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[ST] Ozark trip, Day 3



Sunday, May 01.
      This looks like another fine day starting off around fifty degrees
and into the seventies later on.
      Joe and I had a nice breakfast at the White Sands restaurant. The
food was good and the prices were low. The waitress who was so nice the
night before was there again this morning and told us that she was a
sophomore in high school. She looked much older.
      We headed back to Yellville and then south on Highway 14 to Harriett
and then right on Highway 27. These were really nice roads and the traffic
is light as we pass local churches full of attendees. I keep the throttle
steady so as not to disturb those worshipping inside. The road has many
elevation changes along the way and I love it. I like to see the bikes
appear and disappear as we roller coaster up and down. We then start
climbing and descending from mountain peaks into valleys to back to peaks
again.
      At Witt Spring we jump back on Highway 16 and take a short loop that
is full of nice medium speed turns and very scenic. Farm land at it’s
finest is on display all around. I honk at a few cattle to just have fun.
      At Pelsnor we head north on Highway 7 toward Jasper for our lunch ay
the Cliff House overlooking the Grand Canyon of the Ozarks. The owners
recognize us and we have a great lunch, even better dessert, and then relax
on the porch overlooking the canyon. This is one great place to stop. The
owners are always smiling and will take your jackets and helmets and store
them until your ready to leave.
      I go out front and notice that there are seven Miatas from Illinois
there and take some nice shots of flowers and the valley. We then gear up
and head back south on Highway 7 to a right on Highway 16 through Deer,
Nail, and Swain. This is another great climbing and swooping road with very
little traffic and a terrific ride. Again I really am enjoying myself as I
place Merlin in forth gear and just let her rock!  It is just awesome to
listen as the revs climb to near redline and then fall back around four
thousand as I enter turns with engine braking only. I always judge myself
by the amount of brake touches needed during an Ozark trip. If I don’t use
the brakes except for stops the ride is smooth and controlled. This is a
controller ride today and I am one happy camper!
      We follow 16 all the way back to Highway 23 as we cross and re-cross
the White River and several more. Riding just can’t get much better than
this. At highway 23, the Pig Trail, we turn south toward Ozark.
      Before we travel very far on the Pig Trail we pull off the road on
gravel and cross a small bridge to rest and take a few shots. Today there
is a lot of traffic coming and going across the small cement bridge but we
get the shots we wanted. In fact, I have never seen ANY traffic on this
small bride in several previous trips.
      Back on the Pig Trail and we zoom past increasing traffic with Joe
leading and pull into the Oxford Inn at Ozark about 5:00 PM. We settle into
our rooms and then look for dinner.
      We decide to ride over to Altus and eat at the Wiederkekr winery and
restaurant. Some great German food was enjoyed and a nice dark place to
hide away in. I made the comment that I needed a flashlight to read the
menu as the only light is via a candle and the waitress gave us each a
small flashlight!
      After dinner we rode up to the church on top of the hill and overlook
above Altus. We were greeted by an awesome sight with the lights just
coming up as the sun had just faded behind us.
      On the way back to the room in Ozark we made a pass over and back
across the lighted bridge over the Arkansas River. OK, I like bridges.
      Then relaxing and an early bed for a long ride home tomorrow and a
few nice detours along the way.
      Today’s mileage was again 300 with a trip total of 850 miles.


Jack Hays
972-952-5065
"I'll see you on the dark side of the Moon"
Que Lastima
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