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Last weekend we did a dual sport ride. North West Ark was the general area. Our group was composed of 6 married couples and Me. David Hodges bailed on me at the last minute so I drove down and stayed solo. The riding group was 7 guys and 1 female. she rode well and didn't slow us up at all. Here are some pics taken by Larry M from Manhattan. http://picasaweb.google.com/MacWildcat/ ... Nv7nrnY3QE#


The ride was going to be 3 days long but Thursday after we got there it was raining so we just hung out at the motel and I tried to convince everyone how good a rider I really am. Friday we went south and east a little, Ate lunch in Jasper, mostly on gravel and forest service roads. Drizzel and a low and high in the mid 40,s all day long. We all had plenty of good gear to stay dry. Worst part was the mist and fog on the visor, inside and out, plus my glasses inside and out. Total milage was 200 for the day.

Saturday we went South to White rock and ate in Catalpa, It is so much better than Oark for a "fine" dining experince that you need to try it out. The guy that cooks for Catalpa cooks all his own pies and rolls, and does a damn fine job. The atmosphere is also better. Today weather was much nicer. Low of 45, high of 65 and sunny. Water was up in the creeks and rivers, so we all had fun. Milage of just over 200 for me.

Susan Dragoo ( from Oklahoma ), Bills wife has a artical about the Eureka Springs ride fron 2 years ago in RIDER magizine. It's a Nat'l publication. Check it out in the DEC 09 issue. Bill rode with us at Mulberry Mt. a couple of years ago.

Might see you boys down there this Spring, David

Nice pictures David! What happened to the Husky? You are back on a DRZ.

Ride looks like it was great! Nice photos! I assume you did NOT cross that long, low-water bridge washed out on one end. That looked like a 50/50 chance of getting across without being washed into the abyss.

Slim, the husky was taking a break that weekend. I was on my dr 650 which is a better choice for me for a 200 mile day. we rode mostly tame roads and trails.

Troy, that bridge is getting worse and as MR T would say ---" I pity the fool " who tries that next year. I did it this spring and this fall and it is deeper and wider than it looks and getting worse. I went first and knew it was there so my plan was to crack the throttle with a few feet to go, pop a little wheelie and all would be good. As it turns out a DR 650 doesn't pop a wheelie on a slick deck under 8 " of water. I raised the tire enough to lighten the load on the front and dove in. Last thing I remember was seeing the front fender go under water as the water splashed over my helmet. About a split second later the front wheel hits bottom and is back up to a few inches deep and all was well. It's just a guess on my part but a few more inches and I would have been doing the over the handlebars routine.

David H

Grabbed some pie at Catalpa on Tue. Good stuff. A fine little lady helped me with the old man showing up a little later. Interesting guy.

Hayden

That (those) low water crossing(s) are a highlight of the route for me. The photos show two water crossings about 75 yards long each. What we didn't show was that you go through one, have a island about 100 feet long and dive right into the next one. That 2nd low water bridge had some pucker factor. Watching all the bikes go across, you could see them crab slightly upstream to counter the current. You can't see the washed out end from the direction we were going until it's too late, you definitely don't want to stop to figure it out. I assumed (Ass-out-of-you-and-me) that the county would have fixed it in the last six month. Be real ugly from the other direction or with a full size vehicle.

