Touring Arkansas by Motorycle

Motorcyclist in general love to ride roads that twist, turn, and change in elevation. Arkansas offers hundred's of miles of such roads to please even the most discriminating of riders. Our latest trip was to focus on some of the lesser know roads located in the north central portion of the state, while visiting a few state parks along the way.

Our first day we headed towards southeastern Oklahoma and the Ouchita (wah-sha-tah) Mountains. The Talimena Scenic Drive, Highway 1/88, is approximately 56 miles long, traveling atop and along the Ouchita (wah-sha-tah) Mountains. There are many places to stop and enjoy the beautiful vistas, as the photo to the right clearly shows.

Soon you will cross into Arkansas and reach Queen Wilhelmina State Park and Lodge. The lodge, while small and a bit dated, offers wonderful views on clear days. We stopped for lunch and enjoyed the views.

We then headed to what I consider the crown jewel state park in Arkansas, Mt. Magazine. Highway 309 is a beautiful ride with trees that form a canopy over the road. Some find that the way the light shines through the trees creates a strobe effect, which can be a distraction, so be careful as you make your way around the bend.

As with the Talimena drive, there are many locations to stop and enjoy the vistas. The photo to the left was taken at the south entrance of the park. There is also a new rustic style lodge atop Mt. Magazine that offers several rooms and cabins, with all the amenities of modern day hotels.

Hwy 16 west of Clinton is one of the best roads we traveled in Arkansas. East of Clinton towards Mountain View, on Hwy 9, becomes a little more crowded, but still a very enjoyable ride. We stopped in Mountain View at Woods Pharmacy and Soda Fountain for some lunch. Woods is a very unique place, see the photo on the right. You can stop for lunch, enjoy an old fashioned ice cream float, or refill a prescription. For lunch each day they make one specialty item, or you can choose from their standard fare. Fortunately for us, the lunch special was lasagna, with salad and garlic toast.

We continued north on Hwy 87 to Blanchard Springs Caverns. Hwy 87 proved to be an unexpected surprise. A very nice road that kept a smile on our faces, and warted off the typical lull after a heavy lunch. It was short and sweet but a lot of fun.

Blanchard Springs Caverns offers not only caverns you can explore, but a few waterfalls as well. I've been told by several people that the BSC's are some of the best the US has to offer. Mirror Lake is located south of the caverns is a beautiful spot to see the largest waterfall and do some fishing. There were plenty of fisherman standing around the edges trying their luck.

We then headed north towards Norfolk to catch Hwy 341. As we turned to start our trek southbound, I noticed a biker standing at the stop sign beside his bike. I stopped to ask if he was OK or needed anything. He said he was just waiting on his friends to catch up. With a big grin, he said "it was the best road he had ridden in Arkansas yet!". Not a bad endorsement for a state filled with awesome roads.

I must say that the road is filled with many elevation changes, sweeping turns, and even some tight turns though the mountains. I was a bit surprised that the pavement was not in better shape. I suspect that it's not a highly traveled road therefore it does not receive the same level of maintenance as the others. Don't get me wrong, it was still in good shape, but several areas had been patched a different color which always causes bikes to slow down and double check before heading into a curve.

We then headed west on Hwy 14 towards Harriet, then west on Hwy 27 towards Marshall. Due to a navigation error on my part, we headed southeast on Hwy 74. Hwy 74 ended up being a lot of fun, but it put us much further east that we had planned.

Petit Jean State Park, just southeast of Dardanelle off Hwy 154, offered a lot of hiking trails that lead to waterfalls, caves, etc. Cedar Creek waterfall is a signature of the park. The 90 foot water fall is surrounded by beautiful rock formations and trees that create a very picturesque setting.

In the second photo, you can see a photographer who hiked down to the canyon floor to get a great view of the falls. To say I was jealous is an understatement!!!


Rock House cave is another interesting location within the park. I was expecting a small cave with some interesting formations. Instead, it was a very large opening with images carved into the rock by Native Americans. It is a very unique place that proved challenging when trying to photograph.

Along the pathway leading towards the cave is another interesting rock formation that looks very similar to a turtle's shell. I did not see the same formations anywhere in the park, or at other parks for that matter.

