A camping trip in the land of OZ

We had been trying to get a camping ticket for this event for over two weeks. I got a message on facebook that a RV site had opened up. Jamie and I jumped on it! We were heading for West Mineral Kansas to camp next to the worlds largest electric shovel, Big Brutus.

We had a tough week, so when Friday rolled around and we had a three day weekend ahead of us, both of us were excited. We were going to spend the next few days meeting new friends, visiting with old friends all while camping in the heartland of Kansas.

We packed up the JK and hit the road around 11am. It was an easy drive, just taking over an hour or so. We pulled up, found our spot and set up camp. We spent the afternoon, just relaxing and walking around all of the cool rigs. The vendors were set up so we got to look around before the larger crowds arrived. We are always amazed by the way people set up their rigs. It seems we always learn something from the way people set up camp.

It looked like the weather was going to roll in later in the evening, so we got back to camp to cook dinner early. We wanted to eat, clean up and go listen to some music before the rains came. The rally had a number of bands schedule to play for the group. We ate some burgers and then took our chairs down to Big Brutus to listen to some music, while partaking in a few adult beverages. The evening was a lot of fun, however the rains came so we had to get back to camp to avoid getting drenched. It was a great day. A much needed day of rest.

It rained most of the evening, making it easy to sleep well. The bad news was the fact that I drank fluids all afternoon, so I spent half the evening going to the bathroom. I guess that happens when you are getting old. We got up and had our oatmeal under our new moon shade, while enjoying a good cup of coffee. Nothing beats breakfast and a hot cup of joe after a good night of camping.

Before I move on from the morning, I am going to speak about the Moon Shade. Before I purchased the moon shade, I had reached out, asking if it would work well with a 2dr soft top. I was assured that it would work great with the magnets that they offered for installation. Well let’s just say that is not the case. The roll bar on the back of the JK will not hold the Moon shade. We did solve the problem by lowering it down to the body of the Jeep. We saw a couple of rigs that used the shade with new Green Elephant tent poles, so we think it will work out in the long run. Just be careful if you have a soft top before ordering the Moon Shade.

Saturday was not a total rain out. The rain subsided by 10am, so we decided to jump in the Jeep and go explore some. There is not a lot to see in the middle of Kansas but we had a great day driving around the countryside. We took a slight detour to the Kansas Crossing Casino. We stopped for lunch, but of course we had to spend a few dollars. Jamie had some luck and paid for the gambling and the lunch we had. A BIG WIN! We enjoyed the day and decided to head back to the rally by mid afternoon. We wanted to do more of the rally. We listened to the bands, watched a class and ate some unhealthy fried food from the food trucks at the event.

We finished the night sitting by the fire, while listening to the music from a distance. It was a wonderful way to end the day. Jamie and I had a lot of laughs and just enjoyed a lazy Saturday evening sitting by a camp fire. Speaking of camp fires. We purchased a Fireside pop up pit. It folds up small but allows for an above ground fire. It was a huge hit! It worked out so well and was easy to clean up and store. We should have purchased one sooner.

I have to say that I had the best night of sleep I have had in a long time. I only got up once during the night and we did not wake up until almost 7am on Sunday morning.

Camping is not for everyone. I am just so glad that I get to share this great activity with my beautiful wife. We truly enjoy these moments together. There were a number of couples and families camping at this event. It is so cool seeing people binding while enjoying the great outdoors. Just another reason to love the Overland community. Everyone is so friendly and so helpful. We always seem to meet the nicest people at these events.

We took our time getting around on Sunday morning. We were not in a hurry for the weekend to end. We cooked up some eggs, sipped coffee while watching rigs wrap up and get ready for their journey home. We enjoyed the morning, before packing up to head home. It was such a fun weekend and the event was enjoyable. We are looking forward to attending next years event. There is not much wheelin going on, but that allowed for plenty of time to visit with all of the rigs and get to know folks in attendance.

One of the highlights was getting to see Matt’s new Gladiator. Matt and his wife run a great YouTube channel called Ozark Overland Adventures. If you want to know what wheelin in the Ozarks is all about, this is the channel for you. Go check it out. They also have a website and other social media outlets.

