Jay and Lisa's archived ride reports

[jay547]

Here's a short video that Lisa made of some of the horses. You only need to watch the first 1:25.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gHKsT7dkjM

[Sport-Touring]

[rajflyboy]

Thanks for sharing  

[DosEquis00]

A little Boulanger history from the Sedan Times Star, published in 1972:


Thanks for the history lesson as that was interesting.  

[jay547]

2/21/2016: Back to the hiking trail.

Sunday, we went grocery shopping in the morning at Wal-Mart. It was a miserable experience. Every obese, slow, dumb ass that ever lived was there and in the way. It took forever. Lisa wanted to follow that up with a trip to the mall. I refused and went riding instead.

I went back out to the abandoned Jean Pierre Chouteau hiking trail along the navigational channel (see previous ride report of another portion of this trail.) I decided to ride into the part near the lock and dam that is supposedly off-limits now. Well, I guess the entire trail is off-limits now. I rode around the cable barrier and onto the trail.

The first thing I came to was the "Arrival Point." It wasn't hard to get to but it was damn hard to get back from. It is quite difficult to turn this pig of a bike around in this thick undergrowth.



I always wondered if Broken Arrow had a water line here.



The trail opened up a little once around the river bend.





I rode out to the edge of the dike in a few places to get pic's of the channel.







The trail soon was back into the woods.

A few miles into the ride, I came to this metal bridge over a small creek.



Off to the side was the old foot bridge on the former hiking trail.







I did not walk across it.



I crossed the metal bridge and continued on.



Instead of a bridge, this creek had a concrete liner/low water crossing.





About five miles into the trail, I came to another creek. I followed it out to the point where it met the river.



Beer cart?



At this point, I turned around and headed back. Being by myself, I didn't want to risk this rutted out, rip-rap filled creek crossing.



Back on the road on the way home, I was going to tag this coal train but I huffed all my paint out on the trail.





Closer to home, I rode across then under the Salt Creek Bridge (gone now.)



We often pass by this rv storage. I used to always make fun of this trailer. On the front, it says, "Litefoot - Indian Rapper." That always struck me as kind of funny. One day, I googled this guy. It turns out he is for real (well, as real as an Indian rapper can be.) He was the actor in the movie, "The Indian in the Cupboard." I never saw it but I remember my kids loved it.

[Blue is Best]

Great pictures again. You ever go fishing?

[rajflyboy]

Jay

It’s time to quit your job, sell the house and take a serious road trip on bikes for the next 5 years

 

[jay547]

Great pictures again. You ever go fishing?

No. I used to do some pond and creek fishing when my daughters were still at home but haven't since. I took many of their friends fishing for their first time too. It was always fun watching their faces when they got their first-ever catch.

[jay547]

Jay

It’s time to quit your job, sell the house and take a serious road trip on bikes for the next 5 years

 

Can't do that. Retirement date is 12/01/2024. Our plan is to get a small toy hauler, take two or three of the bikes, travel around to different areas, camp and ride.

[rajflyboy]

Can't do that. Retirement date is 12/01/2024. Our plan is to get a small toy hauler, take two or three of the bikes, travel around to different areas, camp and ride.

Awesome  

Just don’t mess up that retirement by getting someone pregnant again  

[jay547]

2/28/2016: We rode back out to the navigational channel.

This time we went a little further to the south and rode along the west side of the channel.

Oklahoma longhorns. That might be a good name for a football team.




She had to stop and take an "important" call.




We passed through the town of Porter - the "Peach Capitol of Oklahoma."




We stopped over the turnpike and threw rocks at any cars that had Hillary stickers on them.




We went down a few section line roads until we found one that went all the way to the river.




I decided to follow the trail alongside the river to see where it went. Lisa stayed at the road and waited. I rode about a quarter mile north and came to a creek that I couldn't cross. I turned around there. The jeeps have really rutted out these trails.




I rode about a half mile back the other way and came to another creek. I turned around here too.




