Fayetteville, Ar. to Gravette, Ar. Loop

Last week I needed to get out for a ride so I just took Arkansas 412 West to Siloam Springs and then Arkansas 59 North to Gravette. It was a great day for a ride with a bluebird day and mild temperatures.

Click the photo to be taken to the video

The "Tail of the Dragon" and Maggie Valley, North Carolina

I apologize for my absence of posting of late. Since I've last posted I had the opportunity to go to Maggie Valley, NC. to ride my new Versys on the "Tail of the Dragon." What a hoot!

Click the photo to be taken to the video

"What I did on my summer vacation with family"

"What I did on my Summer Vacation"

So, last winter my wife and her brother decided to hike one hundred miles of the KATY trail in Missouri. They would walk, I would do everything else. I cooked, did laundry, shopped, and supported them anyway I could. Mostly I drove them and picked them up at various places along their trek. It was a fun trip that involved eight days of camping and two days in a hotel.  

We are back home now trying to decide where we will head next (we have a month off). A genealogy trip to Minnesota was planned but the beach beckons Martha. In any case we are out of here again on Saturday morning. We are regrouping and resting up from the KATY trail adventure. Martha and Dan achieved their 100 mile goal. However, to do it we were up at the crack of early every morning (5am) to get them to the trail to beat the heat. Not being a morning persons the schedule really kicked our asses. As a result we are kicking back for a couple of days sleeping in some and doing a mountain of laundry.

(Sorry for the big photos, for some reason this batch would not resize for me)

So far, we've been to Biloxi for our anniversary (25 years)

On the way to Biloxi (Madisonville, Louisiana)

Ate a few old haunts

So far we've had history lessons

The original "Judgment Tree" succumbed to dutch elm disease and this is the replacement tree.

Winemaking lessons (Stone Hill Winery - North America's largest hand dug wine cellar )

Great sunsets over the Missouri River in Hermann, Missouri

We've hit the Missouri Winery Trail

Augusta Winery

Lost Creek Winery

Stone Hill Winery

We've camped (8 Days)

Babler State Park Near St. Louis

Hermann City Park

Saw Family while we were staying at Babler State Park (My granddaughter Alanna (16) behind the phone, Jen my sons wife and granddaughter Heidi)

My oldest son Michael

We ate and drank at some local joints - The Roadhouse in Defiance, Missouri

Oh, and I got to riding almost everyday! I supported the hikers by bringing lunch via two wheels.

In general we've really enjoyed ourselves. Decisions, where to go next?

New Bike, Riding Style Changed, Attitude Adjusted.

Attitude improved, what a bike!

Yesterday I rode the "Green Hornet" south of Fayetteville to the Mt. Judea (Mt. Judy in Arkansan).
As I said in my post yesterday, I have decided to give up riding gravel/dirt roads. This bike has made that transition a fairly easy proposition. After my ride I have made some observations about the Versys. Overall I was extremely pleased with the everything about the bike except my seating position. I will have to lower the pegs and do some seat modifications to get comfortable.

The bike performed flawlessly. Great at everything I threw at it. The bike corners extremely well and is very well planted and does not feel vague. The only thing I did noticed that if you enter a turn that happens to have a hump in it's apex then the forks unload after the hump and you have to make minor corrections in course.

I am still in break in mode but I did manage a 75 mile per hour burst and wow, this thing rocks. Twist the throttle and rev's and torque are available everywhere you try it. The ride is smooth, steady, reliable and planted.

I managed almost 57 mpg during "break in" which I feel is phenomenal.  I now have my luggage plate mounted and have ordered a Pelican 1400 case for use as a top box. I wanted something low profile and not wider than the bike. I think this will do the trick.

I also ordered a side stand foot enlarger today and I am thinking about crashbars in the near future. On a brighter note these photos were taken during my ride. What a stellar day to ride.

Highway 374 headed west from Highway 7

 Highway 123 headed North back to the Junction of Highway 16 and Highway 7

Decisions had to be made

For some time now I have been doubting my dirt and gravel riding abilities. As I have aged (not gracefully) I have found that I am not as confident on gravel as I once was. Aging, simply put is a bitch. So, in order to continue riding I have decided to give up gravel riding. To that end I decided to get a street oriented bike.

Figuring into this decision was the fact that Martha and I want to travel more. So, I decided to trade my Suzuki Burgman 650 and get rid of Husqvarna TR650. The funds were applied to my new 2015 Kawasaki Versys 650 ABS/LT.

Now it needs to be named. Green Latern, Green Hornet, Jalepeno or?  How about some suggestions.

Let the Farkling begin.

Stunning Day for a Ride

My latest ride took me to the Oark General store in Oark, Arkansas. It was an absolute perfect day for riding. I saw very few cars on the road once I left Fayetteville and I rode some of my very favorite roads here in NW Arkansas.  

Please click the photo below to be taken to the video - Give it a second to load

Another beautiful spring day for a ride. This one takes me from Fayetteville to Turner Bend, Arkansas on a really leisurely ride.  Enjoy!