I begrudgingly left the park, to keep on schedule for the roads that lay ahead. We headed north on Scenic Hwy 7 to Hwy 164 westbound, then to Hwy 123. Hwy 123 was highly recommend in several magazines and websites for it's winding roads. We then headed north to Jasper for a quick lunch at Ozark Cafe. In the past, we would stop at The Cliffhouse Inn for a very scenic lunch, but apparently everyone else had the same idea.

After lunch, we headed west on Hwy 74 to catch the must anticipated Hwy 21. Hwy 21 is 30 miles that were seemingly built for motorcyclists. The Pigs Trail, Hwy 23, is the more popular for motorcyclist that want to head north/south. A very scenic, yet often busy road. Hwy 21 is a good alternative.

Mt. Nebo State Park, located west of Darndanelle approximately 10 miles via Hwy 155. Entrance into the park can be a challenge for cars and bikers alike. The last few miles offer many switchbacks, like the one shown on the left, with very steep 180 degree turns uphill and down. Travel trailers over 24 feet are not allowed.



The park itself is fairly small, especially when compared to a Petit Jean. However, the panoramic views of the Arkansas River Valley are great on a clear day. Anyone afraid of heights should stay in the parking lot. There are no guard rails or fences to keep you away from the rocks edge. The park is popular with hang gliders. The photo above shows one of the many places they can take their leaps of faith to descend towards the valley.

Arkansas is a beautiful state with a lot of great parks, tourist locations, hiking trails and roads for riding in a car or motorcycle. Bring your camera and big appetite and gas money. Then sit back and enjoy.

To see all of the photo's from this trip, please click here.



This trip is in memory of our friend, Jan "Dragon" Witkowski. A man who defined the phrase, "Live to Ride, and Ride to Live."

Eric's Thoughts on the trip

Eric posted some comments about the trip to his blog. Click here to read his thoughts.

Days 9 & 10 - Home

Saturday - Day 9

We headed home from Deadwood on Saturday. The last two days were going to be long and boring because of the amount of miles we needed to travel. We originally planned to go straight to Dodge City, KS. However, a couple from Canada (Julie and Dan) that said you need to go to the Badlands National Park. I convinced Eric because it only added 30 miles to our trip home. Plus, it would add one more Park to the trip.

We reached the city of Wall when Eric noticed that his front tire had small bubbles along the center of the tire. Not good! He decided to head back into Rapid City and have them replaced. He verified with the local dealer that they had a set of tires and away he went. He said there is no reason for both of us to miss out on the park, so I continued on. (I later decided that splitting up was not a good idea.)

The park itself is a bit underwhelming once you've seen the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and the Black Hills. However, it was interesting to see how the landscape can change is such a short distance. The park is probably the shortest one I've ever driven through. It took about 40-minutes to complete. I might have spent more time if it was the first part of the trip. But like I said, after seeing the other parks, the standards were pretty high at that point.

Eric said he would call me when he reached the dealership so I would know he made it safely. When I reached the end, it was like a desert wasteland. There was one small gas station, but no cell phone service. I decided to take my original path and find cell phone service at the next town to give Eric a call. I headed east on Hwy 44. Small town after small town there was no cell phone service. It was 12:45 so I was starting to get a bit worried that Eric was sitting at the dealership wondering what happened to me. I hit Hwy 73 going southbound towards Tuthill.

Halfway down 73, I hit road construction. This is not the first time I've seen construction on the trip. The sign said "Construction next 13 miles." Not what I was hoping for, especially since I did not have any cell phone service. I pushed on. Gradually the road became much worse. At first it was compacted dirt roads. It then turned into a very loose dirt/sand mixture with grooves everywhere. If I was driving an off-road bike like a BMW GS, I wouldn't have given it a second thought, but on my RT it was a different story. I was in the middle of nowhere, temperates were above 100 and not a cell phone tower in sight. I was a bit nervous, but I did not have any other choice but to keep going. I knew at this moment that splitting up was a mistake. Had I dropped the bike, got stuck, etc., I wouldn't have anyway to call for help. Lesson learned.