There were two trails side by side, the one I was on and one on top the dike. I decided to ride back on top the dike. There wasn't a connecting trail so I made my own. When I got to the trail on top, it was so rutted out that I had to go around many of the water holes. To do that, I had to ride up and down the side of the dike, plowing through the underbrush in the wet, soft dirt. I guess it was a little too much for the mighty DR and I burned out the clutch. I managed to push it through the hard parts and limped it back to where Lisa was waiting. Just as I pulled up to the spot we had stopped at before, I heard the most gawd-awful racket. I thought my bike was blowing up. Luckily, it was just a barge coming downstream.











I hollered out asking if they knew any STN members - they just flipped me off.

I adjusted the clutch to the max and made it home with just a little slippage. The new clutch arrived Thursday.

[jay547]

3-05-2016 Midwest City and Route 66.

I had classes in Midwest City Thursday through Saturday. I drove the work truck up on Thursday and Friday but rode my motorcycle on Saturday. After class, I rode around for a while in the neighborhood where my grandparents lived from 1946 to 1998.

This was their house. It still looks the same.



And their church - my grandmother taught kindergarten class here for 44 years.



A few miles north of town, I stopped at this abandoned gas station.



I like stuff like this, I'm surprised it hasn't been stolen yet.



This station was the setting for the horror/sci-fi movie "Splinter."




I rode back on old Route 66 from Edmond to Tulsa.

This is Pop's in Arcadia. I guess it was Miata club meeting day.



A Meramec Caverns barn.



I stopped at Dan's BBQ Pit in Davenport for lunch. It was highly recommended by a co-worker. I was the only one there not in a truck.



It was very average. I like my smoked meats better.



Davenport is a cool old town. Brick streets and wall murals abound.











Each of the local churches is represented on this mural.



The town grocery store.



The railroad underpass on the south end of town.





Mad Dawg was here.



Some abandoned stretches of the original alignment of Route 66.





The Lincoln County Express.



The Route 66 Shoe Tree.



A closed bridge on the Ozark Trail - the cross-country predecessor to Route 66.







Sorry, no wheelies and no bigfoots (bigfeet?).

[rajflyboy]

Nice ride report once again

You have the talent to start one of the Patreon websites in which people pay to read your site and they will pay to occasionally meet up on rides

I would look into this

 

[jay547]

Arkansas, Missouri, and the HUB - 3/25/2016:

My old riding buddy Gene, from Texas, called and was putting together a weekend ride in northwestern Arkansas and Southwestern Missouri. We agreed to meet up and tag along.

We headed out late Thursday morning for the long ride over. It was 39 degrees, cloudy, and drizzly.  It was a cold, miserable ride - absolutely no fun whatsoever. I had planned several interesting stops along the way but because of the crappy weather, we just rode straight through. The only semi-enjoyable part was stopping in the little Italian town of Tontitown, Arkansas, for some spaghetti and meatballs. We took a seat at about 1:45. The waitress was one of the most unfriendly we’ve ever run across. After we finished our food, we realized why – they close for the afternoon at 2:00.




We were all meeting at the HUB in Marble Falls, Arkansas. They bill themselves as “Mid-America’s Motorcycle Resort.”  It is the old motel and convention center that remained after the closing of the Dogpatch USA amusement park and the Marble Falls Ski Resort. Yes, at one time there was a ski resort in Arkansas.




We checked into our room and warmed up a little. We were room 222. I was the only one who remembered the tv show of the same name.




We ended up with 178 miles for the day.

Gene and a couple of his Texas buddies arrived shortly after. Gene on his  V-Strom, the others on a Harley and a Busa.




A couple of his other buddies trailered down from Michigan and were already there. Gene’s battery had failed on the way, so he and the Michigan mafia headed to town to find a Wal-Mart and a new battery.
 
We talked with couple of retired military guys from Kansas who ride all over the country on their KLR and V-Stroms. They had some interesting stories to tell. I was a little envious and jealous. I wish I had the time and money to do that.




