kate and I both really enjoyed our first time out on the bike and getting caught in the rain just added to the adventure.  We plan on returning to West Fork to finish up where we left off.  I'm sure there's much more to see but we'll be sure to pick a sunny day for our return to the little town along the White River in the Ozark Mountains.