I finally reached pavement in Tuthill. Still no cell phone service. At this point it's 1:20. I concluded that Eric's bike was finished and that he was sitting there waiting on me to call. He called my cell, left a voice mail, and told me he was heading south to the town of Hot Springs and to call him. I reached the town of Martin with 1 bar on the phone. I called and told him to meet me in Chadron.

We finally connected around 3:30. I grabbed a quick bite and we took off towards Kansas. We had decided that we would probably not reach Dodge City. We reached Ogallala, NE around 7:30. We had dinner and decided that we would drive as far as we could then stop for the night. As were reached the Kansas border it was nightfall. As a general rule, we don't drive at night. There are too many hazards to contend with on back roads, including deer. 50-miles from Colby, KS, I spotted a deer on the left side of the road. My eyes just about popped out of my head!! We slowed our pace considerably knowing that more deer where ahead.

20-miles from Colby, I spot two, very large 4-6 point deer on the left side of the road. They never even flinched as we passed them by. I knew that we needed to get off the roads for the night. We arrived in Colby around 11:15. Every hotel was sold out except of a Quality Inn. They had a few smoking rooms left. We took it and went to bed for the day. What a long day it was.

Day 10

We were on the road by 8:15, knowing we had a long day ahead of us to get home. The day was very uneventful. We arrive home around 6:45. It always feels good to make it back home safely after a ride.

Total trip - 4077 miles. That's an average of 407.7 miles per day.

Day 8 - The Black Hills

Today we traveled around the Black Hills of South Dakota. The roads in this area are simply amazing for riding motorcycles. We did not experience a bad road all day. It's like this area was designed for motorcyclists. Maybe it explains the popularity of the Sturgis Bike rally.

We started off on 385 heading south to the Crazy Horse monument. I had heard and read a bit about it before we came, but had no idea how big the monument was compared to Mt. Rushmore. We watched a video that showed how all four Presidents heads could be placed within just the head of Crazy Horse. Something we learned is that it is not being funded by the government or tax dollars. It's all done with private funding.

The sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski, (say that 10-times real fast!) was an interesting man. He was describing how the used compressor he purchased to help speed up the process kept shutting off one day. He said one day when he reached to top, he heard "kaput, kaput, kaput, kaput". So he climbed back down and restarted the compressor. One day the compressor cut off 9-times. He went up and down the latter until it kept running.

Korczak had constructed a ladder system that had 740 steps. The ladder system took him 2-years to build. Imagine hearing that "kaput" sound and making that hike 9 times! That's dedication. To put the distance into perspective, it's approximately like walking up a 50-story building!!!! You can read more about it at the Crazy Horse website.

We then headed towards Mt. Rushmore via Needles Highway. What an awesome road. There were so many switchbacks it would turn your head. There were also two sections of the road that actually spiraled into itself. Also, along the road, there were three rock tunnels that we passed through. All just one lane wide. The final two you could see Mt. Rushmore. That was a really cool design by the engineers of the road.

Mt. Rushmore was just as exciting because it's something you read and hear about all of your life. The entire complex is very nice with a museum, gift shop, restaurant, etc. It's all laid out in granite. You can see more photo's of the monument on the photo link.

We then headed to the bike rally capital of the world, Sturgis. The actual rally is not for another two weeks, but a lot of bikers were already in town. A few people we spoke to said that the rally has unofficially extended to a week prior and after the actual rally. There are just so many people that want to come and see the sights. We stopped in the most famous bar, One Eyed Jack's, and had a beer, or two, or three. Main street is really short. I can only imagine how they fit everyone in that little town. Everywhere we road today, you could see signs welcoming bikers to their town, or business.

Tomorrow we are starting our way back home. We will stop in the Badlands National Park. This was not on our intinerary, but a couple for Canada told us we had to see it. So I convinced Eric to adjust our route and take the time to go. Otherwise it will be a real boring ride to Kansas!

Day 7 - Greybull, WY to Deadwood, SD

Today we traveled from Greybull, WY to Deadwood, SD. We headed north on Hwy 14, through Big Horn National Forest. The roads and scenery were much better than we had anticipated. There was limited traffic which made for a good ride. The temperature also dropped from 80 in Greybull to 68 at the peak of Granite Pass on Hwy 14.

