Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Dallas Ramble - Day 2
I woke up early (6:00 am) for my day which resulted in me traveling the 360 miles from Mt. Magazine State Park to Dallas, TX. I awoke to a a beautiful morning after a good nights sleep in the tent. In no particular hurry I leisurely packed my stuff for the days trip.
Leaving the park, I followed AR-309 south to Havana, AR. This curving, mountain road is not as nice as the northern side. Havana is a very small town with no restaurants or services to speak of. I continued on AR-10 to Booneville, AR where I stopped for breakfast at McDonnell's. I had forgotten to bring my favored grapefruit to eat at the picnic, so I had to make do with unhealthy breakfast. I left Booneville and continued south on AR-23 until it reached Hwy 71. 23 south of Booneville is once again a nice winding, rolling road that is nice to motorcycle on. This time I encountered more traffic as I rode Hwy 71 towards Mena, AR. The road is good but I encountered enough traffic to slow my progress.
Rather then head all the way into Mena, AR I chose to turn onto Hwy 270 and then take AR-272(?) to the Talimena Scenic Byway (TSB) or Hwy 88. This avoids the traffic of Mena but cuts off 14 miles of the TSB. On the plus side the narrow and steep mountain road (AR-272) that cuts from 270 to 88 is a trip. At the bottom I passed a minivan whose brakes were so overheated you could clearly smell the burning.This road is so narrow it does not appear that two cars can pass in opposite directions (despite being two way). It is also densely lined with trees on both side. The road connects to the TSB right at the Queen Wilamena State Park. I made a short stop to use the restroom facilities in the camp bathhouse then continued my ride along the TSB.
The Talimena Scenic Byway once again proved be a very rewarding motorcycle road. I stopped a couple of times to take pictures but the pictures do not really illustrate what a great road this is.
After finishing the TSB in Talihina, OK I continued south on Hwy 272. This road was again a series of enjoyable fast sweepers and my progress was smooth. I continued through Antlers, OK to Paris, TX. From Paris I rode to Dallas, TX (Plano).
From north of Dallas, the traffic is very heavy. Fortunately I a used to it so I am not bothered by riding here. I arrived at my favorite La Quinta Hotel at 2:30. Atypically, I had some problem getting my (free night) reservation made while in the lobby of the hotel. I had a reservation made for the next two days but just needed to get a room for that day (Thursday). Thirty minutes later all was well. As mentioned my hassle was notable and I spoke to the manager (not his or his staffs fault) and later La Quinta corporate management (Returns Club). I very much hope this is one time glitch and not a sign of things to come.
I had plans for dinner with a friend, so after unpacking I went for run. Later I enjoyed dinner at the Grand Luxe (a concept from the owners of the Cheesecake Factory). This restaurant is located in the Dallas Galleria. While I had not been rained on during my trip into town the skies were overcast and threatening of rain. I almost made it the Galieria when it began to rain. Fortunately I was near the covered parking garage and only got slightly wet. While we eat a long dinner at the restaurant, it rained pretty hard. Fortunately by the time I left (after 10:00 pm) it had pretty much dried up.
On my ride back to the hotel I was advised by the driver of a passing car that my taillight was out. I pulled over in a parking lot to find while my brake light worked the running light (red) was broken. Now in some places this may not be as big a deal as Dallas. But I still had 3-5 miles to ride on a very busy road. There was really nothing to do but ride with my emergeny flashers on until I got to the hotel. I made it safe.
It had been a pretty long day so I pretty much hit the sack after I arrived at the hotel.
Leaving the park, I followed AR-309 south to Havana, AR. This curving, mountain road is not as nice as the northern side. Havana is a very small town with no restaurants or services to speak of. I continued on AR-10 to Booneville, AR where I stopped for breakfast at McDonnell's. I had forgotten to bring my favored grapefruit to eat at the picnic, so I had to make do with unhealthy breakfast. I left Booneville and continued south on AR-23 until it reached Hwy 71. 23 south of Booneville is once again a nice winding, rolling road that is nice to motorcycle on. This time I encountered more traffic as I rode Hwy 71 towards Mena, AR. The road is good but I encountered enough traffic to slow my progress.
Rather then head all the way into Mena, AR I chose to turn onto Hwy 270 and then take AR-272(?) to the Talimena Scenic Byway (TSB) or Hwy 88. This avoids the traffic of Mena but cuts off 14 miles of the TSB. On the plus side the narrow and steep mountain road (AR-272) that cuts from 270 to 88 is a trip. At the bottom I passed a minivan whose brakes were so overheated you could clearly smell the burning.This road is so narrow it does not appear that two cars can pass in opposite directions (despite being two way). It is also densely lined with trees on both side. The road connects to the TSB right at the Queen Wilamena State Park. I made a short stop to use the restroom facilities in the camp bathhouse then continued my ride along the TSB.
The Talimena Scenic Byway once again proved be a very rewarding motorcycle road. I stopped a couple of times to take pictures but the pictures do not really illustrate what a great road this is.
After finishing the TSB in Talihina, OK I continued south on Hwy 272. This road was again a series of enjoyable fast sweepers and my progress was smooth. I continued through Antlers, OK to Paris, TX. From Paris I rode to Dallas, TX (Plano).
From north of Dallas, the traffic is very heavy. Fortunately I a used to it so I am not bothered by riding here. I arrived at my favorite La Quinta Hotel at 2:30. Atypically, I had some problem getting my (free night) reservation made while in the lobby of the hotel. I had a reservation made for the next two days but just needed to get a room for that day (Thursday). Thirty minutes later all was well. As mentioned my hassle was notable and I spoke to the manager (not his or his staffs fault) and later La Quinta corporate management (Returns Club). I very much hope this is one time glitch and not a sign of things to come.
I had plans for dinner with a friend, so after unpacking I went for run. Later I enjoyed dinner at the Grand Luxe (a concept from the owners of the Cheesecake Factory). This restaurant is located in the Dallas Galleria. While I had not been rained on during my trip into town the skies were overcast and threatening of rain. I almost made it the Galieria when it began to rain. Fortunately I was near the covered parking garage and only got slightly wet. While we eat a long dinner at the restaurant, it rained pretty hard. Fortunately by the time I left (after 10:00 pm) it had pretty much dried up.
On my ride back to the hotel I was advised by the driver of a passing car that my taillight was out. I pulled over in a parking lot to find while my brake light worked the running light (red) was broken. Now in some places this may not be as big a deal as Dallas. But I still had 3-5 miles to ride on a very busy road. There was really nothing to do but ride with my emergeny flashers on until I got to the hotel. I made it safe.
It had been a pretty long day so I pretty much hit the sack after I arrived at the hotel.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Dallas Ramble - Day 1
Wednesday I took off on another motorcycle ramble for a couple of days. The main initiative for this ride was to meet with some business contacts in Dallas Texas on Friday as well as try to catch up with some friends. Day 1's itinerary was riding from home (KC) to Mt. Magazine State Park in Arkansas.
Initially I debated whether to start my ride on Wednesday or Thursday. Leaving on Thursday would have me riding the entire way to Dallas on the same day to get there in time for meetings set up on Friday. I would then continue the trip for longer during the weekend. The forecast showed a slight chance of rain on Thursday, so I chose my Wednesday departure instead.
As seems to be becoming the norm, my initial packing and getting started dragged on later than it should have. After doing some necessary work prior to my start and finishing packing it was nearly 11:00 am. By now, I decided I might as well have lunch at my favorite lunch place. Chipotle. This plan was coupled with my basic timing of not hitting the state park until evening.
After dropping off my mail and lunch I finally hit the highway. The route out of KC on Hwy 71 was pretty straight and fast. As in the past I was able to find a fast moving car to follow. In this case it was a contruction company pickup that was traveling 95 to 100 miles an hour the entire way to Joplin, MO. I was able to lay back and follow this truck the entire way with no police encounters. Passing through Bentonville and Rodgers was a little bit of a drag because of the traffic.
