MotoCampers Hillbilly Roundup Stories!

[Trailace]

Man what a great week of riding and camping.:tent3: Hope everybody had as much fun as I did and thanks to everyone that showed up. I will tell a few stories later and post some pics but first I need to catch up around here. P^

[FLCBRXX]

Sounds like a good time was had.

You guys didn't get to hear any banjos playing?

I will finish up my duties here tomorrow and will be back at the end of the week.

Hope I can catch the next one....when is it?

[Trailace]

Day 1
Rob and I left for Arkansan after work on Tuesday. Bikes loaded and ready for some fun.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522715691_CpXbG-M.jpg
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522715931_cSeVE-M.jpg

When we made it to Devil's Den it was late so we just set up are tents and hit the bags.

This is what we woke to in the morning.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522711884_pBGV2-M.jpg

It was a real nice site with lots of room and clean restrooms/showers just across the way.

We were unloaded and on the dirt in no time.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522712920_oSkFg-M.jpg

Calling doctor Rob.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522713831_MVUCH-M.jpg

Today would be a scouting day to make sure the routes would be OK for the rides on Friday and Saturday.
Here are the bikes after day one.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522714881_GXij5-M.jpg

We covered about 195 miles most of it dirt with lots of elevation changes.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/523770849_gCUaY-M.jpg

Day 2

Today it would be more scouting for Saturday, joining us would be Albie and Gary.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522705569_4wK2W-M.jpg

The streams and water crossing were full due to all the rain in the area a few days before we arrived. This made for fun riding and enhanced the beauty of the area.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522705916_YJN9H-M.jpg

The first part of the route had why to much pavement and that would need to change however we did hit a great section of dirt but we had to turn around due to deep water.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522707640_SMjnJ-M.jpg

Rob tried to cross but thought better of it after a closer look.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522707019_Z6wt8-M.jpg

I like old bridges and here is Rob, Gary and Albie on one.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522707877_b9aK3-M.jpg

Lunch was at Oark Café and if you’re in the area you need to stop for some great food and pie.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522708956_ZcWLX-M.jpg

Scouting done it was back to camp for dinner, conversations and fire.

Mac, Rob, Klaus, Diane and Fredric
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522710259_QuaVn-M.jpg

http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522711005_rwVeD-M.jpg

197 miles
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/524599021_qRPQd-M.jpg

[Ironheadziggy76]

Excellent, keep it coming! P^

[sandman]

Rob had the right idea with that filter mask. The pollen was really heavy the whole week.

[Rydah]

LOL, pollen was the least of my worries. I was eating Ricks dust all weekend, and the one time I got ahead of him, I wiped out! Still, dust mask was not enough; I needed a suit of armor. I don't know how many times I got roosted by rocks while flying down those gravel roads, but if there was an open area in my suit, he would find it for sure :eek:

[okie]

I had a great time riding with everyone, hope everyone made it home safe.

Tom

[Mr. Guy]

LOL, pollen was the least of my worries. I was eating Ricks dust all weekend, and the one time I got ahead of him, I wiped out! Still, dust mask was not enough; I needed a suit of armor. I don't know how many times I got roosted by rocks while flying down those gravel roads, but if there was an open area in my suit, he would find it for sure :eek:


I stayed almost a mile behind him when I rode with Rick, I still got dusty as heck. :D

Guy

[Trailace]

I stayed almost a mile behind him when I rode with Rick, I still got dusty as heck. :D

Guy

I kept asking for someone else to lead but no one wanted to. :(

I added day to above.

[Mr. Guy]

I kept asking for someone else to lead but no one wanted to. :(

I added day to above.

Your the only one who knew where we were going. Ha Ha.

Had a blast, the dust didn't bug me. P^

Guy

[TJ Willy]

Man I wish I could have made this trip!!! I can't add to the stories but I can speak to Rick's recommendation of Oark.

Oark Cafe is awesome!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/400034227_p4Zxt-M.jpg

And the new owners are really proud of the place. Super friendly too! I wish I could remember his names but he loves all the stops TAT rider's make. Loves the DS biking gig and wants one himself. Very polite and asked if he check out our bikes.