The Valkyries belonged to a married couple who were riding in the area too.

Lisa and I had dinner - I had chicken fried steak and she had fried shrimp. We shot a couple games of pool in the game room and viewed their semi-vintage motorcycle posters.
















This collection of Dogpatch memorabilia is on display in the hallway.




Then we sat around the fire pit for an hour or so and talked with another couple who were visiting the area. As we were heading back to the room, Gene was outside working on his bike. We made a slightly derogatory comment about Suzukis as we passed - It’s okay, I have a couple Suzukis in my garage.




Friday morning, we all met for breakfast about 8:00 and they headed out about an hour later. It was a cold morning with frost on the bikes, so we decided to delay our start for another hour and just ride on our own. Gene gave me his extra GPS unit with the route loaded so we could follow.

Gene’s route took us down a five-mile stretch of gravel road. I guess the cruiser guys made it okay, I didn’t see any scattered parts. We stopped at this country store in Harriet to check the map and gps because the route was a little confusing through this section. Rafting and canoeing are big in this area – notice the sign in the background.




We rode through several small towns. Many with no surviving businesses. This is downtown Big Flat, Arkansas.







This is Push Mountain Road, a twenty-six mile long country highway of tight twisties and nice sweepers. It is Gene’s favorite Arkansas road so he always makes sure it is included in his rides.







At the end of Push Mountain Road, your reward for surviving is this nice view of the bluffs and waters of the White River.










We made a fuel stop at Mountain Home and since we were behind schedule, we decided to skip lunch and just have a candy bar. From Mountain Home we turned back west across Bull Shoals Lake into the aptly named Lakeview, then north into Missouri.










By then, Lisa’s formerly injured arm had had enough riding for the day so we headed back to Marble Falls.  I snuck down to the old tram station at the resort for a quick pic.







234 miles for the day.

That evening, we joined the guys for dinner. This time, I had the shrimp and Lisa had fried chicken. Gene and his Texas buddy on the Busa, went for another ride – they are the aggressive riders of the bunch. The rest of us adjourned to the fire pit. There was another couple there who were very obviously drunk. Every time the lady spoke, she dropped the f-bomb. It was comical at first but after an hour or so of it, it became somewhat obnoxious. The last straw was when she fired up a cigar, Lisa and I headed back to the room.

Saturday morning, we all met for breakfast again and once again, we let them go first.




Today’s ride would be almost entirely in southern Missouri. We hitched a ride on the ferry across Bull Shoals Lake into Missouri. It was just leaving as we arrived so we had to wait for it to return.




The guy behind us was driving this classic El Camino. Too bad it was in such poor condition.




We boarded and took the one-mile float to the other side.




We rode into the little Missouri town of Theodosia. Theodosia hosts several motorcycle rallies throughout the year. This is the bridge over Bull Shoals Lake at the east end of Theodosia. The bridge was built in 1951 and spans over 1800 feet.




We stopped for gas here but they didn’t take credit cards.




As we were leaving Theodosia, I pulled over on the left side of the road to get a pic of the Theodosia sign. Lisa waited on the right shoulder. As she was sitting there, a big dually came by and rolled coal on her. I laughed and then reminded her of it several times later that day. Hell, that was a month ago and I’m still smiling about it.




From Theodosia, we went north on Hwy. 95 which was very hilly and very fun to ride. We continued on back roads into the town of Chadwick in the Mark Twain National Forest. Chadwick is the trailhead for over eighty miles of motorcycle and atv trails through the forest. We pulled into the pit area and had another candy bar lunch. I thought about taking the mighty Z750 for a trail ride but it looked just a little too rocky.











Our final stop was at the Beaver Creek Bridge in Kissee Mills, MO for a drink of water.








We cut off about the last forty miles of the route and returned to the motel. We still ended up with 261 miles for the day.