At Fayetteville, AR I cut through town in accordance with my plan to take AR-16 to connect to AR-23. I had not been on AR-16 before and wanted to see if this was a good route. This route took me through the main part of Fayetteville. While an interesting diversion (as I have not been to Fayetteville before) I really don't recommended it as a must see. It was between 4:30 and 5:00 pm now so I experiences a little traffic. I followed AR-16 to AR-23 finding that the AR-16 is just an okay road and I would not highly rate it for motorcycling. Once I connected to AR-23 (the "Pigs Trail") the riding got much better.
I had based my timing to arrive in Ozark, AR in time for dinner. I had read about Model Cafe on an internet motorcycle forum posting and thought it might be a good place to get something to eat prior to camping at Mt. Magazine. To my disappointment I found that the cafe was closed. I am not sure if it was just for the night or permanently. I rode around this very small town but did not find any other places to eat that looked interesting. Thus, I continued on south to Paris, AR. Paris is the last town north of the Mt. Magazine state park. I was confident that I could find someplace to eat there. Upon arriving in Paris, I decided that I wanted a relatively short dinner as I wanted to get to the state park before it was dark. I chose to eat at Subway. The food was uninspired, but it was pleasant to see a group of high school aged kids (friends of the employees working there) hanging out in the restaurant. Overhearing part of their conversations I was reminded that kids are kids no matter where you are.
I left the Subway and rode on AR-309 up the mountain to Mt. Magazine state park. While their is construction on 309 part of the way I was not bothered as the construction crews had already quit for the day and there was very little traffic. This stretch of AR-309 (Paris to Mt. Magazine State Park) is a very nice motorcycling road with curves, relatively good pavement, and scenery.
Upon reaching the state park, I made a quick pass through the campground to verify that it was full before heading to the Brown Springs picnic area. As I have posted before the picnic area is the designated spot for overflow camping. On arriving, I found one other set of visitors. This couple and their young son where finishing a late picnic and indicated they were not planning on camping. I set up my camping gear and then headed back to the campground bathhouse for a shower. Once again, the bathhouse was very clean and amenable. I spent a few minutes talking with other campers before heading back to my campsite.
When I returned to my campsite, the other visitors had left and I had the place to myself. This peace was only interrupted twice when a park ranger vehicle drove through (8:00 pm and 9:00 pm). The ranger did not stop or otherwise bother me. As my previous visit this campsite is very peaceful and relaxing. On this visit the cricket sounds where much louder. Also the sky was a little overcast. My only worry was whether it was going to rain. I chose not to put the rain fly over my tent and leave the "moon roof" unzipped. The "moon roof" of my Mountain Hardwear Hamerhead 3 tent allows for almost 2/3 of the tent to be unzipped (leaving a mosquito net) which allows you to look out. I enjoyed the outdoors setting for a long time before going to sleep. Throughout the night I heard varying shift of the wind rustling through the trees as well as a few different animal sounds.
More on Day 2 in my next posting.
Initially I debated whether to start my ride on Wednesday or Thursday. Leaving on Thursday would have me riding the entire way to Dallas on the same day to get there in time for meetings set up on Friday. I would then continue the trip for longer during the weekend. The forecast showed a slight chance of rain on Thursday, so I chose my Wednesday departure instead.
As seems to be becoming the norm, my initial packing and getting started dragged on later than it should have. After doing some necessary work prior to my start and finishing packing it was nearly 11:00 am. By now, I decided I might as well have lunch at my favorite lunch place. Chipotle. This plan was coupled with my basic timing of not hitting the state park until evening.
After dropping off my mail and lunch I finally hit the highway. The route out of KC on Hwy 71 was pretty straight and fast. As in the past I was able to find a fast moving car to follow. In this case it was a contruction company pickup that was traveling 95 to 100 miles an hour the entire way to Joplin, MO. I was able to lay back and follow this truck the entire way with no police encounters. Passing through Bentonville and Rodgers was a little bit of a drag because of the traffic.
At Fayetteville, AR I cut through town in accordance with my plan to take AR-16 to connect to AR-23. I had not been on AR-16 before and wanted to see if this was a good route. This route took me through the main part of Fayetteville. While an interesting diversion (as I have not been to Fayetteville before) I really don't recommended it as a must see. It was between 4:30 and 5:00 pm now so I experiences a little traffic. I followed AR-16 to AR-23 finding that the AR-16 is just an okay road and I would not highly rate it for motorcycling. Once I connected to AR-23 (the "Pigs Trail") the riding got much better.
I had based my timing to arrive in Ozark, AR in time for dinner. I had read about Model Cafe on an internet motorcycle forum posting and thought it might be a good place to get something to eat prior to camping at Mt. Magazine. To my disappointment I found that the cafe was closed. I am not sure if it was just for the night or permanently. I rode around this very small town but did not find any other places to eat that looked interesting. Thus, I continued on south to Paris, AR. Paris is the last town north of the Mt. Magazine state park. I was confident that I could find someplace to eat there. Upon arriving in Paris, I decided that I wanted a relatively short dinner as I wanted to get to the state park before it was dark. I chose to eat at Subway. The food was uninspired, but it was pleasant to see a group of high school aged kids (friends of the employees working there) hanging out in the restaurant. Overhearing part of their conversations I was reminded that kids are kids no matter where you are.
I left the Subway and rode on AR-309 up the mountain to Mt. Magazine state park. While their is construction on 309 part of the way I was not bothered as the construction crews had already quit for the day and there was very little traffic. This stretch of AR-309 (Paris to Mt. Magazine State Park) is a very nice motorcycling road with curves, relatively good pavement, and scenery.
Upon reaching the state park, I made a quick pass through the campground to verify that it was full before heading to the Brown Springs picnic area. As I have posted before the picnic area is the designated spot for overflow camping. On arriving, I found one other set of visitors. This couple and their young son where finishing a late picnic and indicated they were not planning on camping. I set up my camping gear and then headed back to the campground bathhouse for a shower. Once again, the bathhouse was very clean and amenable. I spent a few minutes talking with other campers before heading back to my campsite.
When I returned to my campsite, the other visitors had left and I had the place to myself. This peace was only interrupted twice when a park ranger vehicle drove through (8:00 pm and 9:00 pm). The ranger did not stop or otherwise bother me. As my previous visit this campsite is very peaceful and relaxing. On this visit the cricket sounds where much louder. Also the sky was a little overcast. My only worry was whether it was going to rain. I chose not to put the rain fly over my tent and leave the "moon roof" unzipped. The "moon roof" of my Mountain Hardwear Hamerhead 3 tent allows for almost 2/3 of the tent to be unzipped (leaving a mosquito net) which allows you to look out. I enjoyed the outdoors setting for a long time before going to sleep. Throughout the night I heard varying shift of the wind rustling through the trees as well as a few different animal sounds.
More on Day 2 in my next posting.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Arkansas Motorcycle Trip - Day 4
Day 3 itinerary was Mt. Magazine State Park, AR to Kansas City (home)
I woke up from an awesome sleep at dawn (6:00am). The evening weather had been great and the morning I awoke to was temperate and nice. There really was not much to do. I was not properly equipped for hiking. But, the park appears to be a good candidate for a future trip to do some mountain hiking. After leisurely packing I head off north.
My plan was to head north on Hwy 309 and then connect up to Hwy 23 (part of which is known as the "pigs trail"). Hwy 309 north from the state park is a pretty nice ride. Unfortunately I hit one spot with a highway flag man only allowing traffic one way. Because they were just getting equipment to the work this stoppage lasted over 10 minutes. This was kind of drag as it had already warmed up. When I was allowed to continue I continued along 309 through the town of Paris, AR. This was somewhat ironic as I passed through Paris, TX the previous day and it the time of the Tour de France (of which I am a fan). Paris, AR is not really a remarkable town. From Paris, I connected up to Hwy 23.
