Deerkiller wrote:
What's the riding like for this shindig?

Curvy, faster/slower pace, hills, etc?

Never been to AR
Hundreds of miles of winding roads. It's awesome.

Penguin wrote:
Deerkiller wrote:
What's the riding like for this shindig?

Curvy, faster/slower pace, hills, etc?

Never been to AR
Hundreds of miles of winding roads. It's awesome.

a lot of this crap - nothing like the nice straight flat roads of southern Kansas

mbk wrote:
Penguin wrote:
Deerkiller wrote:
What's the riding like for this shindig?

Curvy, faster/slower pace, hills, etc?

Never been to AR
Hundreds of miles of winding roads. It's awesome.

a lot of this crap - nothing like the nice straight flat roads of southern Kansas





Wow. Looks like that road thru the Smokey Mountain national park.

Do you guys do like we do at the Smokies? Fast, slow, whatever pace you want and everyone just meets at the important intersections? Or do you stick closer together?

Might want to come join the party one of these times

I'm thinking of trying to get down there early this year to get some more time in the Ozarks.

Penguin wrote:
I'm thinking of trying to get down there early this year to get some more time in the Ozarks.

How early?

Deerkiller wrote:

Wow. Looks like that road thru the Smokey Mountain national park.

Do you guys do like we do at the Smokies? Fast, slow, whatever pace you want and everyone just meets at the important intersections? Or do you stick closer together?

Might want to come join the party one of these times[/quote]

Was waiting for Thad to pipe in, this is his show, but he might still be out in the shed rebuilding his bike. I missed last year, but the first year there were 3 or so smaller groups that rode out. One group did catch another and rode the rest of the day toghether, but I do not think anything is really formal. Not sure what they all did last year. Having Thad as a local tour guide is a big benefit on finding the prime riding roads.

I let Thad dictate the pace. Our Sunday ride last year was a total blast. It's at responsible speeds. Not a funeral procession, but no hair on fire screening cheetah wheelie shit either. Truthfully there is little room for it anyway. We had 8-12 bikes on our Sunday run and we stretched out to 8-10 bike lengths apart often so if we wanted to bomb a corner or two we could. I got some good scrapes in now and then, but for the most part the flow of the roads is so smooth it's great fun just being smooth and watching the bike ahead of you roll through. Some of the steep grades have kiss your own ass tight corners that can catch you out if you're over cooking it. Traffic is light once you are out of Eureka for the most part, and it don't take long to get through most of the towns. One thing that is different for many of us metro dwellers is most of the gas stations have 4 pumps total, so it takes bigger groups longer at fuel stops, but it's a chance to BS some in between great runs. Personally, I love it, and that's why I keep coming back. Beautiful scenery, great roads, awesome friends, and some good food too.

Room reserved for Fri, Sat, Sunday. Me and JimH. I'm holding his spare bike key this year.

Sunday was a great ride. I can't pinpoint what made it such a great day but it was my favorite AR ride so far. Excluding the 30 minutes leading to the overpass stop where Thad dawned his jacket. Seriously it was a great day!!! Let's make thur/fri/sat the same. Thad it's in you brother, you lead and I'll follow.
As for the riding style question... It's pretty free, there are road changes and stops that allow the group to come together so no one gets left or lost. It's pretty easy riding with many opportunities to stretch your legs and not get in a bind. Thad and JD can hold a real good line just as those victories can do, and that old man from MO I couldn't shake him after 12 hours in the saddle. What a weekend it was! I'm planning on an extra day of riding myself, I can hardly wait to see you all again. Trish, if your not trucking it (which is ok) we need to get your salsa together after camps up (and a double batch) to get the brewing going.... Brewing... Ok if you don't truck it I'll send you a hitch so you can pack a little for the spirited bunch!
Anyway... I'm looking forward to it all!

Ride safe or stay home ~Phil

mbk wrote:
Penguin wrote:
I'm thinking of trying to get down there early this year to get some more time in the Ozarks.

How early?
Tuesday or Wednesday