We jumped on to I-90 and headed towards Sheridan. We were hit with head winds blowing 20mph with gust up to 40. After 50 miles of that, we felt like we had just got out of a boxing ring. We stopped in Gillette for lunch. Next stop, Devil's Tower.

We reached Devil's Tower and took a few photo's. We decided not to go into the park. I'm not sure what else there was to see other than a museum or movie.

We started our final leg of the day towards Deadwood. After fighting the winds again, we finally reached Hwy 14a in Spearfish. I had read about 14a on a motorcycle website. It was a bit crowded, but we were able to get in some good riding before hitting traffic. The State Patrol had part of the road closed because of a rock slide that covered the inside lane.

We arrived in Deadwood around 6:30. It's not the nicest KOA we've been to thus far, but the weather is good and temperatures are in the 70's. Tomorrow we will ride around the Black Hills, see Mt. Rushmore, Sturgis, and anything else we can.

Total miles = 2,539.

I'll update again tomorrow.

Day 6 - West Yellowstone, ID to Greybull

Today we departed Yellowstone park for Greybull, WY. Originally we had planned to travel to Deadwood, SD, but realized that 680 miles is a bit too aggressive in one day after all the miles we have already logged. Especially when you consider that it took us almost 2-hours to drive 70 miles just trying to leave Yellowstone! I can tell you that we did not have nearly enough time to enjoy all of the sites within the park. I told Eric that at a minimum, we needed at least two more days. There is so much to see, but you also have to plan for the traffic (which we did not do). If any wildlife is spotted along the road, a traffic jam occurs. Today, the longest stop was to view a very large male elk. He was very close to the road, and there were a lot of cars stopping to take pictures. I was zoomed up on the shot to the left, but he was within 50-yards of the road.

On the north side of the park, we ran across some bison. Some where off on their own, while most were in herd's. Many times you would see dust flying in the middle of the plains. As you looked closer, you would notice that a buffalo was just rolling in the dirt.

Once we exited the park, we landed in a small town called Cooke City. While it was a very nice little town, they should call it "Crook City" due to the gas prices. Our bikes run on Premium. Thank goodness we only have 7 gallons. But at $3.90, it's still expensive! I guess when your in the middle on nowhere, you should expect such prices. I shouldn't complain, I paid about the same on Lake Texoma for the boat and it holds a whole lot more than 7 gallons.

We were about to embark on the infamous Beartooth Highway, popular with motorcyclist, . The road did not disappoint. There were so many twists and turns, ups and downs, that I could not wipe the smile off my face. The views on the road were just as spectacular. The temperature in Cooke City was about 85 when we left. The peak of Bearthooth Pass was around 62. You could see snow on the mountains. While not as cold as we originally expected, it felt really good.

Eric took some video while on the road. Here is one of several videos from today. The video is while traveling northbound. (Approximately 2:15)

The second video is driving on top of Beartooth Pass. (Approximately 2:15)


We stopped in Red Lodge at Bogart's for lunch. We had planned to drive back down Beartooth Hwy, but due to the amount of miles we had already driven, and the time of day, we opted for the shortest path to Greybull. We arrived around 5:30. The temperatures went from 65 to over 100 in 75 miles. As you know, we have been camping in tents the entire trip. We decided to inquire about a Kabin at KOA. They have A/C. Call us wimps, but after 6-days, we thought we could treat ourselves to a comfortable nights sleep inside. The price difference was only $20, so we made made the switch.

Tomorrow we will stop by Devils Tower then head towards Deadwood.

Total miles thus far are 2,180.

I have been able to upload the rest of the photo's from the previous two days. The internet connection here in Greybull is much better. Click here are all of the photo's taken thus far.

Day 5 - Yellowstone

Today we stayed within the park to visit the various sites. Unlike the previous days, we did not have to worry about packing up the tents and gear. We just jumped on the bikes and headed into town for breakfast. After breakfast, we hit the park to see the sites.

