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Rallye report (a little long I think)....
- Subject: Rallye report (a little long I think)....
- From: Eric Sheley <eric@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 01 Sep 1999 14:36:19 -0400
Well, now that I've had some rest, I figured I will recount some of the
events of the Rallye.
My journey started out with a trip from Florida. I normally ride in a
VPilot suit, but desiring something a little more ventilated, I added a
Triumph Horizon jacket in place of the Vpilot jacket. I removed the Triumph
zipper and added the spare from HG so that it would zip to my pants and
then had a local leather worker cut down the collar. I must say that I am
very happy with the jacket and even in rain it kept me reasonably dry. I
hit rain on and off for about 120 miles, but only really heavy for around
20 miles. Once out, the southern heat did a good job of drying me out.
Just outside of Mobile AL I stopped for a fill up and found what looked
like oil on the ground. Immediate panic.... It appeared after examination
that it was leaking from the seal on the shifter. Needless to say I was not
too happy. A quick call to the dealer in Fayetteville and I was assured
that they would be able to take care of the problem. I cleaned the area
thoroughly and checked it at the next stop. Turns out it was chain lube and
other associated crap coming off the chain at the front sprocket and
dripping down. I only wonder how many of the replaced seals that I have
read about were caused by the same thing ....
Coming up I40 in Arkansas, I was afforded several options for going into
Eureka Springs. I ended up taking 23 which is about an 80 mile run with
some pretty severe (low speed - first gear) corners. After 1300 miles on
the bike, it was probably not the safest choice, but I had a blast none the
less. Did a few "Aaack - I am going way too fast for this corner" over the
section called the Pigs Tail - but the bike handled admirably. At some
points I felt as if the bike was on auto pilot... very nice.
So I arrived in Eureka Springs after running about 1400 miles in 22 hours.
I pulled into Tall Pines around 8:00am only to find no one there. Seems the
owners were on a three day vacation and had not returned yet. I was really
hoping for an early check in and some rest. I cleaned the road grime off
the bike (including hoards of the Arkansas moths....) and the owners
arrived a short time later. As they had been off for three days, they
wanted to check out the rooms, so they sent me off to breakfast at the
Smokehouse down the road (this ended up being our morning breakfast stop).
After devouring their huge biscuit (the size of a large grapefruit) I got a
short ride suggestion from the local cook and headed off. Spent the next 40
minutes riding some of the local roads, just enjoying the rediscovery of
curvy roads. I then headed back off to Tall Pines for some rest. I met Paul
and his wife Dee as they were checking in and then headed to my cabin to
crash. The cabin was nice and had a small kitchen with refrigerator and
microwave, cable TV with the weather channel, a queen sized bed and a
Jacuzzi tub - what more could one ask for? As I nodded off I noticed that
the sky was getting dark and it looked like incoming riders might get a
little wet.....
I awoke a couple of hours later to the sound of thunder from the lightning
hitting the trees outside ..... nothing like a couple of close hits to get
the adrenalin pumping ..... my sleep was over. After the rain, I made a run
to the package store for some supplies - in case anyone is wondering the
topbox will easily hold three cases of beer.... We then heard of the
accident with Rick (that Lisa covered in her previous post - our thoughts
for a speedy recovery go out to Rick). Plus no one had heard from the
Dallas group coming in with Jack. The event was off to a rough start. The
group headed off to the Cottage Inn for dinner. We pulled in and the door
immediately opened with the hostess coming out. She greeted Dee with "What
kind of motorcycles are those?" "Triumphs" said Dee. "Well at least they're
not Harley's" responded the hostess ...... (mental note - I like this place
already)
Dinner was very good and as we sat around I noticed some more riders. "I
see a Triumph hat" I said ..... "Yeah - it's your reflection in the glass"
came the response from Mark..... wise ass ;-) Turned out to be the Dallas
group - they spent part of their trip hiding from lightning under metal
awnings, so they had been slightly delayed....
That left only Robert (who was coming in late) and Richard and Lisa who
were coming in the following day. After dinner we looked at David's bike
that was blowing fuses. Checked the wiring harness - sure enough it was
shorting on the frame. Let that serve as a lesson to all those that have
not cut that wire tie yet.......
Friday
Robert and Jenna made it in around 12:30 am - the group was now almost
complete.