One of the coolest thing about this event was the location. The history of Big Brutus makes the entire experience a special one. If you are ever in the area, stop by and visit Big Brutus, you will not be disappointed. The BIG IRON Rally was amazing. Come join us next year! Take care everyone and be safe out there.

See all of the pictures from this event here in our photo gallery.

The Ozark Escape – What a great way to start the 2021 riding season.

We woke up on Thursday morning, not believing that the day was finally here. The Last Ozark Escape happened in April of 2019 in Mountain Home Arkansas. Little did we know that it would take over 2 years to host another Escape.

With all of the chaos of 2020, it was nice waking up to some form of normalcy. The world events are still on the forefront, but it seems that we are slowly getting back to life. It will never be the same, but it sure is nice to see events taking place and people gathering to enjoy the finer things in life. Motorcycle rallies and “Just for fun events” are a few of those things that we might have taken for granted in the past. Not any longer.

We have been planning this event, since the day we had to cancel last years ride. The day was finally here and the riders had spoken. As we rode off Thursday morning to meet some friends at the Oark Cafe, the Ozark Escape had over 74 riders signed up from 11 different states with riders coming from far away places like Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio. It was setting up to be a great weekend. The weather was beautiful, if not a little cold as we took off. We met up with John from Cincinnati at our local departure lounge, then road down the the Ozark Cafe. The weather and the roads did not disappoint. We rolled into the Cafe to be greeted by Jim from Bixby OK riding his beautiful Goldwing. Within 10 minutes, David, Bob and Yeeha all rode up. Just seeing old and new friends with smiles on their faces made my morning!

We enjoyed a good lunch, catching up with good conversation and laughs. While we were waiting for food, I even got the drone up and took some video. It was a great way to start the day and to kick off the event. We rode all afternoon, taking advantage of the sun. We were all hoping that the rain in the forecast tomorrow would somehow go away.

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We woke up Friday morning and as luck would have it, the rain was coming down. Looking at the weather radar it looked like it would rain for most of the day. We decided to cancel the ride, as it was not looking good. We wanted to ensure the safety of the group and this was the right thing to do. We jumped in the car, headed down the road and had some breakfast. We were getting word that the riders were all cutting the day short and would do little rides later in the day as the rains cleared.

We all geared up and headed for Eureka Springs around 11am. The radar had a a nice little break for a couple of hours, so we thought it best to take off. The hotel was very accommodating. They let all riders check in early and opened up the breakfast area for us to use as a gathering place. This was a great gesture and appreciated by all of the riders. The Quality Inn In Eureka Springs was a HUGE hit among the group and all parties, thought it was a great place to hold next years event as well. So stay tuned form details on the 2022 Escape.

The hotel was full and there were a number of bikes in the lot when we rode in. We quickly checked in and headed down town to get some lunch. We ate at Sauced, good food, good prices and the service was awesome. We would recommend this little gem on your next visit to the area.

After lunch we went back to the hotel and spent the afternoon and evening chatting with friends. The place was packed and we counted over 35 riders hanging out. We all ordered pizza later in the evening. It was so cool, hearing the room filled with motorcycle stories, laughs and riders just enjoying hanging out with like minded folks. It was a fantastic evening! Come to find out, a lot of the group got some miles in as they rode in away from the rain. Some even took off later and enjoyed the routes that were provided. It was not a lost day and the rest of the weekend looked to bring more of the same.

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Saturday morning started off the same way that Friday did, however there was good news. The radar said that by 10am the clouds would part and the rain would stop. We ate a quick breakfast at the hotel. This time the radar was correct. A group of us geared up and hit the road. The location was Jasper Arkansas and the quant little eatery called the Ozark Cafe. We took the long way round, even getting to turn things up a little on AR 16 as the roads dried. It was a nice spirited ride to lunch.

The Ozark Cafe was busy, but as always the food and service were top notch. We logged a good 220 miles before getting back to the hotel. The group all split up and headed into town to get some dinner. Unfortunately we were not able to eat at the same location with the entire group due to the large amount of riders. A group of us at ate the Rocking Pig. The food was decent and once inside the service was good. We finished the evening chatting and enjoying a few adult beverages. Another great day in the books.