We had pre-ordered prime rib and baked potato for dinner. The restaurant there is in a fairly remote location so if you want prime rib, you have to order the day before. The other guys weren’t back yet so we decided to go to dinner early - Lisa wanted to make sure she got a baked potato before they ran out. This would turn out to be a mistake. About the time we were finishing, the rest of the group walked in. We hung around and talked while they ate. When they had finished, Doc (one of the Michigan guys) picked up the tab. Damn it, we already had our bill of $54. That damn Texas Toast is expensive.

For the record, Lisa said it was the best prime rib she ever had…







We wanted to hang out at the fire again but the Arkansas chapter of the Mongols had shown up. They were having a “family party” on the other side of the motel – where the fire pit is. A couple of the guys went over to take pic’s and were sternly told, “No pictures, this is a private party.” We ended up staying on our side of the motel and sitting around in lawn chairs b.s.ing. The drunk couple was back and she was slinging the f-bombs again. A couple of the guys started taking shots every time she said it. They got pretty wasted…

I got to talking to the male half of the drunk couple and it turns out he grew up in Tulsa but left after high school about thirty-five years ago and moved to Arkansas. He asked me if we had ever seen the “castle house” in Kiefer. I said, “Yeah, we stopped there and took a pic a couple years ago.” He said, “My sister lives in that house.” It’s a big house made to look like a castle. It even has a moat. He said the living area of the house is actually very small and that all the castle parts are just false add-ons. He also said his sister and her husband are weird. I kinda gathered that already by looking at the house.



Sunday would be the day everyone would head out so we went to bed a little before midnight in order to get an early start home.
We met in the morning for our final breakfast together and said our goodbyes. It was a nice, warm morning but the Weather Channel was forecasting a storm coming in from the west – the direction we were heading. We checked the radar and decided to take a longer, southerly route back hoping to avoid the rain.
 
We crossed the Buffalo River Bridge at Pruitt and stopped for a pic. This bridge is scheduled to be replaced soon, probably with a boring concrete bridge. There is a petition out to save it.




We turned west a few miles south of the bridge but soon ran into a dark wall cloud. We turned back and headed south again.
 
We made one final scenic stop at the Arkansas Grand Canyon. Notice how overcast it had become.



 






We rode about twenty more miles south then turned west from there. The front came through and it turned cold. We had managed to miss the rain but it was once again a miserable ride as we were uncomfortably cold. We stopped to put on another layer of clothes and I noticed my front tire was bald (it looked fine when we left Oklahoma.) I rode a little slower for about twenty minutes, then said to hell with it and kicked it back up to about ten over. By the time we got back to Oklahoma, the storm had passed, it had warmed up a little, and my tire held together. After 236 miles of cold riding, it was good to get home and off the bike.




The last time we did a multi-day ride with Gene, it was cold too. Next time, I’m going to tell him we can’t go until July…

[jay547]

4-10-2016

Lisa didn't want to go so I went for a solo ride around the backroads of Broken Arrow and Catoosa, Oklahoma.

I stopped at the nearby trails to have a look at the waterfall. I didn't ride across this time.



I rode through the creek on the way back to the road.



I rode out to one of the former coal strip-pits and the gate was open.



Don't slip, that's about twenty feet down.



I gave thanks for not falling in.



I made note of this location in case a storm came.



It was in an old, now-empty trailer park. This is the park water tower.



I came out next to the abandoned stretch of I-44. Naturally, I had to ride down it.







This is where they bypassed it.



From there, I cruised a portion of Route 66 and checked out some of the roadside attactions.

Arrowood Trading Post, it now appears to be some sort of auto repair/salvage.



The world famous Blue Whale. I remember us driving by this when I was a kid. Of course, we never got to stop.



This is one of the twin bridges on Route 66 over the Verdigris River, built in 1936. The state replaced it with a modern bridge and Molly's Landing moved a portion of the bridge to be used as their driveway. The modern bridge and the other half of the twin bridge is visible in the background.