As Lisa had the maps with her, we relied on those prepared individuals that
actually brought the ride printouts with them. Spent a few minutes going
over the route and then headed off to breakfast at the smokehouse. After a
good breakfast and ride preparation (ie instructions not to ride over one's
ability) we were ready to go. Dennis was out in front followed by Steve and
myself. I instructed Dennis that while we were going to take 187, it came
up first going in the wrong direction (west) . As we wanted to go east I
told him to take the second 187. Well, as we came over the rise I realized
that the second 187 was really the end of the first turn (as it also went
to the west). I saw Denniss' signal go on and I flashed my lights and hit
the horn, but to no avail. He wanted to go west..... Steve went after him
to get him back on track ;-) So I now had the lead. I got comfortable and
set a nice casual pace. The first road (187) was really fun - nice country
back road with a few good twisties and some nice scenery. A one lane
suspension bridge over a river was the scenic highlight of this section. We
then continued up into Missouri and then back into Arkansas. We stopped for
gas and a break and Dennis was able to take back over the lead spot. Mark,
Mike and Steve set out ahead at a slightly hotter pace followed by the rest
of the group.
Now I was back behind Dennis. After entering our first set of corners I
thought "Oh, great - his tail light is out". After several more corners I
realized that this was not the case - he just never uses the brakes ......
Dennis set a nice pace - not too fast as to leave people far behind, but
fast enough that you had to catch your breath from time to time. It was on
this section of road that we got to experience the "never ending corner".
There were a couple that I would swear where were close to 360 degrees -
you know that it has to end but you keep going and can't ever seem to see
the exit coming....
We stopped part way down 21 after seeing a sign for our next stop. The
route number was different than what we had but after a quick check of the
maps we decided that it was the right road. We also assumed (rightly so)
that the lead group had missed this turn. We then turned onto a beautiful
road (lots of elevation and twisties) but found that it had been re-paved
this year with oil and stone chips. This made picking a good line all the
more important as you didn't really want to get yourself in a line that ran
you through the loose stone. We got off that road a few miles later and
headed up to the Cliff House where Richard and Lisa were waiting. The Cliff
House was a great choice for lunch as it looked out over the "Grand Canyon
of the Ozarks" - the view from the dining room was incredible.
Mark and Steve caught up with us about 10 minutes later (they had figured
out that they missed the turn). Mike had gotten stuck behind a slow moving
truck and had been held back. After a quick lunch, Mark decided that he
should go back to look for Mike, so I went with him while the rest of the
group continued on with the scheduled run. We picked a meeting spot further
down the run and headed off. We retraced the route but found no sign of
him. At the next stop, Dennis caught up with us and informed us that they
had found Mike just as they started the run. While he was really banged up
(road rash, bruises and a concussion) he had no broken bones. Thanks again
to Steve for the Honda transport and to Robert, Jenna and Richard for
hoofing it back to Eureka for the car.
After deciding that it made no sense to have everyone standing around, a
small group headed off for Eureka and Paul and I headed off on a short run
while waiting for the car to return. Lisa, Dee and Mark stayed behind to
monitor Mike's condition. Dennis headed off for Fayetteville to get an oil
leak taken care of.
Paul and I took a nice casual run through the valley and took 374, 123 and
74 until they became nothing more than a dirt road. Turning around, we took
123 to 74 in Jasper running down along a river. Stopping in Jasper
(population - not many) we both filled up and I headed off to use the
restroom. I inquired at the front counter and was told - its over there -
through the kitchen...... mental note - don't eat anything from this
kitchen.....
We headed back up the hill and waited with the rest for the car to return
from Eureka. They showed up a short time later and after packing Mike in
the front seat we headed back off to the south on 7 to pick up 16 and 21.
Paul and I had filled up, but the rest of the bikes would need fuel. No
problem - Mark and I had run that section earlier and had spotted a small
station just outside of Deer, Ar. As soon as we headed west, we realized
that this was going to be interesting. The sun had gotten really low by now
and was doing a great job of blinding us as we entered corners. We hit the
gas station (two old pumps out in the middle of nowhere) and those that
needed it filled up. It was now around 6:40pm - as they were paying they
found out that the station closed at 6:00, but they were running behind.
Lucky for us as there wasn't anything else for the next 60 miles .....
We continued up 21 (by now it was becoming clear that this was going to be
one of our favorite roads) at a reasonably good pace and got into Eureka
around 8:00 without further incident. Mark headed off to the hospital to
check on Mike and the rest of us headed to the pool to relax. Jack ordered
the Pizza and I headed off to the package store. Jack told me to bring back
a styrofoam cooler - this is not as easy as it sounds. I finally found one
that had a little plastic handle which I attached to my tank pad and I was
off. Got quite a head shake from the local sheriff as I passed him on the
way back to Tall Pines......