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/400035111_bsrJ3-M.jpg

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/400034584_a7nNY-M.jpg

Damn good burger!

http://tj-willy.smugmug.com/photos/400034018_F4dof-M.jpg

Hijack over.... carry on.. :D

Did y'all happen to do any of the primitive caving while at Devil's Den? They have some nice safe caves to explore!

[Trailace]

A few of the guys did the caves I was to busy entertaining. LOL

[fredric]

It was a good trip.

Motomac was kind enough to wait for me at all the route highway changes.

[Rydah]

This was one awsome ride!!! I bought my bike in Arkansas, and remember thinking while I was up there getting it, that this would be a great place to ride. Beautiful trees, dirt roads everywhere, and some steep elevation changes. So when the opportunity came up for this, there is no way I was going to say no. Rick and I scouted the Day 1 route on Wednesday, then we were joined by Albie and Gary for the Day 2 scout on Thursday. Great riding, and at a very good pace. The rest of the gang (Ron, Darren, Tommy and Klaus) joined us on Friday, and we had a great ride going until I wiped out. I tried too hard to catch up to Racer Ron, and ended up low siding it in a hard gravel turn. Ended up hitting on my left shoulder, and I guess banged my right thigh on the bike somehow. Bike and I ended up against the berm, and unfortunately, I was not able to jump up befor Rick came upon the scene, so there was no lying my way out of it :p By the time the rest of the pack had arrived, Ron had doubled back as well, and being of XR blood himself, managed to run/kick/threaten my bike back to life. I managed to make it to the next stop, and Klaus was kind enough to cut his ride short, and escort me back to camp. Turned out he had a leaking fork seal anyhow, so the KLR was done for the weekend anyway. Still, many thanks to Klaus for taking care of my sorry carcas :thumb: Sleeping that night was horrible, and after waking on Saturday, I decided I better go to the local emergency room to get checked out. Fredric kindly offererd to run me into Fayettville, so the poor guy ended up sitting in an emergency room lobby for the better part of eight hours. I'll never be able to thank him enough for that, but it just once again reminded me of how blessed I am to be around such a great bunch of guys. Motorcyle folks are just a special breed, period.
So, here are a few photos that I was able to take on my first day (dust got the better of my camera afer that).

Really nice campsite.. highly recommend!
http://s575.photobucket.com/albums/ss196/tx-sm/Arkansas%202009/th_P1000103.jpg

Had a beautiful creek going by it... made for a soothing sound at night (wasn't enough to drown out the snoring though).
http://s575.photobucket.com/albums/ss196/tx-sm/Arkansas%202009/th_P1000107.jpg

Trailace saying hi to the locals
http://s575.photobucket.com/albums/ss196/tx-sm/Arkansas%202009/th_P1000117.jpg

Found this neat old bridge on the way
http://s575.photobucket.com/albums/ss196/tx-sm/Arkansas%202009/th_P1000114.jpg

Of course, Trailace had to go see if he could get on it. Unfortunately, fenced off.
http://s575.photobucket.com/albums/ss196/tx-sm/Arkansas%202009/th_P1000115.jpg

Had some nice water crossings along the way. This one taken from the dry crossing.
http://s575.photobucket.com/albums/ss196/tx-sm/Arkansas%202009/th_P1000122.jpg

Of course, real men don't need a road.
http://s575.photobucket.com/albums/ss196/tx-sm/Arkansas%202009/th_P1000123.jpg

Too bad the camera quit on me though, as there were so many great sights along the way. Best dual-sport ride I've been on so far, and would most definitely do it again.

[Trailace]

Day 3
Today is the official start of the Hillbilly Roundup dual sport ride and I’m beat. Doing the pre-rides was fun but I think we might have been having more fun then we should have. There would be 8 experienced riders today (Rob, Albie, Gary, Ron, Darren, Tommy, Klaus and me (Trailace)). Lots of dust but being the leader does have its benefits.