Second trip to eureka springs wasn't so good last night. Headed down thur evening after work for the 62nd year of the folk festival happening over the weekend. Brought the boxer down to make it a quick trip and a nice ride with nice weather. Was coming out of Rogers at about 6pm with a long line of cars. Passed a few when I could and came up on the lead car that was holding things up. I'm on 62 hwy. I pass and get about 100 yards ahead when I come to a curve. I go to bank it into the curve admiring my new light bulbs that I put in today and how bright they are. That's when said headlights Light up A big doe standing in my lane. Nothing I could do. I'm on a course for a direct hit and she ain't moving. I stand the bike up and lock the rear. Deer is no longer my concern. Big ditch is now where I'm heading. I keep it locked up and let go of the front brake just as I exit the hwy. The ditch could not have been any more perfect to go into. A 10' gradual slope down to the bottom. Wet grass helped I think. I lay the bike againts the slope and slide if down to the bottom of the ditch hoping that my cylinder doesn't dig in and high sides me. I come to a stop still sitting on the bike. I pick it up and start it and now try to get it out of a deep ditch. Fling mud and trying to keep if upright I get back on the hwy. No one stops to see if I'm ok. I take the next dirt road and pull off to see what all is missing or broken just 50 yards from where I went into the ditch. Nothing broke or bent just a scratched up cylinder cover and a muddy side case. I'm lucky for sure. I clean out my shorts an head into Eureka Springs. I go 5 miles down the road and here we go again. This time a large buck running down the road toward me. I come to a complete Stop on the center line, no other cars coming. Buck runs right past me In oncoming lane not 8' from me. I shake my head and go on.
Check things out today in the day light. I don't think I messed up anything at all. Some oil coming out of the air box but that normal for a bike that been on it's side.

Hayden that's quite a story. You sure it was a deer I didn't think they had any in Arkansas

You should feel very lucky to have gone in the ditch you did, and come out with little damage. Most the ditches I see down there would make you pay dearly for entering.

Glad things worked out for you, David H

Glad you are OK.

This time of year, during the rut, deer can be anywhere!

Hayden, I'm sure glad you lived to make the post! I don't like to be out after dark on the motorcycle, but now that it is dark by 5:30, it's hard not to be out after dark. I just drove 5.5 hours home from an amazing single-track ride in Eastern Missouri. On the way, I heard a quick NPR story about a lady who hit a deer. Then 10 minutes down the road, she hit another.

Wow Hayden! A lesser rider wouldn't have been able to come out on injuried.

All kidding a side I'm glad you and the boxer are okay. Two years ago my wife was at a stop sign and a deer hit her causing a nice body shop bll. You just never know where they will be....

This last weekend a couple of us from kansas city made our first trip to ozark national forest. We were wondering what trails/roads you rode on to get to catalapa? We rode the loop at mill creek and then tried following a forest map to make our way to catalapa. Most of the roads were either closed, nonexistent or deadend roads. Our goal was to stay off pavement but it appears to us the only way to catalapa was hwy 215. Are there any maps better than the forest maps? The few roads that were marked had totally different numbers than our forest maps.

Despite the fact that we never knew where we were at, we had a great time and plan on returning!

randykidd wrote:This last weekend a couple of us from kansas city made our first trip to ozark national forest. We were wondering what trails/roads you rode on to get to catalapa? We rode the loop at mill creek and then tried following a forest map to make our way to catalapa. Most of the roads were either closed, nonexistent or deadend roads. Our goal was to stay off pavement but it appears to us the only way to catalapa was hwy 215. Are there any maps better than the forest maps? The few roads that were marked had totally different numbers than our forest maps.

Despite the fact that we never knew where we were at, we had a great time and plan on returning!

Randykidd, oh boy have you come to the right place for road and trail knowledge of that area!

First, the road names are a joke! You'll see different names or numbers on every source you look at. One reason for the confusion--the County roads used to have 3 digit numbers, but when the County got into the 911 system, they had to do a road re-numbering (I don't know why). All the roads were given a new 4 digit number. You'll notice on Google Maps, some roads show both a 3 and 4 digit number. The kicker, as explained to me by a lady who has worked for Johnson County (AR) for 20 years, they had roads that would make a big loop that had a single 3 digit number. In the new system, that road may have become five 4 digit numbered roads. Then you'll see roads where on one map it's called "Fly Gap" while another calls it "Farm-to-Market". There are a lot of "roads" on the maps that are either do not exist, are gated off, or are little more than a ghost of a quad trail. It's a hoot! See it as a blessing, my friend, because if they were really on top of the roads out there, we'd probably not have the riding freedom we enjoy!

