The Hub Motorcycle Resort and Dogpatch, USA

I found some pertinent things on Youtube concerning the Hub resort and Dogpatch.  I'll just put all these videos in a single entry, knowing full well that about 80% of people don't click on the videos anyhow.  First of all, there's one made last year by Randall and Debbie, owners of the resort:



Here's an old TV commercial for Dogpatch, USA:




The following is a news item from 2004.  There seemed to be high hopes for a resurrection of Dogpatch, but it didn't happen:




HERE IS A LINK TO SOME INFORMATION ABOUT HUB RESORT AND HOW THEY BEGAN THEIR ENTERPRISE.

A cold night in Arkansas

We arrived in Arkansas around 5:30 Monday afternoon; the leaves haven't turned there yet, but the day was perfect for a motorcycle ride.  We thoroughly enjoyed the trip.  As we arrived at Hub Motorcycle Resort, the owner, Randall, smiled and waved at us from the balcony above the office, outside the quarters he shares with his wife, Debbie.
"We need a place to set up our tent," I said.  
"Anywhere over there on the grass is fine," he said.  "Just pull your bike down there and have at it."  
We love our tent.  It's easy to put up and light-weight to carry.  This is only the third time we've assembled it, but we didn't have any problem.  Notice our portable toilet there in front of the tent (minus the bag that holds the precious contents):  You might remember there was a mishap in Iowa with the travel toilet.  Because we were the only tent-campers at the resort, we set the thing outside the tent during our stay (we'd only be using it after dark; there was a rest room for us in an unused motel room).  Looking back, that was rather silly:  It made us get out of bed, bring our aging bodies to a standing position, unzip the door of the tent, and go outside into the frigid night.  Oh well, we managed; and this trip, there were no potty incidents.  
Perhaps you know, however, that tent camping is one of those adventures that carries with it certain inherent problems no matter how carefully you plan a trip.  This is why so many people say, "I hate camping; Motel 6 is as close to camping as I want to be."  
These would be people who retired with a much larger 401K than Cliff and I.  
Because it gets dark so early, after we had eaten our tuna salad sandwiches I got the air mattress blown up and we turned in.  It didn't take long to figure out our air mattress had a slow leak.  It was perhaps a half-hour later that we were laying on the cold, hard, rocky Arkansas ground.  
We had a similar problem on our last night in Iowa this summer, but Cliff was sure there was no leak:  he had put water on it and tried his best to make it leak and never found any sign.  It's the same air mattress I used in the cabin, so it's been around awhile; I suggested at the time we buy a new one, but Cliff said no.  I refrained from reminding him of this, though.  
So, we're laying on the ground and Cliff was graphically stating his opinion of camping.  Trying to lighten the situation, I said to him, "Remember that song, "Would You Lay With Me In a Field of Stone"?
"Don't sing it to me," says Cliff.  "You don't want to hear my answer."
He eventually slept some, but I'm pretty sure I never once drifted off to dreamland.  Folks, that was the most miserable night I've spent since giving birth to my babies.  If I rolled over on my side, my hip ground into the rocks.  Laying on my back,  (which normally never bothers me) my back ached in places where I didn't know I had places; also my knees, both the real one and the artificial one.  As the night went on, it got worse.  I remembered the old story in the New Testament about Paul being on a sinking ship where the crew "dropped four anchors and prayed for daylight." I felt like I'd dropped a lot more than four anchors; I prayed for daylight and thanked God that at least Cliff was getting some sleep.  Then I recalled Paul and Silas in prison singing hymns, but I knew if I started singing hymns I'd be getting a divorce before long.  Toward morning, I found out if I turned onto my stomach, the only thing that hurt was my neck (because of having to turn my head to one side or the other).  So I relieved my pain that way.  
We started getting ourselves ready for the coming day around daybreak, knowing that at some point we'd have to hit a Walmart and buy a new air mattress; neither of us was willing to repeat this experience!
The temperature got down into the low forties, but thank goodness we managed to stay warm enough in our sleeping bags.  I made coffee, we ate some cold cereal, and we started our day.  

A little bit about the Hub Motorcycle Resort

Some of my information came from Cliff's sister, so I hope I don't get any of it wrong.
The owners and managers of the place, Randall and Debbie, live at the motel themselves.  Debbie holds down a full-time job in addition to all the work she does at the Hub.  You will find them outside visiting with their customers most any time, although Debbie seems to help out in the restaurant a lot, too.
As I understand it, the motel sat empty and idle for twenty-some years; Randall and Debbie opened it in 2006.

I saw this on a wall at the restaurant.  Much of their business comes from word-of-mouth; that's how we heard about them.  If you have friends who ride motorcycles, be sure to tell them about the Hub.  There are no better motorcycle roads anywhere than those in Arkansas.
Now, if you are looking for a new, totally up-to-date motel, this isn't the place for you.  Our room was clean, though, and lacked that peculiar smell most motel rooms have.  The air conditioner worked, and hot water was instantly delivered as soon as a faucet was turned on.  And of course, the most important thing of all:  free Internet connection!   The camaraderie between the proprietors and the bikers who stay there is evident all the time.  Cliff and I pretty much kept to ourselves, but we would have been welcome to sit and chew the fat with the proprietors and the other bikers.  There are bonfires outside for those who care to join in.  
Campers are welcome to stay for $10 a night, and there's a shower and bathroom for them to use.

Here's Cliff, discussing a strange three-wheeled motorcycle with another guy.  There was a rally going on when we were there, so many of the motorcycles were BMW's (not that three-wheeled one, though).


Just as I started to miss Iris, the resident mascot decided to befriend me.

You see him here looking through the window of our motel room.  I didn't get his name, but he's the most lovable animal you'd ever want to meet, never jumping up on people... just greeting everyone with a wagging tail and a smile.

As we were heading to breakfast (I recommend the Western Omelet), he frolicked with us on the stairs.  My sister-in-law told me he's a rescue dog.  
Please help spread the word if you have friends who ride motorcycles; Arkansas is one of the best places they'll ever find for riding, and the Hub Motorcycle Resort is the best place to stay; you'll feel like part of the family.  

Of course I bought the T-shirt to prove I've been there.  


I have another motel to talk about, but I won't be giving it such glowing reviews.

What's on that antenna?

Cliff and I rode the Gold Wing to Hub Cycle today; one of the brothers who owns the place has an 1800 Gold Wing, and I noticed some sort of "growths" on his antennae.

See, down toward the bottom of each antenna?

Wait, is it.....

It's a woman, climbing up the antenna!


Cliff really liked these. And no, we will NOT be getting a set of these for our bike.