I explored a section of the original, pre-1936 alignment of Route 66.









I stopped at the casino on the way home - didn't see any STN members.



I can't come up with a caption for this so here is a pic of a car on a pedestal with my bike under it.

[rajflyboy]

Good good

Very good ride report

[jay547]

4/16/2016. Muskogee Azalea Festival Dual-sport Ride.

We did a backroads ride down to Muskogee for the annual Azalea Festival. We followed the county roads along the bottom lands of the Arkansas River.



I had spotted an old, hidden-in-the-woods cemetery on a map and as we were trying to find it, we ran into these guys cooking meth or burning brush/trash/bodies so we turned around.



We followed a dirt road along the riverbank which soon became a non-maintained road through a wheat field. It lead to the Blue Creek Bridge. Built in 1929, closed ca. 2000.











Crossing it looked a little too risky so we back-tracked from there.



We turned down each road that headed toward the river but we kept running into gates and dead-ends and never made it to the riverbank.





Vegetation abounds along the fertile river bottoms. This tree probably predates statehood.



After about twenty miles of county roads, we made it to the highway and headed into Muskogee to see the flowers.













How about some steakburgers for lunch?



I brought along some whole grain wheat for a little extra fiber.



Finished with the flowers and food, it was  time to go riding. Running north out of Muskogee, we crossed this old concrete bridge and rode right into a mine field.







I cracked the throttle open and got out of there quickly.



Up ahead, a set of railroad tracks crossed our route. There was no signal at the crossing so I laid my ear on the track to make sure it was clear.



“Yep, it’s okay to cross.”



Lisa had to dig deep into her stash of dog biscuits for this pack of rabid wolves.





I always like to partake in the local art scene.



KRUL - I've never listened to that station.



We rode up to the Verdigris River to ride a fishing trail that I found on Google Earth. But first, we made a detour through a campground to use the facilities.





We were going to have a picnic and grill some food but we had already eaten.







The park hosts paid us a visit.





I wanted to throw out a line at the fishing dock but I didn’t bring my pole.





Being the good citizen that I am, I closed the gate on my way out.



We cruised the dam before hopping on the trail.



The trail ran for about 1 ½ miles until it reached the point where the old river channel joins with the navigational channel.
 




The old channel is on the right, the new channel on the left, a railroad bridge about a mile downstream, and a beer bottle about ten feet upstream.



We headed back home from there but not before riding out onto the old Hwy. 69 bridge. The gate was locked but they have a walk-through space for the fishermen, which was just wide enough to allow a motorcycle to pass. The bridge extends about 2/3 of a mile out into the river bottom before it dead-ends at the navigational channel.









Lisa noticed some Lamb’s Ears growing in the cracks of the roadbed and wanted to take one home. I had a zip lock bag so we dug one up and took it with us.



How about a wheelie on the bridge to end the ride?





P.S. The Lamb’s Ear is doing well at its new home.

[Blue is Best]

Great pictures as always. Makes me want to move to Oklahoma. Until Summer!

[jay547]

The last three summers have been relatively mild and not dry. Same with the previous three winters. This past winter sucked though so it doesn't look good for the upcoming summer. That being said, I would rather it be 100° than 30°.

[rajflyboy]

Jay is a class act  

[jay547]

April 23, 2016. A quick ride around the Lake Eucha area of northeastern Oklahoma.

On the way out of town, Lisa stopped to visit her eldest daughter.



We cruised to Chouteau for lunch at Lisa's favorite place.





We passed through Salina and by Blue Hole Park, the local swimming area on Saline Creek. The park was nearly empty, it was still a little chilly for swimming.





We rode the wildlife management area road to Lake Eucha, a nice, scenic twisty ride and then stopped on the bridge below the dam.

Check out Lisa's green chain. She's proud of it.







A little further up the road is the spot where Mickey Hampton (a member of the local forum) crashed his bike a few years ago. The reminder is still there.



Peace out.