Hwy 23, the Pigs Trail, is pretty well touted as an excellent motorcycle road. As I have ridden this road a couple of times before I am somewhat familiar with it. While a very curry road, it does have the drawback that there is some traffic on it. This includes logging trucks which can be a real drag. Fortunately with a fast bike there are some opportunities to pass. Besides the thought that the extra traffic is a drag, my second thought is that after a few days of mountain curves they get to be somewhat uninteresting. The analogy I will give is like a roller coaster. For several times it is very exciting and fun. Too much and it becomes a little monotonous. THen some time away and it can be new and exciting again. For me probably no more than two or three days at a time is plent.
My plan was to head up to Eureka Springs (a little over 100 miles away) and stop for breakfast. I arrived in Eureka Springs right around 10:00 am. Once again I have been to Eureka Springs a couple of times before. This highly touted town confuses me. There are many, many hotels and the town is a popular tourist destination. Bur every time I have been here, I really have not found that much interesting to see, do, or eat. Upon arrival, I cruised through the downtown shopping district. Not much appeared to be open of going on. I had eaten at an okay restaurant on a previous visit but it was closed. Eventually I just headed back to the main highway passing that passes through the town and stopped at a Subway for an early lunch. After a quick lunch, I stopped across the street to gas up my motorcycle. I chose to pass on this gas station when I realized that they charge 12 cents extra if you paid via credit card. This and there regular (cash) price was no lower than other gas stations. I chose to gas up at another station up the street.
Leaving Eureka springs and heading northwest was less pleasing as there was significantly more traffic. With the curves it is hard not to pass or end up being stuck by the much slower progress of cars and RVs on the curves. Shortly after passing into Missouri I has my one "pucker" moment. I had just passed a couple of slow moving cars and a RV when my radar detector lit up from a state police car. And yes I was going over the posted limit (for the pass :) ). On top of that I had to make the pass over a double yellow after following the caravan for some time. Very fortunately the state trouper either chose not to turn around or was impeded by the other traffic. I continued on at a normal clip. As an aside, I really hate to pass over a double-yellow line. In fact I very rarely do it. Generally it is easier to wait for a passing zone and then use the much superior speed of the motorcycle to make and easy and safe pass. The problem with being behind a an RV is double, first their progress on back roads can be extremely slow and also it can be very nervous to follow behind something where you have no chance to see what is ahead.
I followed Hwy 37 to I-44 (for a short length) to Hwy 71 North. As I had previously mentioned Hwy 71 is actually a pretty good divided highway. Passing and flow is not a problem. On this occaision (as generally the case on this road) I was able to follow a car that was traveling very fast. In this case it was a "soccer-mom" driving a small SUV. This women was traveling between around 95 miles an hour (70 mph limit) almost the entire way. I followed at a safe distance. Along the way I only noticed one police officer. Somehow the SUV women didn't get tagged as she had come up on some slower moving traffic.
Nearing Kansas City my bike was running on fumes as the low-fuel light had come on several miles back. Gas mileage on my bike can wildly vary and seems to be significantly affected by high speed cruising. Since I was close to home and my normal gas station I decided to chance going the whole way. To put this in perspective I have run out of gas once (while traveling). I have run my tank down very low on several occasion but still do not know the exact capacity of the tank. Because of wide variance in gas milage it may not matter that much anyway. At any rate, I made it to my "home" station and filled up. Peering into the tank it appeared that I was truely on "fumes" and would have not gotten much, if even, 10 more miles before running out of gas. After gas I made it home ending a very enjoyable trip.
I woke up from an awesome sleep at dawn (6:00am). The evening weather had been great and the morning I awoke to was temperate and nice. There really was not much to do. I was not properly equipped for hiking. But, the park appears to be a good candidate for a future trip to do some mountain hiking. After leisurely packing I head off north.
My plan was to head north on Hwy 309 and then connect up to Hwy 23 (part of which is known as the "pigs trail"). Hwy 309 north from the state park is a pretty nice ride. Unfortunately I hit one spot with a highway flag man only allowing traffic one way. Because they were just getting equipment to the work this stoppage lasted over 10 minutes. This was kind of drag as it had already warmed up. When I was allowed to continue I continued along 309 through the town of Paris, AR. This was somewhat ironic as I passed through Paris, TX the previous day and it the time of the Tour de France (of which I am a fan). Paris, AR is not really a remarkable town. From Paris, I connected up to Hwy 23.
Hwy 23, the Pigs Trail, is pretty well touted as an excellent motorcycle road. As I have ridden this road a couple of times before I am somewhat familiar with it. While a very curry road, it does have the drawback that there is some traffic on it. This includes logging trucks which can be a real drag. Fortunately with a fast bike there are some opportunities to pass. Besides the thought that the extra traffic is a drag, my second thought is that after a few days of mountain curves they get to be somewhat uninteresting. The analogy I will give is like a roller coaster. For several times it is very exciting and fun. Too much and it becomes a little monotonous. THen some time away and it can be new and exciting again. For me probably no more than two or three days at a time is plent.
My plan was to head up to Eureka Springs (a little over 100 miles away) and stop for breakfast. I arrived in Eureka Springs right around 10:00 am. Once again I have been to Eureka Springs a couple of times before. This highly touted town confuses me. There are many, many hotels and the town is a popular tourist destination. Bur every time I have been here, I really have not found that much interesting to see, do, or eat. Upon arrival, I cruised through the downtown shopping district. Not much appeared to be open of going on. I had eaten at an okay restaurant on a previous visit but it was closed. Eventually I just headed back to the main highway passing that passes through the town and stopped at a Subway for an early lunch. After a quick lunch, I stopped across the street to gas up my motorcycle. I chose to pass on this gas station when I realized that they charge 12 cents extra if you paid via credit card. This and there regular (cash) price was no lower than other gas stations. I chose to gas up at another station up the street.
Leaving Eureka springs and heading northwest was less pleasing as there was significantly more traffic. With the curves it is hard not to pass or end up being stuck by the much slower progress of cars and RVs on the curves. Shortly after passing into Missouri I has my one "pucker" moment. I had just passed a couple of slow moving cars and a RV when my radar detector lit up from a state police car. And yes I was going over the posted limit (for the pass :) ). On top of that I had to make the pass over a double yellow after following the caravan for some time. Very fortunately the state trouper either chose not to turn around or was impeded by the other traffic. I continued on at a normal clip. As an aside, I really hate to pass over a double-yellow line. In fact I very rarely do it. Generally it is easier to wait for a passing zone and then use the much superior speed of the motorcycle to make and easy and safe pass. The problem with being behind a an RV is double, first their progress on back roads can be extremely slow and also it can be very nervous to follow behind something where you have no chance to see what is ahead.
I followed Hwy 37 to I-44 (for a short length) to Hwy 71 North. As I had previously mentioned Hwy 71 is actually a pretty good divided highway. Passing and flow is not a problem. On this occaision (as generally the case on this road) I was able to follow a car that was traveling very fast. In this case it was a "soccer-mom" driving a small SUV. This women was traveling between around 95 miles an hour (70 mph limit) almost the entire way. I followed at a safe distance. Along the way I only noticed one police officer. Somehow the SUV women didn't get tagged as she had come up on some slower moving traffic.
Nearing Kansas City my bike was running on fumes as the low-fuel light had come on several miles back. Gas mileage on my bike can wildly vary and seems to be significantly affected by high speed cruising. Since I was close to home and my normal gas station I decided to chance going the whole way. To put this in perspective I have run out of gas once (while traveling). I have run my tank down very low on several occasion but still do not know the exact capacity of the tank. Because of wide variance in gas milage it may not matter that much anyway. At any rate, I made it to my "home" station and filled up. Peering into the tank it appeared that I was truely on "fumes" and would have not gotten much, if even, 10 more miles before running out of gas. After gas I made it home ending a very enjoyable trip.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Arkansas Motorcycle Trip - Day 3
Day 3 itinerary ended up being the Dallas to Mt. Magazine State Park, AR via the Talimena Scenic
The next morning, day 3 of my trip, I decided to leave Dallas and head back to Arkansas for some additional camping. By morning it appeared that my business contacts and friends was not going to pan out. This is my own fault for my last minute plans. Additionally, my brief stay in Dallas sort of made me think that I either needed to stay longer than a couple of days or plan better.