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All good things must come to an end. We woke up on Sunday morning to beautiful skies and a forecast that did not include rain. Life was good. Most of the riders took off early as they had many miles ahead of them. Others stayed around for another day of riding. We joined our friends Becky & Jeff for breakfast and a quick ride around the area, before we went back to Eureka Springs and loaded their bikes up on the trailer for the 7 hours back to Louisiana.

We ate breakfast and then did a little circle back to the hotel. We stopped by the golden gate bridge and then rode some twisty roads back to the hotel. Jamie and I watched as Becky & Jeff loaded up the bikes. We said our goodbyes and headed back to the house.

On the way home, we had a little recap of the weekend events. Even with the rain, the event was a huge success. There were over 60+ riders at the event, representing 11 different states. We had so many great comments from the riders and everyone seemed to enjoy the weekend. Check out all of the pictures from the event here. We also had some riders submit their photos. Check those out here. If you want to submit some of your pictures from the event, contact us for the link.

Next years event will be April 22-24, 2022 at the same Quality Inn location More details will be available in the next few months.

It was great seeing our friends, both old and new. These “Just for fun events” are so much fun and this event did not disappoint. I want to thank all of the riders who attended the event, all of those that provided feedback on the event. We intend to take into consideration all feedback to enhance this event going forward. Thanks again everyone, this event would not be the same, without your support. Hopefully Jamie & I will cross paths with many of you at STAR and more events during 2021.

Let’s Ride

We’re excited to be working with Viking Bags and Viking Cycle to try out their products!

We will come up with a unboxing & review post once the product has arrived and testing is done. Keep an eye out for these updates.

Check out Viking Cycles & Viking Bags.

This event is right around the corner – 67 riders are signed up so far. This looks like a great way to kick off the 2021 riding season!

I think we are all excited about kicking off the riding season. The interest in this event has been off the charts and it looks like it will be the biggest and best Ozark Escape to date.

I have had many questions concerning the event, so I thought I would address those in this blog update.

First of all this is a “JUST FOR FUN EVENT”. Many of you have asked what that means. So here goes.

A JFF event is a FREE event, that brings like minded motorcycle enthusiast together to meet up with old friends, meet some new ones and most of all, enjoy the great roads of Arkansas and southern Missouri.

The event is not structured, there is no check in. If you are looking for a welcome package then you will be disappointed. This event is all about the ride! Here is a little breakdown of what structure we will have, but do not feel like you need to do any of this, That is what is so cool about JFF events.

Thursday April 15: Some riders will ride in on Thursday so that they can ride and explore the great roads on Friday & Saturday. I know many of you have already booked a room to arrive on Thursday.

Friday April 16: This is the first real day of the event. Some will ride in on this day, enjoying the great roads to this wonderful destination. Jamie and I will be starting this riding day from the house. We will rendezvous with riders at the Emory Melton Inn & Convention Center, eat some breakfast and then hit the road. We will be doing 204 wonderful, twisty miles, hitting some of the best roads in the area. I will lead a group, however for safety and enjoyable reasons, I will not lead a group of over 8 bikes. If more riders show up we will have to break up in groups. The routes are all here ready for download. I don’t think anyone rides to these types of roads to be lead around like a parade.

We will end the ride at the hotel in Eureka Springs. Since this is a JFF event, everyone can make up their own minds for dinner. Most of us will just order pizza and have it delivered to the hotel, but do not feel obligated to do that. There are many food options in Eureka Springs.

Saturday April 17: Today we will leave from the Hotel at 9:00am. The same limits will apply, as I am trying to keep the riding groups to 8 bikes or less. Everyone will be on their own for breakfast. We will stop in Jasper Arkansas and eat at the Ozark Cafe or the Blue Mountain Cafe and bakery. Remember the routes are available online, so anyone can lead a group. I know our good friend Doug Freeman will be leading a spirited group on Saturday as well. So reach out to Doug at the event if you want to join him. His ride group limits may differ from mine, so keep that in mind.

We will finish up after lunch with a nice ride through the Ozark countryside. We will make it back to the hotel mid afternoon. If you want to ride more or take different routs I will give you some ideas later in this article. Click on the images above to get the google Maps version of the routes. You can also click here to download the GPS files for the routes.