I did not take as many pictures as I usually do so if anyone else wants to add a few, that would be great. When we arrived at the single track it was still wet and muddy just like it was on Wednesday.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522701539_dWkCD-M.jpg
We found this at the end of the trail.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522701313_4a4X5-M.jpg
Someone dropped his bike twice but since there are no pictures it didn’t happen. LOL

Stopped in the small town of Chester to top of the tanks.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522702023_WJykd-M.jpg

After Chester we hit a fun section of dirt roads that had lots of tight turns and elevation changes. It was fun, high speed riding with good traction. This section was not on the routes posted, Rob and I added it Wednesday.

Break Time.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522702487_SLuFy-M.jpg

At this point I’m just riding at a nice slow pace enjoying the sights when I see Ron’s front tire out of the corner of my eye. I hold up 3 fingers for 3 miles till next turn and wave him and Rob by me. There was a cloud of dust and they were gone but not to far for one. Three turns later I see a skid mark across the road and a big cloud of dust at the end. Rob was sitting there just looking at his bike with that “what happened” dazed look on his face.

Here is where I had a moment of weakness and decided not to break out the camera until Rob was up on his feet but I did get one of his bike resting. I would have gone and helped him but he gave me the I’m OK wave.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522703244_2XJpX-M.jpg

Rob trying to fix his helmet.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522704621_MtDFA-M.jpg

The ironic thing is that Rob’s accident happened just 2 turns from pavement. He was hurting but wanted to keep riding.

Lunch at Penguin Ed’s Bar-B-Q
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522704880_Bv5sR-M.jpg
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522705339_69uL7-M.jpg

After lunch Rob decided to head back to camp and Klaus escorted him. The kill switch on Rob’s bike was acting up and we did not want him stuck on the side of the road by himself.


The rest of the ride was a little slower and uneventful. I think Rob’s going down took some of the wind out of my sails. We made it back to camp and I took Rob into town for some meds and dinner.

http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/528110166_WEejy-M.jpg

Day4

The last day and I was tired of leading but could not find any volunteers to take my place so it was back on the road. Rob and Klaus would not be riding with us today, Rob would head to the Hospital for a check up and Klaus and Diane would take the GS1200 for a ride. Today we would be going a little slower and taking in some of the great scenery in the area.

I stopped to check a noise on the bike. Found out later I forgot to lock down the GPS and it was rattling.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522695791_NjGp5-M.jpg
Darren decided to cross the river and climb the mountain while he was waiting.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522696240_yvhu5-M.jpg

He looks a little wet to me.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522696532_zD5xe-M.jpg

We continued on and just north of Chester and had a coasting race. Not sure if I have the name right but here is how it works. Everyone lines up with his or her bikes off and in neutral on three you give your bike one push and the race is on. The first one down the hill wins.

We gassed up in Chester and headed up War Loop road for some fun riding. Looks like they have been working on it some because it was much improved over 2008 condition.

Next it was up White Rock Mountain, what a gorgeous area and the roads are lots of fun. Gary wanted to go check out White Rock Mountain Recreation Area Campground at the very top so we did. There are about 6 cabins and a camping area that would make for a great dual sport staging area.

Few pics on top of the mountain.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522698495_EpZUm-M.jpg
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522698710_5cEkZ-M.jpg

It was getting late and we still needed to eat lunch. Just 15 miles as the crow flies to Oark and some eating.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522699567_owwK5-M.jpg


Here is the owner and his father on the porch. They are the nicest people you could ever meet and the food and pie is great. Any and all types of bikes are welcome! If you’re in the area it is a must go place to eat and chat.
http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/522699976_JmZJy-M.jpg

After lunch Darren was going to lead us on some single tracks he knew in the area. However it was getting late and I wanted to get back to meet up with a few friends that showed up late Friday and check on Rob. I parted ways with the group and headed back to Hillbilly Roundup base camp.

The ride back was fun but there were lots of four wheelers on the trails. When I made it back to camp Rob was still not back and my friends Chief and Beep had not made it.