During my stay on day 1 I picked up a nice brochure on the Arkansas state parks. There are many and a few appeared interesting. The price of camping was right too. My plan was to basically reverse my trip for the second day (Talimena Scenci Byway to Dallas) and then continue on further to Mt. Magazine (The highest peak in Arkansas).
I started my day be waking up then eating off the continental breakfast at the La Quinta. I have commented in earlier posts about how disappointing continental breakfast at most hotels are. Well, the LQ was disappointing even by the normal standards. Nevertheless, I had a breakfast of some plain oatmeal and yogurt. After breakfast I leisurely packed, in case of call-backs from my contacts, and eventually headed off.
The ride along 121 up to Paris, TX was uneventful and a little more crowded on this Monday morning. I arrived in Paris, TX around 12:00 p.m. and decided to have lunch at a Subway. Unlike a lot of Subway restaurants I encounter, this was a standalone building the size of your normal McDonald. In my mind my turkey sub beat McDonald food anyway. I had finished my meal in less than 15 minutes and generally lounged around for 10 more minutes just to take a break. I have found that I generally go about two stops (150 miles between each) with a minimal stop for gas. These gas stop don't even have me getting off my bike.
After passing Antlers, OK Hwy 271 became an enjoyable ride without too much traffic. I then headed past Taiihina, OK onto the Talimena Scenic Byway (TSB). My second ride of this fabulous ride was just as enjoyable as the first. On this Monday afternoon (around 3:00 p.m.) I think I saw maybe 3 cars. One was a park employee vehicle which pulled over into the first outlook after I came upon him. This did not impede my progress. A second car I had to pass, which was no problem. The final car I saw was already pulled over in an outlook. I saw no police enforcement vehicles along the byway. Unlike my first visit where I got to to the Queen Wilhelmena State park via 271 to hwy 272 to the byway (bypassing Mena, Ar and approximately 14 miles of the byway) I continued to the east end of the byway at Mena, AR. Once again the TSB has different characteristics. For the most part is is mountainous with relatively fast corners (many!) with a few places of steep, tight corners. The eastern end was more of the tight corners. From Mena, AR I headed north up on Hwy 71. The 50+ miles of TSB took me a little less than one hour long.
Once again Hwy 71 in this part of Arkansas is a pretty nice, sweeping ride. On Monday evening I encountered some traffic, but not overbearing. I also encountered a very brief period of light rain. Apparently, it had rained a little harder earlier as several miles were wet. No problem as my normal riding gear is waterproof. I continued from Hwy 71 to Hwy 23 to Boonville, AR.
I stopped to eat at a McDonalds in Boonville. I had read that there was no place to eat at the southern of the Mt. Magazine byway in Havana, AR (which is true). I had not passed many restaurants and the towns along the way are pretty small. As Boonville is pretty close to Havana, I choose not to chance it. By now, I think it was around 4:30 p.m. After a short stop (20 minutes) I continued on. To my chargrin, I saw a Subway a half-mile down the road, but not any other restaurants. Oh well.
From Havana, I continued on Hwy 309 to Mt. Magazine State Park. The south end of 309 is steep, narrow, curving road. This was very similar to many mountain roads and was enjoyable and mild speed.
I arrived at the the Mt. Magazine state park a little after the visitor center and registration closed. In a phone call to the park that morning, an employee told me that if the park center was closed I shoudl just head to the camping area. Any sites not marked reserved were available. If no camping sties were available, the park allows overflow campers to camp in the separate picnic area.
I first visited the camping area. A quick drive around showed me that all the camping spots were already taken. After using the restroom facilities in the very clean bathhouse located in the camping area. I proceeded on. A little further up the road (less than a 1/4 mile) was another road which lead to several outlooks over the mountain. This road basically circled the campground but was far enough away that you could not see the actual campground.
After a quick look at the outlook road, I continued on along the park road. Maybe another 1/4 mile down the road (1/2 mile from the camping ground) I came upon the Brown Springs picnic area. This wooded area was pretty large but there were no other visitors.
From one of the overlooks:
I headed back out the main park road up to the park lodge just to see what it was like. I was very surprised here to find what appears to be a large first class lodge. I stopped and took some pictures of the entrance foyer, lobby, and from the back of the lodge which looks out from the top the mountain top. I then headed back to the picnic area to set up camp.
The Lodge entranceway:
The Lodge entry foyer:
Looking out from the mountain in the back of the lodge:
When I returned to the picnic area, I started to set up my camp. There was a single other vehicle which was just leaving when I pulled into the picnic area. Otherwise, I had the entire area to pick where I wanted to set up my tent. I choose to set up my tent right at the edge of the area next to a clearing in the trees that overlooked the side of the mountain.
Just on the other side of my tent, is the side of the mountain. My bike is about 30 feet from the tent:
You can barely make out my bike and tent in the very back of this next picture. This was from about 3/4 the width of the picnic area. I had the place to my self:
After setting up I rode back to the bath house for a nice shower. I then returned to camp to settle in for the night. Now, one thing about moto-camping is that you generally do not get too far from other campers. I have found that I am generally in campgrounds with other campers, vehicles, and noise. Contributing to this is that I am reluctant to park my bike somewhere as I hike to an out of the way campsite. On this particular instance, I got an awesome experience. The area where I camped is pretty forested and you can not see the main park road from the picnic area. I also had the entire area to myself. That evening until the time I left in the morning I did not hear a single other car or person.
After writing on my computer and some reading, I got into my tent for sleep. By now it was past dusk and I enjoyed the peace of just listening to the sounds and viewing thing though the "moonroof" of my tent. Later, after it got dark, I realized that while I expected the best view of the night sky was going to be out the "moonroof" side of the tent which faced toward the mountain side, the best view was the other direction (towards the picnic area). Fortunately my tent has a separate "window" on that side of the tent that I was able to open. As the night sky got darker, I was treated to one of those great views of the the thousands of stars that you can only get outside of the city lights. It was wonderful. At the same time, I listened to the many animal sounds that come with being out in the wilderness. This includes crickets, birds, and some other unknown animals. I did not get visited nor hear any bears which also inhabit the area. At first, being out alone, in this uninhabited area was sort of spooky. I was pretty confident that nothing bad was going to happen, but early on I was unable to sleep as I was in a semi-conscious state of alert. Later I fell asleep to easily my best sleep in a very, very long time.
The next morning, day 3 of my trip, I decided to leave Dallas and head back to Arkansas for some additional camping. By morning it appeared that my business contacts and friends was not going to pan out. This is my own fault for my last minute plans. Additionally, my brief stay in Dallas sort of made me think that I either needed to stay longer than a couple of days or plan better.
During my stay on day 1 I picked up a nice brochure on the Arkansas state parks. There are many and a few appeared interesting. The price of camping was right too. My plan was to basically reverse my trip for the second day (Talimena Scenci Byway to Dallas) and then continue on further to Mt. Magazine (The highest peak in Arkansas).
I started my day be waking up then eating off the continental breakfast at the La Quinta. I have commented in earlier posts about how disappointing continental breakfast at most hotels are. Well, the LQ was disappointing even by the normal standards. Nevertheless, I had a breakfast of some plain oatmeal and yogurt. After breakfast I leisurely packed, in case of call-backs from my contacts, and eventually headed off.
