DAY #7......MARBLE FALLS, ARKANSAS TO HUTCHINSON, KANSAS...385 MILES (2667)

WELL EVERYONE, I MADE IT HOME THIS AFTERNOON ABOUT 2:30 P.M. IT WAS A GREAT 8 DAYS, AND I MADE SOME NEW FRIENDS AT THE RALLY. THIS WILL PROBABLY BE MY LAST LONG RIDE OF THE YEAR, AS THE WEATHER WILL START TO CHANGE TO WINTER, SOON.
THANKS TO THOSE WHO FOLLOWED ALONG........

MOTOR MIKE

DAY #7......MARBLE FALLS, ARKANSAS TO MARBLE FALLS, ARKANSAS...99 MILES (2282)

TODAY WAS A RATHER SHORT RIDE, AS WE HAD TO BE BACK FOR THE BANQUET AND PICTURES THIS AFTERNOON. WE RODE UP TO HARRISON TO SEE THE YAMAHA SHOP, THEN OVER TO YELLVILLE, ARKANSAS FOR LUNCH. IT RAINED LIGHTLY ON THE WAY BACK TO THE RALLY SITE, BUT ONLY LASTED FOR A FEW MINUTES. THIS HAS BEEN A FUN 3 DAYS, AND I HAVE MET SOME NEW FRIENDS. IT'S AMAZING TO SEE THIS MANY YAMAHA SUPER TENERE'S IN ONE PLACE, AND THIS WASN'T EVEN ALL OF THEM. MY TRIP IS ABOUT TO COME TO A CLOSE, BUT IT'S BEEN FUN AND I'VE SEEN SOME BEAUTIFUL SCENERY.

MOTOR MIKE

DAY #6......MARBLE FALLS, ARKANSAS TO MARBLE FALLS, ARKANSAS...188 MILES (2181)

NOT MUCH TO REPORT TODAY. SEVERAL OF US RODE A LOOP IN SCENIC ARKANSAS. HAD A GREAT DAY ONCE AGAIN. WE STOPPED IN KINGSTON, ARKANSAS FOR A BREAK, AND DECIDED TO VISIT THE BANK THAT WAS NEXT DOOR TO THE RESTAURANT. THE BANK WAS OPENED IN THE EARLY 1900'S, AND THERE HAS NEVER NOT BEEN A BANK IN THIS LOCATION.

MOTOR MIKE

DAY #5......WEST MEMPHIS, ARKANSAS TO MARBLE FALLS, ARKANSAS...256 MILES (1993)

I SHOULD HAVE NEVER SAID ANYTHING YESTERDAY ABOUT THE FOG, BECAUSE THIS MORNING IT WAS REALLY SOUPY. WE JUST RODE A LITTLE SLOWER, BECAUSE WE KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO BE A SHORT DAY, FOR ME ANYWAYS. THE FOG BURNED OFF LATE MORNING TO ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DAY. WE HAVEN'T HAD MUCH WIND THE ENTIRE TRIP, AND ABSOLUTELY NOT A DROP OF RAIN. THE TEMPS HAVE BEEN GREAT TOO, WITH THE HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 70'S. JIM LEFT FOR HOME TODAY, AND I'M IN MARBLE FALLS UNTIL SATURDAY MORNING, ATTENDING A SUPER TENERE RALLY. SUPER TENERE IS THE MODEL OF MOTORCYCLE I RIDE, IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING.
IT'S A LITTLE STRANGE TO SEE THIS MANY BIKES IN ONE PLACE, EXACTLY LIKE THE ONE I RIDE.

 

TALK TO YOU ALL LATER.....

MOTOR MIKE

DAY #4......DAHLONEGA, GEORGIA TO WEST MEMPHIS, ARKANSAS...447 MILES (1737)

THIS WAS THE COOLEST MORNING OF THE TRIP SO FAR, WITH IT BEING 42 DEGREES AND REALLY DAMP. WE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH FOG ON THE ROAD, BUT THERE WAS A LOT IN THE LOW LYING FIELDS IN THE DISTANCE. WE RODE SOUTH TO MADISON, ALABAMA TO HAVE LUNCH WITH MY FRIENDS, THEN HEADED WEST TOWARDS MEMPHIS. WE ARE JUST WEST OF MEMPHIS FOR THE NIGHT. WE RODE IN 5 STATES TODAY. WE STARTED OUT IN GEORGIA, THEN WENT TO ALABAMA, WEST TO MISSISSIPPI, THEN TENNESSEE, AND FINALLY ARKANSAS.

 TOMORROW I AM RIDING TO MARBLE FALLS, ARKANSAS TO SPEND 3 DAYS AT A YAMAHA SUPER TENERE RALLY, AND JIM IS GOING TO HEAD ON BACK TOWARDS HOME. I WILL BE RIDNG THE SAME ROAD I CRASHED ON 3 YEARS AGO. HOPEFULLY I MAKE IT THROUGH THE CURVE ON TWO WHEELS THIS TIME. I WILL SPEND WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY RIDING THE TWISTY ROADS OF ARKANSAS, THEN HEAD HOME ON SATURDAY.

