{"id":334,"date":"2001-06-07T00:40:00","date_gmt":"2001-06-07T00:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/texasace.org\/?p=334"},"modified":"2025-06-19T13:19:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T13:19:40","slug":"ride-to-remember-2001-arkansas-mlf-adventure-june-2001","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/texasace.org\/?p=334","title":{"rendered":"2001 Arkansas MLF Adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Photos from the trip: https:\/\/photos.app.goo.gl\/tC5zMwf4ePBvbqtD6<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all started on a humid Thursday morning<\/strong> in early June. Ken and I met at Denny\u2019s in The Woodlands around 8 a.m. The sky was cloudy, teasing us with the possibility of rain. We had breakfast, then rolled out to fuel up a mile down the road. That\u2019s when the first raindrops fell, and we decided to suit up in our rain gear. It was a smart move\u2014light to moderate rain followed us all the way to Buffalo, 40 miles south of Dallas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ken might argue it was “heavy” rain, but he was whining at every stop anyway. We made several stops to rest and refuel, though our gas mileage was abysmal thanks to the strong winds\u2014the remnants of tropical storm Allison. At one stop, I actually ran out of gas because I forgot to switch the petcock back from reserve. Dumb move, but lucky timing. I coasted in just as the tank went dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a hearty lunch at Bubba\u2019s BBQ, we changed our route to stick to the interstates, trying to avoid the worst of the weather. Thankfully, the rain eased into just a few sprinkles, and we cruised through Dallas without much traffic. We called it an early day in Durant, Oklahoma, stopping at the Budget Inn around 4 p.m. A few Shiner beers poolside later, and we were ready to call it a night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friday\u2019s Scenic Ride<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The next morning, the weather was perfect. We hit the road by 8 a.m., aiming for the Talimena Scenic Drive on the Oklahoma-Arkansas border. After a short stint on Highway 69, we were back on twisty, scenic backroads. The route was an adventure of its own\u2014gravel-strewn stretches, rickety wooden bridges, and roadkill kept us on our toes. Around 10 a.m., we rolled into Haileyville for breakfast at a little Mexican restaurant with just a few tables. The friendly waitress-owner chatted with us, her husband joining later, missing most of the fingers on both hands. We never did ask what happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fueled up at an old station with manual pumps and a nostalgic ding-ding wire on the ground, we headed for Talimena Scenic Byway. The ride was breathtaking\u2014hills, sweeping curves, bluffs, and endless vistas. After a stretch on Highway 71, we turned onto the famed \u201cPig Trail\u201d (Highway 23). That\u2019s where we met up with Doc and Larry, who joined our ride. The pace slowed as Larry liked to take it easy, but the scenery made every second worthwhile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By early evening, we reached The Iron Horse Stables. With a little daylight left, we had just enough time to explore the place and meet some of the other riders. One face stood out\u2014Husky, who needed no introduction. His reputation preceded him. We ended the night with beers, laughter, and plans for the next day\u2019s ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturday\u2019s Group Ride<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Saturday\u2019s MLF group ride was a whirlwind. After a quick breakfast at IHS, I prepped for the ride with my morning cocktail of Advil and Vicodin\u2014just what the body needed after days of hard riding. Ken decided to take it easy and explore Eureka Springs while I joined the group ride. Riders of all shapes, sizes, and attitudes gathered, reflecting the diversity of the MLF (Motorcycle Life Forum) community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ride was mostly smooth, with a few memorable moments. Uncle Harry dropped his Venture on a gravel road, but there was no damage, and he laughed it off. Later, a Mustang convertible tried to break into our formation. Hitman and Doc made sure the driver got the message\u2014no firearms involved, thankfully! Towards the end, I found myself at the front of the group behind Husky and Romex. They kicked it up a notch, tearing through the twisties with me hanging on. At times, I hit 90 mph, taking curves at twice the \u201csuggested\u201d speed. My little 750 kept up with their bigger bikes, surprising even them. We regrouped at a gas station near Eureka Springs, high-fived, and shared stories of the wild ride before heading back to IHS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BBQ Dinner and Reflection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

That evening, we gathered for a BBQ dinner\u2014a generous gift from Doc and Larry, who had pooled their forum earnings to cover the meal. The room was packed, and the sun streamed through a window, blinding half of us until some creative soul covered it up. We feasted on ribs and pulled pork, laughing and sharing stories. Margo, one of the waitresses, kept brushing against me while taking orders, much to Hitman\u2019s amusement\u2014or maybe jealousy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, we reflected on the MLF\u2019s history and honored fallen riders and those who couldn\u2019t attend. A tribute to MM, who was seriously injured trying to avoid a dog on one of our rides months earlier, reminded us of how precious every moment on the road is. Some riders had even escorted him to the rally\u2014a powerful moment that stayed with us all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ride Home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sunday morning came too soon. After packing up, we said our goodbyes and hit the road. The memories of the ride, the friends we made, and the adventures we shared would stay with us long after the bikes were parked back home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The weekend had been everything we needed\u2014a reminder that the road is always there, waiting for us, and that sometimes, the best rides are the ones that bring us together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, Tropical Storm Allison circled back and hit the Houston area even harder, while we were away. Even though our homes were OK, needless to say our families were not <\/strong>happy with Ken and I being gone during this storm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Me & Ken<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":335,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motorcycling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasace.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasace.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasace.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasace.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasace.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=334"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/texasace.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1090,"href":"https:\/\/texasace.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334\/revisions\/1090"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasace.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasace.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasace.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasace.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}