The ride along 121 up to Paris, TX was uneventful and a little more crowded on this Monday morning. I arrived in Paris, TX around 12:00 p.m. and decided to have lunch at a Subway. Unlike a lot of Subway restaurants I encounter, this was a standalone building the size of your normal McDonald. In my mind my turkey sub beat McDonald food anyway. I had finished my meal in less than 15 minutes and generally lounged around for 10 more minutes just to take a break. I have found that I generally go about two stops (150 miles between each) with a minimal stop for gas. These gas stop don't even have me getting off my bike.
After passing Antlers, OK Hwy 271 became an enjoyable ride without too much traffic. I then headed past Taiihina, OK onto the Talimena Scenic Byway (TSB). My second ride of this fabulous ride was just as enjoyable as the first. On this Monday afternoon (around 3:00 p.m.) I think I saw maybe 3 cars. One was a park employee vehicle which pulled over into the first outlook after I came upon him. This did not impede my progress. A second car I had to pass, which was no problem. The final car I saw was already pulled over in an outlook. I saw no police enforcement vehicles along the byway. Unlike my first visit where I got to to the Queen Wilhelmena State park via 271 to hwy 272 to the byway (bypassing Mena, Ar and approximately 14 miles of the byway) I continued to the east end of the byway at Mena, AR. Once again the TSB has different characteristics. For the most part is is mountainous with relatively fast corners (many!) with a few places of steep, tight corners. The eastern end was more of the tight corners. From Mena, AR I headed north up on Hwy 71. The 50+ miles of TSB took me a little less than one hour long.
Once again Hwy 71 in this part of Arkansas is a pretty nice, sweeping ride. On Monday evening I encountered some traffic, but not overbearing. I also encountered a very brief period of light rain. Apparently, it had rained a little harder earlier as several miles were wet. No problem as my normal riding gear is waterproof. I continued from Hwy 71 to Hwy 23 to Boonville, AR.
I stopped to eat at a McDonalds in Boonville. I had read that there was no place to eat at the southern of the Mt. Magazine byway in Havana, AR (which is true). I had not passed many restaurants and the towns along the way are pretty small. As Boonville is pretty close to Havana, I choose not to chance it. By now, I think it was around 4:30 p.m. After a short stop (20 minutes) I continued on. To my chargrin, I saw a Subway a half-mile down the road, but not any other restaurants. Oh well.
From Havana, I continued on Hwy 309 to Mt. Magazine State Park. The south end of 309 is steep, narrow, curving road. This was very similar to many mountain roads and was enjoyable and mild speed.
I arrived at the the Mt. Magazine state park a little after the visitor center and registration closed. In a phone call to the park that morning, an employee told me that if the park center was closed I shoudl just head to the camping area. Any sites not marked reserved were available. If no camping sties were available, the park allows overflow campers to camp in the separate picnic area.
I first visited the camping area. A quick drive around showed me that all the camping spots were already taken. After using the restroom facilities in the very clean bathhouse located in the camping area. I proceeded on. A little further up the road (less than a 1/4 mile) was another road which lead to several outlooks over the mountain. This road basically circled the campground but was far enough away that you could not see the actual campground.
After a quick look at the outlook road, I continued on along the park road. Maybe another 1/4 mile down the road (1/2 mile from the camping ground) I came upon the Brown Springs picnic area. This wooded area was pretty large but there were no other visitors.
From one of the overlooks:
I headed back out the main park road up to the park lodge just to see what it was like. I was very surprised here to find what appears to be a large first class lodge. I stopped and took some pictures of the entrance foyer, lobby, and from the back of the lodge which looks out from the top the mountain top. I then headed back to the picnic area to set up camp.
The Lodge entranceway:
The Lodge entry foyer:
Looking out from the mountain in the back of the lodge:
When I returned to the picnic area, I started to set up my camp. There was a single other vehicle which was just leaving when I pulled into the picnic area. Otherwise, I had the entire area to pick where I wanted to set up my tent. I choose to set up my tent right at the edge of the area next to a clearing in the trees that overlooked the side of the mountain.
Just on the other side of my tent, is the side of the mountain. My bike is about 30 feet from the tent:
You can barely make out my bike and tent in the very back of this next picture. This was from about 3/4 the width of the picnic area. I had the place to my self:
After setting up I rode back to the bath house for a nice shower. I then returned to camp to settle in for the night. Now, one thing about moto-camping is that you generally do not get too far from other campers. I have found that I am generally in campgrounds with other campers, vehicles, and noise. Contributing to this is that I am reluctant to park my bike somewhere as I hike to an out of the way campsite. On this particular instance, I got an awesome experience. The area where I camped is pretty forested and you can not see the main park road from the picnic area. I also had the entire area to myself. That evening until the time I left in the morning I did not hear a single other car or person.
After writing on my computer and some reading, I got into my tent for sleep. By now it was past dusk and I enjoyed the peace of just listening to the sounds and viewing thing though the "moonroof" of my tent. Later, after it got dark, I realized that while I expected the best view of the night sky was going to be out the "moonroof" side of the tent which faced toward the mountain side, the best view was the other direction (towards the picnic area). Fortunately my tent has a separate "window" on that side of the tent that I was able to open. As the night sky got darker, I was treated to one of those great views of the the thousands of stars that you can only get outside of the city lights. It was wonderful. At the same time, I listened to the many animal sounds that come with being out in the wilderness. This includes crickets, birds, and some other unknown animals. I did not get visited nor hear any bears which also inhabit the area. At first, being out alone, in this uninhabited area was sort of spooky. I was pretty confident that nothing bad was going to happen, but early on I was unable to sleep as I was in a semi-conscious state of alert. Later I fell asleep to easily my best sleep in a very, very long time.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Arkansas Motorcycle Trip - Day 2
Day 2 itinerary ended up being the Talimena Scenic Byway (Queen Wilhelmina State Park) to Dallas, Tx.
The previous evening I had pretty much decided to ride down to Dallas the next day, approsimately 300 miles away. The QWSP was a nice place to stay but did not offer any enticements that made me want to camp there a second day. Note, I would visit again but only as an overnight stop to the Talimena Scenic Byway. More about this in my day 3 trip report.
I woke up early, before 6:00am, but did not want to pack and leave as I figured that my motorcycle could wake other campers. Being Sunday, the campground was pretty quiet. As a personal aside. I am generally a morning person and do not mind waking up early. I actually like waking up early if I can start my day this early or earlier.
For breakfast I had an oatmeal-raisin bar and a can of cut grapefruit which I had brought from home. After using the restroom (once again noted as very clean and presentable), I broke camp. This did not take long and I was on my way around 7:20 am.
Very unfortunately, I choose to stop at the the QWSP lodge to get a flyer on the Talimena Scenic Byway I had seen the previous evening. The lodge is at the top of the hill a little higher than the campground. Initially I was rewarded with the site of the clouds below me on the mountain type. I decided to get a picture Unfortunately my camera was in my side pannier and my bike parked on it side stand on a little grade. Well, with the weight of my duffle with my camping gear (I guess) the bike started to fall over as I was opening the pannier cover. This is the awful moment that many motorcycle riders remember when the bike is falling over is slow motion but there is nothing you can do to save it because of the weight. I righted the bike and viewed the damage. To my dismay the right fairing and pannier cover were scratched very similar to the way there were after a slight accident on a previous trip. I had just got these same panel painted only a couple of months ago. Oh well, at least I know my painter can fix them, at a cost. My only problems is my impatience in waiting for the paint to be done and the cost.
The Talimena Scenic Byway is around 50 miles of curving and hilly road. The road is just two lane with very little shoulder but very well maintained. There are many scenic outlooks (paved area designed for vehicles to turn off and well marked) along the byway. I was able to blast along the road as I only saw a single other car (on a outlook turnoff) along the entire route on this Sunday morning.
The ride along the Talimena is very good and possibly the best motorcycle road I have ever been on. For any other riders reading this I will caution to use your good judgment and ride at your own abilities. There are some fast sections but at least one area has some pretty tight turns along with steep grades. The road leave no room for misjudgment. I make no claims to my riding ability, but I was able to enjoy the road at a very good pace and felt no need to really hang it out at a race pace.