MOTOR MIKE

DAY #3......HARRIMAN, TENNESSEE TO DAHLONEGA, GEORGIA...315 MILES (1290)

BEFORE I START ON TODAYS RIDE, I FORGOT TO MENTION SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY THAT I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. RIDING THROUGH NORTHERN TENNESSEE, AROUND DOVER, A LOT OF THE BARNS LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE ON FIRE. I REMEMBER MY BROTHER TELLING ME THAT IT WAS THE FARMERS DRYING THE TOBACCO LEAVES. ONE OF THE BARNS WAS OPEN ON THE END, AND YOU COULD SEE THE BUNCHES OF LEAVES HANGING FROM THE CEILING OF THE BARN. THEY DIG TRENCHES IN THE FLOOR OF THE BARN, THEN START A FIRE WITH WOOD, COVERING IT WITH SAWDUST SO IT JUST SMOLDERS. ACCORDING TO ONE OF THE LOCALS, SOMETIMES THE FIRE GETS OUT OF CONTROL AND BURNS THE BARN DOWN, WHICH HAD JUST HAPPENED LAST WEEK.

NOW ON TO TODAYS RIDE........WE LEFT HARRIMAN THIS MORNING, ONCE AGAIN UNDER CLOUDY SKIES AND BRISK TEMPS, HEADED FOR THE DEVILS TRIANGLE. THIS IS ABOUT A 25-30 MILE LOOP OF INTENSE CURVES AND STEEP INCLINES. WITHIN INCHES OF THE ROAD, THE DROPOFFS ARE BREATHTAKING. IF YOU HAPPENED TO MISS ONE OF THE CURVES, THE RIDE WOULD BE THRILLING, FOR A FEW SECONDS ANYWAYS.

ONCE FINISHED THERE, WE CONTINUED ON SOUTH INTO NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTH CAROLINA TO RIDE THE DRAGONS TAIL. THIS IS ANOTHER ROAD THAT HAS INTENSE TWISTIES WITH STEEP INCLINES. IT HAS 318 CURVES IN 11 MILES, AND REALLY GET THE ADRENALINE FLOWING. EVERY TIME I'VE RIDDEN THIS ROAD THERE ARE ALWAYS CRASHES, AND THIS TIME WAS NO DIFFERENT. RIDING THESE ROADS IS NOT ONLY PHYSICALLY TIRING, BUT ALSO MENTALLY. ONE SMALL DISTRACTION, AND YOU BECOME ONE OF THE CRASH STATISTICS.

 

WE THEN HEADED SOUTH AND WEST TO RIDE THE CHERHALA SKYWAY, ANOTHER TWISTY ROAD, BUT NOT QUITE AS INTENSE AS THE PREVIOUS TWO. THEN WE HEADED SOUTH INTO GEORGIA TO RIDE THE SCENIC ROAD JUST NORTH OF SUCHES. IT WAS A CROOKED ROAD IN PLACES, AND VERY SCENIC. THE TRAFFIC WAS PRETTY HEAVY, BUT WE STILL HAD A GREAT DAY. WE ARE IN DAHLONEGA, GEORGIA FOR THE NIGHT. TOMORROW WE HEAD TO MADISON, ALABAMA TO HAVE LUNCH WITH FRIENDS, THE BACK WEST TOWARDS ARKANSAS.

STAY TUNED FOR TOMORROW NIGHTS REPORT, HOPEFULLY FROM SOMEWHERE IN ARKANSAS.

MOTOR MIKE

DAY #2......PADUCAH, KENTUCKY TO HARRIMAN, TENNESSEE...378 MILES (981)

WE LEFT THE MOTEL THIS MORNING ABOUT 7:30 A.M. UNDER CLOUDY SKIES AND MID 40 TEMPS. WE ONLY RODE 8 MILES TO BROWNS PLATING BEFORE GETTING OFF FOR A TOUR OF THE FACILITIES, THANKS TO RONNIE BROWN.  WHAT A SILLY QUESTION ON THE SIGN.

HEADING EAST OUT OF PADUCAH, WE RODE THE LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES ROAD INTO TENNESSEE, ENDING UP IN DOVER, TN. BEFORE WORKING OUR WAY EAST. TENNESSEE HAS SOME OF THE SLOWEST SPEED LIMITS OF ANY STATE I'VE EVER RIDDEN IN. THE HIGHEST LIMIT IS 55 MPH AND A LOT ARE 45 MPH. AND........THEY DON'T LIKE IT WHEN YOU RUN 15 MPH OVER THE LIMIT EITHER. (DON'T ASK HOW I KNOW) KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE ARE TWO OF THE MOST SCENIC STATES I'VE RIDDEN IN, WITH A LOT OF THE TREES ALREADY TURNING THEIR FALL COLORS. THE WEATHER HAS BEEN GREAT, MAYBE A LITTLE ON THE CHILLY SIDE, BUT ALL I HAD TO DO WAS TURN THE THERMOSTAT UP A LITTLE HIGHER, AND I WAS NICE AND TOASTY. WE RODE EAST ALONG THE KENTUCKY/TENNESSEE BORDER, THEN SOUTHEAST TO HARRIMAN, TENNESSEE FOR THE NIGHT. I HAVE A FEW PICTURES, BUT NONE OF THE MAJOR TWISTY ROADS. SO FAR I HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT HOW TO RIDE THE INTENSE TWISTYS WITH NO HANDS. :)

TOMORROW MORNING WE ARE GOING TO RIDE THE DEVILS TRIANGLE SEE THE DESCRIPTION BELOW), THEN HEAD SOUTHEAST INTO NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTH CAROLINA TO RIDE THE DRAGONS TAIL.

STAY TUNED FOR SUNDAY NIGHTS REPORT.....

MOTOR MIKE