The first stop was Artist Paint Pots. These are unique hot springs with a smell of sulfur. These were not as pretty as the ones we went to yesterday, but still very interesting to see. We then entered Canyon Park to see the “Grand Canyon” of Yellowstone. We were fortunate that the sun was brightly shining and really brought out the colors of the canyon. The photo below will do better justice than any words I can type here.

There were various stops to see different areas of the canyon, primarily the waterfalls. One stop we had to hike 3/8 of a mile down to the top of the water fall. The hike was 600 ft down a winding pathway that was a bit tough to walk. Especially for the two of us, because we’ve been sitting on our bums for the past three days. The view was simply spectacular. Again, mother-nature was on our side and put on a show with various rainbows formed by the spray coming off the falls. I took a lot of photos. One is below.

We then headed to Tower Falls. After seeing the Upper falls in the Grand Canyon, Tower Falls was not so spectacular. I got a few shows that you can see in the gallery. We then headed towards Roosevelt’s Lodge to have lunch. There was a 25 minute wait so we decided to head towards Gardiner instead. On the way, we ran into a lot of traffic. This is typical this time a year, but this line was especially long. This was due to a Black momma bear and her cub. The Rangers were trying to keep traffic moving and people in their cars. It’s amazing to me that anyone would want to get close to them. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a picture while on the bike.

Once we reached Mammoth Hot Springs, we noticed a lot of elk on the grassy areas in town. The elk were not fazed by the traffic or people walking around. They appeared to really be enjoying the grass on the lawns.

In Gardiner we ate at the Main Street Café. Eric had eaten here before with Lisa a few years ago. We just had sandwiches, but boy were they big and very good. It was time to start heading back towards camp. We had one more stop, Mammoth Springs. This spring created very large calcium like formations. Although not very colorful, the sheer size of the formation was very impressive.

One the way back, off Hwy 89, we spotted a lot of elk in the open range areas. I was able to take a few photos of them. We also spotted a bald eagles nest and an eagle flying back to the nest.

Today was supposed to be our “down” day. Simply relax and enjoy the sites. We’ll, Yellowstone is a HUGE place. Add the fact that it’s peek season, traffic jams, etc., and our “slow” day turned into an all day affair. We traveled approximately 140 miles and didn’t even see the entire park. I think to really enjoy the park and see the sites, you need a full week. We tried to cram in what we could, but there is a lot more to see.

Tomorrow, we’re off to Greybull, WY. Originally we had planned to drive 680 miles to Deadwood, but decided that that’s a bit to far considering the traffic, site seeing, etc. I’ll post another update tomorrow, hopefully with all of the pictures I've take thus far as well.

Dale

Day 4 - Dubois, WY to West Yellowstone, ID

The internet connection at this KOA is extremely slow. I've had to compress the photo's down quite a bit to get them uploaded. Today was simply an awesome day. The roads were good, but the views were just amazing. The best way to express it is with photographs of the day. Here are a few shots It took. Most are of famous landmarks within the parks. We did not see as much wildlife as expected, but did see a few buffalo.


It's late, and with a slow connection, I'm going to cut it short. I'll post more tomorrow if I find a better connection.

Day 3 - Grand Junction, CO to Dubois, WY

Today we got an earlier start. The KOA in Grand Junction was a busy place. Unfortunately it's right off the highway, so we got a lot of traffic all night. Thank goodness for earplugs. Between Eric snoring and the cars, it was tough getting any sleep.

As always, we found a local restaurant for breakfast. We ate at Main Street Cafe. Sometime you find a diamond in the rough, sometimes you don't. This was a diamond. Eric ordered a "Meggiscan" plate. He said it was the best he's ever had. I ordered a bacon, tomato and mozzarella cheese omelette. Typically I order an omelette with cheddar cheese. Mozzarella add a different flavor and was very tasty.

We headed north on Hwy 139. As far as motorcycle roads go, it doesn't get much better. The roads were long winding with some twisties thrown in just to make it that much better. When we planned the trip, we did not have any idea how the roads would turn out today. We expected long straight roads. We only experienced those for approximately 50-miles of the entire day.