After finishing the Talimena Scenic Byway in Talihina, OK, I turned onto Hwy 271 heading south towards Texas. Hwy 271 proved to be a road of the type that I probably enjoy the most. This two-laned highway was well paved (sometimes immaculately) with high-speed sweeping curves. Once again there was very little traffic along the highway on Sunday morning. Initially the road has some nice views of the mountains in the distance and then turns to some sweeping ranchland. Very appealing. 271 runs down to Antlers, OK. this stretch is very nice, enjoyable riding. From Antlers I road along the same road to Paris, Texas. There are a few kinks in the road at Antlers and Paris and I was glad to have my GPS unit to guide me. From Paris to Dallas I road on Hwy 82 then turned on Hwy 121. Both highways were fine if somewhat uninspiring riding. These roads had a little more traffic.
Along the way I stopped for a brief call to a friend who lives north of Dallas. I was very pleased to hear she was doing well, but unfortunately the timing was not great for me to stop for a short visit. I proceeded onto Plano, Tx (a suburb of Dallas) after leaving messages with a couple of friends about my impromptu visit to Dallas.
On arriving in Dallas I rode to my normal residence of La Quinta in Plano. I was somewhat surprised to find the hotel near the end of a large remodel. The clerks at the front desk were unknown to me but very nice. i was able to reserve a room but needed to wait until around 2:00 pm for a clean room to be available. Since I had to wait I requested the same room that I used to regularly get. For a couple of years this was basically mine and I probably stayed in it over 500 nights.
I left the hotel and had a leisurely lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, the Corner Bakery on Preston Rd. The food was the same (very good) and I was pleased to find unlike many restaurants lately they had not raised their prices. Still recommended. After lunch I visited the REI store which is across the street. While I did not buy anything I just like this store. The employees are friendly and it is a good place for outdoor equipment. I have been a member for a few years.
I returned to the La Quinta to check in. My room, now ready, was completely redone. I have to admit, while nicely done, the new style really does not appeal to me. I can only describe the room design and furnishings as slightly oriental. Interestingly the room (including the bathroom) has a bare wood floor.
After getting settled in I choose to do some exercises and then go for a run. This was along my noraml running route when I used to regularly stay in Dallas. My route had not changed at all. In fact the immediate area did not appear to be much changed from over a year ago. This is contrasted with the large amount of change I saw as I rode in (especially north of Plano).
This brings me to my somewhat philosophical aside. Part of my reason for my visit was that I had not returned to Dallas in probably over a year after it being almost my second residence for over five years. During my "sabbatical", I have been somewhat introspective in viewing my future plans. Occasionally with this has come some thought or beliefs (while not really important or earth-shaking) have some meaning to me. I may write about a couple here.
First, i have often been asked how I can (or least could) travel so much for work as I have done for at least the past 15 years. I have replied that I generally replied that I enjoyed the travel. Not only has it allowed me to experience many places all over the world, buy I have been able to live in somewhat separate lifestyles. An example of this has been enjoying the bigger city life of Dallas while still living and enjoying the more family friendly lifestyle of my hometown of Kansas City. My thoughts are though that you really do one or the other. If I stay in my home city all the time, I become more comfortable just staying in my home city with a few trips or vacations. When I travel regularly, I am more comfortable traveling almost constantly. One or the other becomes normal and I can not see someone trading off one or the other regularly. For better or worse I have chosen the travel-constantly over the past many years. An obvious connection many people make is that this inhibits making the the deep network of friends that staying in one place allows. The many different life experiences has been enjoyable and nobody can tell whether it has been worth the tradeoffs.
My second thought is how very populated Dallas is. While one of my favorite cities, this population, while contributing to the very best of the city, is now pretty overwhelming. On the positive side it is easy to meet people who have similar interests. The town never really slows down. From a living perspective, I am amazed how many subdivisions have been built. The "suburban palaces" while apparently normal homes have really separated the city. Nowhere I visited or viewed was not busy at any time. I really like the idea of the great job and career opportunities a city like Dallas provides. But at this point I would hard pressed to say I would like living here (Dallas).
Unfortunately my fiends I called were busy or unavailable. So I made plans to go eat at a restaurant I liked and then visit my regular bookstore hangout. Unfortunately, when I rode the restaurant I found that it had closed. So, I choose to go to another favorite and popular mexican restaurant, the Blue Goose. As usual the food was good and the place hopping. After dinner, I went the the local Barnes and Nobel and browsed for books. This illustrates my view on Dallas. The bookstore was very busy until close.
Now a politically-incorrect observation. In Dallas (at least Plano) the very-good looking, in general, women really put it out there. This is opposed to Kansas City which is very conservative in comparison. It is amazing how much the women flaunt their bodies. Note, I am not complaining!
After the bookstore, I visited the Whole Foods grocery store next door for some Peligrino water. I then returned to the hotel to view e-mails (short), plan the next day, and get ready for bed. Earlier I had left a couple of message for friends and business acquaintance (who are very much also friends). By now, I had planned to only stay in Dallas for the next morning unless I had gotten some definite plans. I had originally thought I might want to stay a couple of days. In afterthought, I decided it would have been better to have previously defined some meetings and plans. I had gotten enthused with the idea of visiting another Arkansas park (for camping) and also do a second round of the Talimena Scenic Byway (on my route to the next destination). More in the day 3 report.
The previous evening I had pretty much decided to ride down to Dallas the next day, approsimately 300 miles away. The QWSP was a nice place to stay but did not offer any enticements that made me want to camp there a second day. Note, I would visit again but only as an overnight stop to the Talimena Scenic Byway. More about this in my day 3 trip report.
I woke up early, before 6:00am, but did not want to pack and leave as I figured that my motorcycle could wake other campers. Being Sunday, the campground was pretty quiet. As a personal aside. I am generally a morning person and do not mind waking up early. I actually like waking up early if I can start my day this early or earlier.
For breakfast I had an oatmeal-raisin bar and a can of cut grapefruit which I had brought from home. After using the restroom (once again noted as very clean and presentable), I broke camp. This did not take long and I was on my way around 7:20 am.
Very unfortunately, I choose to stop at the the QWSP lodge to get a flyer on the Talimena Scenic Byway I had seen the previous evening. The lodge is at the top of the hill a little higher than the campground. Initially I was rewarded with the site of the clouds below me on the mountain type. I decided to get a picture Unfortunately my camera was in my side pannier and my bike parked on it side stand on a little grade. Well, with the weight of my duffle with my camping gear (I guess) the bike started to fall over as I was opening the pannier cover. This is the awful moment that many motorcycle riders remember when the bike is falling over is slow motion but there is nothing you can do to save it because of the weight. I righted the bike and viewed the damage. To my dismay the right fairing and pannier cover were scratched very similar to the way there were after a slight accident on a previous trip. I had just got these same panel painted only a couple of months ago. Oh well, at least I know my painter can fix them, at a cost. My only problems is my impatience in waiting for the paint to be done and the cost.
The Talimena Scenic Byway is around 50 miles of curving and hilly road. The road is just two lane with very little shoulder but very well maintained. There are many scenic outlooks (paved area designed for vehicles to turn off and well marked) along the byway. I was able to blast along the road as I only saw a single other car (on a outlook turnoff) along the entire route on this Sunday morning.
The ride along the Talimena is very good and possibly the best motorcycle road I have ever been on. For any other riders reading this I will caution to use your good judgment and ride at your own abilities. There are some fast sections but at least one area has some pretty tight turns along with steep grades. The road leave no room for misjudgment. I make no claims to my riding ability, but I was able to enjoy the road at a very good pace and felt no need to really hang it out at a race pace.
