Friday, October 07, 2011

Riding the Arkansas Ozarks

Hub Motorcycle Resort is just off scenic Highway 7, so any ride we choose starts with that highway.  


That number 9 route (in purple) is never boring, and we went off 7 onto 374 and 123 to make our ride to Russellville even more interesting.  We've seen all this before, but it never gets old.  


It will be prettier when the leaves have turned.  They call this "the Grand Canyon of the Ozarks".  


Most of the wooded areas of Arkansas are National Forests.  


We saw load after load of railroad ties being transported.  At one point we were following a truck-load of ties that had been recently dipped in creosote.  Talk about a strong odor!   


These logs were almost dragging the ground.  I took this shot in Russellville.  


When we were planning our trip, I looked online at some state parks where we might camp.  Then we ended up at Hub and decided that's the best place to stay.  However, one park sparked my interest:  Mt. Nebo State Park.  It's just the other side of Russellville; when I saw the warning "trailers over 24 feet long should not  attempt to climb Mt. Nebo", I knew it would be a great ride up that mountain, even though it isn't mentioned on the above "motorcycle trails" map.  


It was SO worth the trip!


What a view!

After this, we went back down to Russellville and set our GPS to find a Walmart; we were determined not to sleep on rocks for another night.  It was 5 PM when we reached our home-away-from-home, and we were tuckered out.  It was a great day, in spite of the sleepless night before.

3 comments:

  1. That is beautiful country your ride took you through. I was in the Ozarks ten years ago and was so impressed by the scenery. I never saw railroad ties dangling out a truck that far. How long do you figure they were? Glad you were able to get your mattress and finish the trip in comfort. Looks like you had a wonderful time.

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  2. There are parts of Arkansas that are absolutely gorgeous. And in my opinion, if they weren't in Arkansas they would be perfect.

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  3. What lovely scenery!

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