A little while later everyone started returning from their day’s ride. Everyone seemed to have a great day except for Mac who low sided his wing. Saturday night would be like all the others, just sitting around the fire telling stories from the day’s ride. Most of us will be heading home in the morning so they all headed off to their tents around 10:00 PM.

http://trailace.smugmug.com/photos/528110178_tuzBe-M.jpg

Rob and I made it home Sunday without any issues, just lots of wind and miles. I learned a lot from this MotoCampers event and will do a few things different on the next one. I had a great time, made a few more friends and met lots of real nice folks.
Big thanks to Mellow for all his help with Hillbilly Roundup and I’m sorry he couldn’t make it.

Trailace “Rick”

[Ironheadziggy76]

Rick, let me say you are a true "Gentleman". Most of my riding buddies don't wait for the "I'm OK" wave before they start taking pictures and laughing! :D

Looks like you all had a great trip! P^ I hope next year to meet up with some of you. Whenever I mention going somewhere more than a couple of hundred miles away the wife always asks me with a stern look, "Aren't you going to Alaska this summer?" :p

[bigTom]

Wow, looks great!

I used to be involved in what we called 'gravity racing'. Ride your dirt bike (not a headlight in the group) to the top of Pittsburgh saddle in central Idaho. Get in a line, remove your spark plug wires and go. First didn't win, farthest did. It generally took two creek crossings to win, and if you weren't down early, somebody who was already stopped would knock you down...Great sport in Hells Canyon ID.

[sandman]

Rick,

Special thanks to you and Joe for the legwork on this roundup. I can't speak for everybody, but those of us over at Lake Fort Smith St Pk had a great time.

[FLCBRXX]

Glad that everybody had a good time.

Hope all are doing good with their mishaps.

I just returned from my duties that I had to cut out and do. I ended up having to do it twice though.

Hope I can catch the next one.

[Mellow]

Rick,

Special thanks to you and Joe for the legwork on this roundup. I can't speak for everybody, but those of us over at Lake Fort Smith St Pk had a great time.

Rick gets all the kudos for this one.. All I did was lie about showing up.

[Arlo]

Hi Guys
I’m a little late posting, don’t know if anyone is still reading?? Just wanted to say what a great time I had and how much I enjoyed meeting/riding with ya’ll ! Special thanks to Rick for his route work and leading us – GREAT JOB! It’s always nice to ride with a new group – they don’t know which of your stories are LIES (yet)haha. Rick – I hope I didn’t bother you riding 2up up front. Old habit. Nice to get on my bike again as it’s been a while. I thought I had a pretty good pace on the street, butt off the seat, knee out thinking I’m flying – till I looked behind me and Gary and Albie were passing me while drinking a Coke and eating peanuts. Ya’ll are a fast crowd. I was behind Darrin on some single track – working VERY hard to stay up with him’ and he raised his arm in what I thought was surrender – till I noticed he was taking a pictures as he rode! Fast fast fast crowd.
Still the company was awesome. Campfire was a man night as it should be. Stories were great.
Rob has a new story. Give us a post and tell how you are. You and I were riding 2up the whole day and I got just enough headstart to put you in the dust when Rick waived us by. Very hard to judge those corners in the dust. I’ll ride 2up with you anytime – you’re a most enjoyable riding partner.
Till I see ya’ll again, Ron

[Rydah]

Wow, a truly rare Ron posting :eek: Ron, you are being too modest. After feeling your front wheel off my seven all day, I know you can fly. In fact, that was my problem; trying to keep up with you would have been bad enough, but going fast enough to catch you after the lead you had... well, we know how that ended :o It sure was great meeting you though, and yeah, I'd love to ride with you again. You are one good rider, and I appreciate all your help with getting the ol' XR started, and your "field dresing" for my kill-switch (stuck a piece of twig in it to keep it off the contact). I'm recovering nicely, and nothing broke (me or bike). Sure am glad I had removed my GPS for that day! Stay in touch, and we'll see you again sometime.