After finishing the Talimena Scenic Byway in Talihina, OK, I turned onto Hwy 271 heading south towards Texas. Hwy 271 proved to be a road of the type that I probably enjoy the most. This two-laned highway was well paved (sometimes immaculately) with high-speed sweeping curves. Once again there was very little traffic along the highway on Sunday morning. Initially the road has some nice views of the mountains in the distance and then turns to some sweeping ranchland. Very appealing. 271 runs down to Antlers, OK. this stretch is very nice, enjoyable riding. From Antlers I road along the same road to Paris, Texas. There are a few kinks in the road at Antlers and Paris and I was glad to have my GPS unit to guide me. From Paris to Dallas I road on Hwy 82 then turned on Hwy 121. Both highways were fine if somewhat uninspiring riding. These roads had a little more traffic.
Along the way I stopped for a brief call to a friend who lives north of Dallas. I was very pleased to hear she was doing well, but unfortunately the timing was not great for me to stop for a short visit. I proceeded onto Plano, Tx (a suburb of Dallas) after leaving messages with a couple of friends about my impromptu visit to Dallas.
On arriving in Dallas I rode to my normal residence of La Quinta in Plano. I was somewhat surprised to find the hotel near the end of a large remodel. The clerks at the front desk were unknown to me but very nice. i was able to reserve a room but needed to wait until around 2:00 pm for a clean room to be available. Since I had to wait I requested the same room that I used to regularly get. For a couple of years this was basically mine and I probably stayed in it over 500 nights.
I left the hotel and had a leisurely lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, the Corner Bakery on Preston Rd. The food was the same (very good) and I was pleased to find unlike many restaurants lately they had not raised their prices. Still recommended. After lunch I visited the REI store which is across the street. While I did not buy anything I just like this store. The employees are friendly and it is a good place for outdoor equipment. I have been a member for a few years.
I returned to the La Quinta to check in. My room, now ready, was completely redone. I have to admit, while nicely done, the new style really does not appeal to me. I can only describe the room design and furnishings as slightly oriental. Interestingly the room (including the bathroom) has a bare wood floor.
After getting settled in I choose to do some exercises and then go for a run. This was along my noraml running route when I used to regularly stay in Dallas. My route had not changed at all. In fact the immediate area did not appear to be much changed from over a year ago. This is contrasted with the large amount of change I saw as I rode in (especially north of Plano).
This brings me to my somewhat philosophical aside. Part of my reason for my visit was that I had not returned to Dallas in probably over a year after it being almost my second residence for over five years. During my "sabbatical", I have been somewhat introspective in viewing my future plans. Occasionally with this has come some thought or beliefs (while not really important or earth-shaking) have some meaning to me. I may write about a couple here.
First, i have often been asked how I can (or least could) travel so much for work as I have done for at least the past 15 years. I have replied that I generally replied that I enjoyed the travel. Not only has it allowed me to experience many places all over the world, buy I have been able to live in somewhat separate lifestyles. An example of this has been enjoying the bigger city life of Dallas while still living and enjoying the more family friendly lifestyle of my hometown of Kansas City. My thoughts are though that you really do one or the other. If I stay in my home city all the time, I become more comfortable just staying in my home city with a few trips or vacations. When I travel regularly, I am more comfortable traveling almost constantly. One or the other becomes normal and I can not see someone trading off one or the other regularly. For better or worse I have chosen the travel-constantly over the past many years. An obvious connection many people make is that this inhibits making the the deep network of friends that staying in one place allows. The many different life experiences has been enjoyable and nobody can tell whether it has been worth the tradeoffs.
My second thought is how very populated Dallas is. While one of my favorite cities, this population, while contributing to the very best of the city, is now pretty overwhelming. On the positive side it is easy to meet people who have similar interests. The town never really slows down. From a living perspective, I am amazed how many subdivisions have been built. The "suburban palaces" while apparently normal homes have really separated the city. Nowhere I visited or viewed was not busy at any time. I really like the idea of the great job and career opportunities a city like Dallas provides. But at this point I would hard pressed to say I would like living here (Dallas).
Unfortunately my fiends I called were busy or unavailable. So I made plans to go eat at a restaurant I liked and then visit my regular bookstore hangout. Unfortunately, when I rode the restaurant I found that it had closed. So, I choose to go to another favorite and popular mexican restaurant, the Blue Goose. As usual the food was good and the place hopping. After dinner, I went the the local Barnes and Nobel and browsed for books. This illustrates my view on Dallas. The bookstore was very busy until close.
Now a politically-incorrect observation. In Dallas (at least Plano) the very-good looking, in general, women really put it out there. This is opposed to Kansas City which is very conservative in comparison. It is amazing how much the women flaunt their bodies. Note, I am not complaining!
After the bookstore, I visited the Whole Foods grocery store next door for some Peligrino water. I then returned to the hotel to view e-mails (short), plan the next day, and get ready for bed. Earlier I had left a couple of message for friends and business acquaintance (who are very much also friends). By now, I had planned to only stay in Dallas for the next morning unless I had gotten some definite plans. I had originally thought I might want to stay a couple of days. In afterthought, I decided it would have been better to have previously defined some meetings and plans. I had gotten enthused with the idea of visiting another Arkansas park (for camping) and also do a second round of the Talimena Scenic Byway (on my route to the next destination). More in the day 3 report.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Arkansas Motorcycle Trip - Day 1
This weekend I decided to do some traveling on my my Ducati ST3 motorcycle. I was debating among three trips: 1. Drive down to camp on and ride the Talimena Scenic Drive in western Arkansas. 2. a semi-regular ride through Arkansas to Memphis, TN. 3. Another ride to visit the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. This is one my top-rated places to visit in the U.S.
After a little thought, I choose the Talimena Scenic Drive trip. This is my day one report.\
I left on Saturday morning at 10:00am. The late start was because I did not get home on Friday night in time to pack. I figured my riding would not take me all day and I had plenty of time for the late start.
After packing (and finishing listening to my favortie radio program "Car Talk" on NPR), I headed off. My route had me heading south on Hwy 71 all the way to Mena, AR. There was a section on interstate 540 which basically parallels hwy 71 in Arkansas. The ride on 71 was uneventful and mildly pleasant. While the best distance motorcycling is on empty highways, I second this with divided, four lane highway with little traffic. I have found that I am growing to dislike heavily trafficked, back road, two-lane highways when there is too much traffic. It it too dangerous and mind-numbing to be continually passing vehicles on these two-lanes. Give me a more interstate divided-highway when these are the only choices.
My route took me past Bentonville, AR (home of WalMart) and the related Rogers, AR. The roads and development reflect the Wal-Mart presence. There was lots of traffic. Shortly after Rogers, I choose to head off IH-540 and back onto the mostly parallel hwy 71. Hwy 71 here is much more curving and goes into some mountains. This part of the ride was the most enjoyable. Part of this was probably due to the fact that since the Interstate was near there was very little traffic on hwy 71 here.
I finally stopped for a quick lunch around 2:00pm at my now well-liked McDonalds. This was one of my few options where I stopped (for gas too) unless I wanted to eat at the Subway which was part of the gas station. No thanks. While the food was the normal fare, I was at least pleasantly surprised that this McD was very clean. It reminded me of when I was a kid and you could count on McDonalds to be the cleanest restaurant when traveling. I compare this to the Kansas City area McDonalds which are generally pretty dirty and not well-kept.
At some point later I arrived (approximate 360 mile of riding) at Queen Wilhelmina State Park (which I will abbreviate QWSP) near the start of the Talimena Scenic drive. QWSP is high up on Rich Mountain in the Ouachitas National Forest. I checked in with at the visitors desk in the Lodge (as required) to get my assigned camping spot. After setting up my tent and unloading the motorcycle, I ventured off for some hiking. I basically hiked all the trails off the the state park area (probably 1.5 miles). This excluded the Ouachitas Forrest Trail which appears to run for hundreds of miles but is a more primitive back country trail. While hiking I did not see a single other person despite there being quite a few people at the lodge and in the camping area.