We then turned onto Hwy 191 when we reached Dinosaur, CO. The people in Dinosaur take their extinct dinosaurs seriously. They had statues everywhere. If we would have more time, we would have visited the museums. Hwy 191 was 200-miles of fun. We ran into a group from Duncan, OK. They are following the same route we are. When we initially passed them, we heard them on the radio say "Look at those guys! There doing 55mph in a 35!" Ooooh! The road ranged from riding in the mountains to wide open spaced with long stretches winding roads. The diversity in landscape changes on this road was impressive.

One big surprise was running across the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. The dam was very impressive and the lake was just beautiful. Again, if we had more time, we would have taken the tour. We did walk around and take a few photo's and a water break.

Now we were on our last leg on the day into Dubois. We arrive around 6:30 in time for the dinner rush. There was ONE restaurant open in town, the Cowboy Cafe. The food was great.

Now that we are close to the Grand Teton's and Yellowstone, the days will switch from long rides to tourist mode. Hopefully I can take more photo's that speak for themselves. I'm looking forward to the views tomorrow.

Total trip mileage is 1520 miles. I'll provide another update again tomorrow.

Day 2 - Las Vegas, NM to Grand Junction, CO

We started off our trip a little slow today. It took some time to pick the tents up and put everything away. We had a lot of humidity last night and the tents were soaked! After doing our best to dry them out, we packed up and headed to breakfast.

Eric loves a good Mexican breakfast. So we located "The Mexican Kitchen" in town. Eric order the Mexican Burrito with Green Chile. I stuck with the traditional Eggs and Pancakes. They were severly understaffed, so the service was slow. It took over an hour to get in and out. Frustrating knowing that we had a long ride ahead. After getting our bellies full, we headed towards Grand Junction on the Santa Fe Trail. Hightway 518 was a scenic drive with a lot of curves.

We reached Taos, which is a beautiful town, but it was really crowded. Just outside Taos is the Rio Grand Gorge. We stopped to take a quick look and some photo's. In the parking lot, there are vendors selling stones to ice cream. How these people make a living is beyond me. After taking some photo's, we were back on the road.

We hit Hwy 64 and into the twisties. This was a great road with lots of twists and turns and new pavement! These are the roads we ride for.

On our last trip in October, we stopped in Silverton, CO for a hamburger. We had this on our schedule from day one of this trip as well. Even though we got a late start, we knew we were stopping again for a hamburger and peach cobbler!!!

However, before getting to Silverton, we had to endure another rain shower. Instead of stopping to put on our rain gear, we just kept going. I was wet yesterday, what's another day. On to Silverton and that burger.

We finally arrived at Handlebars around 4:30. We were both tired and hungry. We had been driving almost non-stop since breakfast. Our only stops were for gas. The burgers and cobbler did not disappoint. The bellies were full again, so we headed off on the final 120 miles to Grand Junction.

We pulled into the KOA around 8:40. Tired, hot and ready for bed. The total trip mileage is 1068. Tomorrow we head for Dubois, WY.

Day 1 - Las Vegas, NM

We started our morning at Chisholm Trail Coffee Bar in Ponder, TX. Lisa met me and Eric for a quick breakfast and send-off. Donna, the "Trail Boss" served us some good coffee, breakfast sandwiches and a sweet roll.

We put on the rain gear and headed towards NM! It was not too long until we encountered rain.

I realized after a few hours that my new Frogg Toggs were not doing the trick! My ass (yes, my butt!!!) was soaking wet, which was not a good start to the day! When we stopped to get gas, I decided to change close and found my clothes were also wet! Sometimes you get what you pay for! I purchased a $10 "water-proof" duffel bag from Boaters World. Well, it ain't water-proof!!!

We stopped at Academy in Amarillo so I could buy some compression bags to keep my clothes dry. After crossing into NM, things started looking up. The following are a few shots on Hwy 104

We arrived in Las Vegas around 6:45 MT. We stopped at K-Bob's for dinner. Not our first choice, but we wanted to get to the camp ground before dark. We checked in at the KOA, pitched the tents, and got ready for bed.

Total mileage today was 580. Tomorrow, we travel to Grand Junction, CO.

To see the all photo's from today, clear here.