The good news is we have over 65 riders signed up for the event. the bad news is we have 65 riders in the event. With that being said, we will not all be able to go to dinner together on Saturday night. The world of COVID will make that impossible as most places could not accommodate that many people. In fact this large group would have been tough to get in one place even in the best of circumstances. So I am going to list a few places that will be close to the hotel.

Here are a few links to some of the best places to eat in Eureka Springs. The Top 10 according to Tripadvisor. You can also see more options here on EurekaSprings.org or on EurekaSprings.com

We will finish the evening, kicking tires, swapping stories and just enjoying the evening.

Sunday April 17: This is the day that we say our goodbyes and head back to the house. There are a few that will stay and enjoy more time on these wonderful roads. The rest of us will head home, with fond memories and looking forward to next years event.

More ozark escape information

Here are a few things to think about if you are attending the JFF event. I am sure I am missing something, so let me know if you want other information listed here. I will try and make that happen.

#1- The weather this time of year can be very unpredictable. One day it will be in the mid 60’s the next it will drop down to the low to mid 30’s so come prepared!

#2- The roads up here in Arkansas and Southern Missouri are amazing! Just remember that many are very challenging and the twists seem to never end. Remember to RIDE your own RIDE! We want everyone to go home healthy and happy!

#3- This time of year the roads tend to have some debris, be mindful of gravel, rocks or other items in the road. It has been a long winter and some of the roads may have some obstacles.

#4- if the group stops for gas.. get gas! Also remember to start off each ride with a full tank of fuel. Do it the night before or early the day of the ride. Don’t be that guy who holds up the group because they did not fill up prior to the ride.

This is a great article from Nick Ienatsch titled the Pace. Everyone should read it! I can’t stress it enough. We all need to Ride our own Ride!

Make sure to check out the Arkansas Motorcycle Guide. It has some great route information. There is also a great article on the best places to eat in Arkansas.

I can’t wait to see you all at the event. Jamie and I look forward to meeting you all. I will be taking plenty of pictures, flying the drone and shooting some video. I will also be writing an article for the MSTA magazine. I would love for you to share your images as well. Don’t forget to check out the Ozark Escape Facebook page.

So until April 16, stay safe and healthy and Ride Safe!

I am booked and set to attend my 1st Big Lynn Lodge Riding Event.

Well it is official! I will be attending this years Big Lynn Lodge event. I was contemplating if I would attend the Red River Gorge Rally like I did last year, or try a new event. I love riding in the NC area, so I thought I would give it a try. Patrick’s Red River Gorge Event is a great one, however my vacation time is limited so hard choices need to be made.

I will be leaving from Arkansas on Wednesday evening after work. I should arrive Thursday afternoon. I will get to ride and attend events on Friday & Saturday before loading up and heading home on Sunday. I am looking forward to this event. I have attended a number of MSTA events and I am sure that I will not be disappointed!

If you would like to share a room, shoot me a note.

If you would like to attend the Big Lynn Rally, then click here to Register for the event.

Let’s Ride!

What a great weekend. Well except for losing the drone.

Jamie and I kicked off the 2021 camping season with a BANG! We headed down to Devil’s Den State Park and met up with our good friend Rob. We enjoyed a relaxing weekend with some camping, cooking and a little jeep exploring. It was a successful kick off to the camping season.

We did have a little set back as I crashed my Mavic Mini and lost her in the creek. I did get to see the footage as the phone keeps a cached copy of the footage. Things happen, so it just gives us a chance to upgrade to the Mini2.

Stay tuned to see those videos.

Don’t wait for the “right” vehicle, the “right” equipment just go do it! Go Explore, you can thank us later!

Devil’s Den State Park https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/pa…​

Softroading the West – Recommended the fridge and wow! It was a game changer! https://www.softroadingthewest.com/​

You can still sign up for the event. You don’t want to miss out!

To sign up for the Ozark Escape Moto Adrenaline Tours: https://www.motoadrenalinetours.com:​

Ozark Escape event: https://www.motoadrenalinetours.com/o…​

Ozark Escape Merchandise: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/motoadre…

Great day for a ride and a Ozark Escape Update

Jamie and I got to ride some today! It was the first time in 2021 that we were both able to get on the bike together. We are so excited and looking forward to the Ozark Escape on April 16 – 18, 2021. It looks like the turn out is going to be amazing! Let’s just hope that the weather holds out and we get a great 3 days of sunshine and decent temps.

https://youtu.be/mBbUd3jlBJI

We had breakfast at the Eureka Springs coffee house this morning and the food was very good. Go check it out when you are here for the Ozark Escape. 