After finishing my hikes, I went to dinner at the lodge. The only real choice was the buffet which was acceptable but uninspiring. After dinner I went for another short hike, following a good habit developed with my daughter of going on some sort of walk after dinner.
After returning from my hike, I used the excellent camp bath house to take a shower. Unlike most peoples thoughts on camping I have found many camp sites to have excellent faciliities for cleaning up. After my shower I returned to my tent for some reading and bed. Since the weather was so good I was able to forego the rain fly and even leave the "moon-roof" on my new Mountain Hardear tent. Sophie and I chose this tent and so far it has rewarded us well.
Unfortunately, the problem with public campsites is that there is generally some human-made noise. I had met two motorcycle riding couples (from Texas) earliers. They described to me that they wanted to get faw away from the city. But, unfortunately, that evening it seemed like they made much of the noise (allbeit not too bad). Around 10:00pm it did quiet down pretty much.
Fortunately, I had no bear experiences. Several signs and people reported seeing bears in the area. The park employees did mention that nobody had actually seen a bear in the park (this year?). Probably because of the human noise.
I had a good sleep, with the ocaisonal, wake to slight rustleing (wondering bear). Somewhat eerie is the light reflections from other peoples campsites. Somethime these very much looked like someone or something was walking right outside my tent.
Unfortunately, my campsite was pretty well covered by trees. In a few places I could see the great starscape offered in the mountains.
While riding I had the thought that the Arkansas is a really untapped outdoor vacation delight. In many ways (excepting sking) it has some of the same attractions as Colorado with far fewer people and crowds. Another persona thought is after a while all mountains seem pretty much alike. In around the last year I have been fortunate to travel thought the Smokie Mountains, Rocky Mountains, various mountains in the southwest, and Arkansas. They are all enjoyable but in many ways similar.
After a little thought, I choose the Talimena Scenic Drive trip. This is my day one report.\
I left on Saturday morning at 10:00am. The late start was because I did not get home on Friday night in time to pack. I figured my riding would not take me all day and I had plenty of time for the late start.
After packing (and finishing listening to my favortie radio program "Car Talk" on NPR), I headed off. My route had me heading south on Hwy 71 all the way to Mena, AR. There was a section on interstate 540 which basically parallels hwy 71 in Arkansas. The ride on 71 was uneventful and mildly pleasant. While the best distance motorcycling is on empty highways, I second this with divided, four lane highway with little traffic. I have found that I am growing to dislike heavily trafficked, back road, two-lane highways when there is too much traffic. It it too dangerous and mind-numbing to be continually passing vehicles on these two-lanes. Give me a more interstate divided-highway when these are the only choices.
My route took me past Bentonville, AR (home of WalMart) and the related Rogers, AR. The roads and development reflect the Wal-Mart presence. There was lots of traffic. Shortly after Rogers, I choose to head off IH-540 and back onto the mostly parallel hwy 71. Hwy 71 here is much more curving and goes into some mountains. This part of the ride was the most enjoyable. Part of this was probably due to the fact that since the Interstate was near there was very little traffic on hwy 71 here.
I finally stopped for a quick lunch around 2:00pm at my now well-liked McDonalds. This was one of my few options where I stopped (for gas too) unless I wanted to eat at the Subway which was part of the gas station. No thanks. While the food was the normal fare, I was at least pleasantly surprised that this McD was very clean. It reminded me of when I was a kid and you could count on McDonalds to be the cleanest restaurant when traveling. I compare this to the Kansas City area McDonalds which are generally pretty dirty and not well-kept.
At some point later I arrived (approximate 360 mile of riding) at Queen Wilhelmina State Park (which I will abbreviate QWSP) near the start of the Talimena Scenic drive. QWSP is high up on Rich Mountain in the Ouachitas National Forest. I checked in with at the visitors desk in the Lodge (as required) to get my assigned camping spot. After setting up my tent and unloading the motorcycle, I ventured off for some hiking. I basically hiked all the trails off the the state park area (probably 1.5 miles). This excluded the Ouachitas Forrest Trail which appears to run for hundreds of miles but is a more primitive back country trail. While hiking I did not see a single other person despite there being quite a few people at the lodge and in the camping area.
After finishing my hikes, I went to dinner at the lodge. The only real choice was the buffet which was acceptable but uninspiring. After dinner I went for another short hike, following a good habit developed with my daughter of going on some sort of walk after dinner.
After returning from my hike, I used the excellent camp bath house to take a shower. Unlike most peoples thoughts on camping I have found many camp sites to have excellent faciliities for cleaning up. After my shower I returned to my tent for some reading and bed. Since the weather was so good I was able to forego the rain fly and even leave the "moon-roof" on my new Mountain Hardear tent. Sophie and I chose this tent and so far it has rewarded us well.
Unfortunately, the problem with public campsites is that there is generally some human-made noise. I had met two motorcycle riding couples (from Texas) earliers. They described to me that they wanted to get faw away from the city. But, unfortunately, that evening it seemed like they made much of the noise (allbeit not too bad). Around 10:00pm it did quiet down pretty much.
Fortunately, I had no bear experiences. Several signs and people reported seeing bears in the area. The park employees did mention that nobody had actually seen a bear in the park (this year?). Probably because of the human noise.
I had a good sleep, with the ocaisonal, wake to slight rustleing (wondering bear). Somewhat eerie is the light reflections from other peoples campsites. Somethime these very much looked like someone or something was walking right outside my tent.
Unfortunately, my campsite was pretty well covered by trees. In a few places I could see the great starscape offered in the mountains.
While riding I had the thought that the Arkansas is a really untapped outdoor vacation delight. In many ways (excepting sking) it has some of the same attractions as Colorado with far fewer people and crowds. Another persona thought is after a while all mountains seem pretty much alike. In around the last year I have been fortunate to travel thought the Smokie Mountains, Rocky Mountains, various mountains in the southwest, and Arkansas. They are all enjoyable but in many ways similar.
Grand Canyon Trip - June 2007
Last month, my daughter Sophie and I travelled to the Grand Canyon. After visiting and camping at the GC, we ventured to Santa Fe, New Mexico, so I could show her some of the local flavor, restaurants, and art galleries. We both had a wonderful time. I had thought about posting the details (which there were many), but for privacy reasons (hers) I decided not to. Sorry to my friends who would have found our adventures interesting.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Concert for Diana - Rememberance
Today's Concert for Diana, made me remember what a sad loss to the entire world, Princess Diana's untimely death was.
Princess Diana was the definition of grace and class. The world would be much better with more people like her. She is fondly remembered and rightfully celebrated,
Princess Diana was the definition of grace and class. The world would be much better with more people like her. She is fondly remembered and rightfully celebrated,
Concert for Diana - Coverage Review
I had the opportunity to watch the Concert for Diana show on VH1 today. Well done. The show was musical acts separated by short video stories on Diana, Priiness of Wales. The show's TV announcers did a great job and avoided the often made error of trying to out do the concerts justifiably famous stars. VH1 shoudl be especially commended for presenting the concert commerical free.
In contrast, NBC, highlight presentation of the Concert for Diana tonight is an incredible embarassment to the network and presenters. Leading up to the concert, Princess Diana's son Prince William and Prince Harry have repeatedly discussed their disappointment in parties trying to cash in on Princess Diana's fame. This included many interviews on NBC. So it is inexpicable that tonight's much-hyped showing of highlights of the concert was overwhelming commercials. It felt like every minute of the show was interspersed wiht three minutes of commericals.
In contrast, NBC, highlight presentation of the Concert for Diana tonight is an incredible embarassment to the network and presenters. Leading up to the concert, Princess Diana's son Prince William and Prince Harry have repeatedly discussed their disappointment in parties trying to cash in on Princess Diana's fame. This included many interviews on NBC. So it is inexpicable that tonight's much-hyped showing of highlights of the concert was overwhelming commercials. It felt like every minute of the show was interspersed wiht three minutes of commericals.