So you want an all dirt route from Mill Creek to Catalpa?! I can get you most of the way, but do you want gravel roads or the gnarly stuff? I have tracks and routes to get you from the Mill Creek system to Oark several different ways. From there, it's a short pavement ride to Catalpa. I've not explored the roads and possible trails between Oark and Catalpa. However, know that the locals--including County sheriff--are OK with dirt bikes and quads on hwy 215. State Trooper would not be so kind, but we've never seen one. In Oark, we rode right past the County Sheriff with several dirt bikes including a 12 year old kid on a KTM 105 with 2 quads in front of us and those guys were not even wearing helmets.

If you are riding Mill Creek, a great place to eat Thur - Sat is the new Pig Tail Trail BBQ on Hwy 23 just South of Hwy 16. I can give you a route out of the Mill Creek system that dumps you right at the intersection of 23 & 16. From there, it's just 1/2 mile to the BBQ place. Possibly the best ribs I've ever had. The pulled pork and brisket was excellent as well.

Hayden, when we were down there the 3rd week of October, the deer were more visible than usual. While I was leading I had a couple uncomfortable moments with deer. Glad you made it out relatively unscathed. I was surprised we didn't have any issues with turkeys this year. Must have been right after turkey hunting season.

Wow, Mill creek to Catalpa all off-road. If anyone can create a route it would be Troy. It would be one epic day....leave at 6 a.m. to get there by supper time! I think when we take high-speed gravel roads it takes close to 1 1/2 hours (Fly Gap road). Does anyone know the as-the-crow-flies distance, must be close to 25 miles.

Thanks Troy....good to know it isn't just us having trouble figuring out their number system. Next time we go down there I may ask you for trail/road recomendations.

randykidd wrote:We were wondering what trails/roads you rode on to get to catalapa? We rode the loop at mill creek and then tried following a forest map to make our way to catalapa. Most of the roads were either closed, nonexistent or deadend roads. Our goal was to stay off pavement but it appears to us the only way to catalapa was hwy 215.

If you draw a straight line from the Mill Creek ATV System main entrance on the West side of the system to the Oark Cafe, it is about 17 miles. So I imagine a line to Catalpa would be 20 miles. Wondering about a no pavement route from Mill Creek to Catalpa? Well, here is a 40 mile kick-ass route I just built from my years of tracks in the area. This link should take you to a website that allows you to view the route.
http://www.marengo-ltd.com/map2/?route=10136

The route starts at the Mill Creek main trail head. From there, it takes you straight through the trail system to connect with Fly Gap Rd where you cut across Hwy 23 then down what I call "Fly Gap Trail". This is a "hard-core" ATV trail that is not for the faint of heart. The waterfalls at the bottom are worth the trip for sure. The climb out that I've included is one rocky ride, and one we've done many times. This connects you back to Fly Gap Rd where you ride for miles before heading down what I call "Friley Creek Trail"....yada, yada, yada...along one of the most beautiful roads in the area with the creek running along side...onto some old road that is now a rugged 2 track and finally down an abandoned road dumping right into Oark on Hwy 215. From there, you'd have 3 miles of Hwy 215 pavement to Catalpa.

This is not a KLR route! This is for the small bikes ready to get torn up on rocky hill climbs. Good stuff! Let me know if you want a route file.

Sounds like we rode part of the ride you described. We took Fly Gap across 23 then tried several trails that came to end until we finally found what seemed to be an ATV trail that became very rocky for a couple miles then came to 4 separate, fairly deep stream crossings. From here the trails became more like 4-wheel drive trails until we intersected with a county road 82. We were pretty much lost the whole time as none of the trails were on our national forest map. Yes, I'd like the ride files....thanks! Let us know next time you guys do a ride in that area as we would like to tag along.

Also, a friend has tried registering to this site but hasn't received an email confirmation....his username is bonanzasteve.