Eureka Springs Coffee House: https://eurekaspringscoffee.com

You can still sign up for the event. You don;t want to miss out!

To sign up for the Ozark Escape

Moto Adrenaline Tours: https://www.motoadrenalinetours.com:
Ozark Escape event: https://www.motoadrenalinetours.com/ozarkescape2021

Ozark Escape Merchandise: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/motoadrenalinetours/all

Chris Parker did a great job at designing the Ozark Escape logo. If you are looking for graphic design, make sure to check out Chris at Roadwolf Design. 

Chris Parker at Roadwolf Design: http://www.roadwolfdesign.com

Mario has a great youtube channel – Go check it out!

2 Wheeled rider: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtgldlutBfOzqlOKSnYX14w

News from this weeks Cycle News – Some great news, Ducati V4s and Harley Pan American finally a reality!

First of all I get this great magazine free from Cycle News. You can as well, just follow this link and sign up. I am thinking of writing a quick response to each update. What do you think? Leave me a comment down below.

THE PAN AMERICAN IS FINALLY HERE! THE NUMBERS LOOK GOOD, DID HARLEY DO IT RIGHT? ONLY TIME WILL TELL.

Well it looks like the Pan American is indeed a real motorcycle. Many of us had our doubts that we would ever see this long talked about machine. I think I saw the first hint of this at the Dallas Motorcycle show back in 2019.

According to the Pan American website the bike will be available in May of 2021. I have to admit, looking at the site I am intrigued and I want to see it up close. It seems to have all of the bells and whistles of todays adventure bikes and it is listed for a price that is comparable as well. I am not a huge fan of the looks of the machine, however if the Harley is everything advertised, it could make an impact in the adventure bike crowd. Only time will tell.

IF ZACH LIKEY…. I LIKEY! THE NEW V4S LOOKS AMAZING!

After reading the article in the Cycle News and watching Zach’s video review of the V4s, it looks like Ducati has hit another homerrun! The V4s looks amazing and the numbers only back that up.

The Ducati is filled with tons of wiz bang gizmos, non more highly discussed than the Adaptive Cruise Control system. Personally I am not a proponent on cars, so I don’t know if I can be sold that it will be a huge benefit on a motorcycle. I could be wrong, but I will wait until I hear and see more about it in the real riding world.

The Bike looks amazing and from what Zach says, it goes like stink, stops on a dime and makes a good all around machine. He has rated it #1 on his Daily Rider scoreboard! That is very high praise. Check out Zach on Instagram. If money were no object, this machine would probably make it to my garage. I could see Jamie and I doing some spirited two up touring on the V4s. The bad news is, money still matters so I will sit back and read more about it, watch more videos and just sit back and dream Italian dreams.

great news! buell is back!

10 new models by 2024! It looks like Buell could be back and ready to tackle the American market. It is always exciting to have an American made motorcycle and it sounds like they will be making sports machines along with touring and adventure bikes. I have always liked the look and sound of a Buell and the thought of an adventure bike sounds appealing! I will never forget back in 2008, we were at Deals Gap and we ran into a group of Buell riders. They were all so friendly and looked like they were having the time of their life. maybe this is one reason I like the thought of a Buell.

That wraps up this weeks Moto News. Do you like this idea? Should I continue to do it? I was thinking about doing a little video each month going over the 4 weeks of the Cycle News, something like The Missenden flyer does for the MCN in the UK.

Jamie and I took off in 7 degree weather to attend the show.

Jamie and I had a great time attending the MOORE EXPO.

Here is a quick video of us walking through the show.
Sorry for the white balance in the Subaru.What was your favorite rig at the show?

I got to chat a little with Brad from https://www.trailrecon.net
We did miss Revere Overland https://www.revereoverland.com and Matt from https://ozarkoverlandadventures.com

We enjoyed our time at the show. Wish it was a little warmer to have spent more time in the parking lot checking out all the cool rigs.