The pizza was great but the company even better. Many stories were swapped
and from what I understand, a few were actually true....
Saturday
The decision was made to modify Saturday's route by not headed up into
Branson - this was mainly to reduce our contact with tourist traffic. We
ran a route fairly similar to the first day, but this time we ran on to
Deer Cove where according to Robert, the largest natural land bridge in
Arkansas could be found. We parked in the lot and Robert told us it was
"just right over there a little ways.... of course the last time he was
there it was considerably cooler and he was dressed for hiking .... not in
full leathers like some of us...... yeah, sure leather pants are great to
hike in during August....
Anyway, all complaints aside, the land bridge was truly spectacular. Coming
down the path, you ended up on top, but a few of us at Robert's urging
proceeded down the path to the base. From here the view was incredible as
the sheer size of the bridge came into view. Thanks again Robert for the
suggestion - although I must admit he was not high on my list of friends as
I walked back up to the parking area..... ;-)
Then it was back off to the Cliff House for lunch again (good view - good
food - why not?). We stopped along the way at a scenic overlook for a group
shot and as we were clicking away, a couple of Honda riders passed by. They
later stopped at the Cliff House as well and commented that they had never
seen that many Triumphs in one place before.... After lunch I happened to
take a casual glance at my back tire and found a rock shard imbedded in the
tread (similar to a piece of broken glass). I had a plug kit, but we
decided that since it did not appear to be leaking, it was better to leave
it where it was and head off to the dealer to pull it in case it needed to
be repaired. So I split off from the rest of the group and headed off
towards Fayetteville 70 miles away (after calling and confirming that they
had a tire for me).
The ride out was pretty uneventful other than passing a sheriff at a high
rate of speed coming over a hill. But as luck would have it, he was late
for a date with a doughnut and I escaped un ticketed.....
The dealer in Fayetteville was top notch. They pulled the stone, measured
the depth of the cut and then checked for leaks. After letting it sit for a
few minutes and checking it again, they determined there was no leaks and
it hadn't penetrated the carcass, so I was good to go. It was around 4:00
now and the dealer had been officially closed since 3. But as Steve had hit
his wear bars on the southern part of the run, he was on his way in for a
new tire. I thanked the owner for staying late, but he shrugged it off as
no big deal. He just wanted to make sure that everyone was taken care of
...... Can't beat that kind of service.
They sent me off on some local roads (412 - 303 - 127) so even though I
missed the afternoon portion of the ride, I did not miss out on getting my
fill of curves. 303 was a lot of fun - it had a new surface - very smooth,
but it had no lines and no turn markings. Now when I say no turn marking, I
mean NO turn markings (not even a little yellow sign with an arrow to
indicate there might be a need to turn.....) Part way down the road I
hooked up with a local driver in a truck pulling out of a driveway and let
him lead. He was moving right along (obviously familiar with the roads) so
I used him as a moving target to judge the curves and corners. We then came
upon another one lane suspension bridge and I got to witness an Arkansas
standoff. He pulled onto the bridge at the same time as a car on the
opposite side. They then both proceeded to the middle and began a battle of
finger gestures and out the window shouting. I pulled up behind the truck
to lend the 2 to 1 thing.... but the car didn't see me. After what seemed
like 5 minutes of this (but was probably only 1) the truck driver wussed
out and put his truck in reverse. I remember thinking, you have got to be
kidding me..... So I got to back the bike down half the length of the
bridge so the truck could get off. Once he pulled past me the car could see
me and he had that very sheepish, "I'm a moron" look on his face. He
offered his apologies to me as he passed me and then flipped off the truck
driver one more time for good measure......
Back on the road again .... I finished off 303 and headed out 127. Freshly
paved - nice lines - no traffic - I ran the route at around 80 which seemed
really fast until I remembered the parts guy at Fayetteville stating they
routinely run that stretch at over 120 ..... wow - amazing what living with
that kind of road year round can do for ones speed.
I pulled into Tall Pines at about the same time as the rest of the group.
Then it was off to dinner at the bavarian restaurant.
After dinner it was back off to the pool, where we talked of the days
events and started thinking about what we want to do next year. Many
interesting ideas were brought up and more will follow as the plans start
to take shape. Thanks again to all for the gift - you really shouldn't
have, but since you bought it, I guess I will have to "force" myself to
keep it ;-)
We all have a gift for Lisa for all her hard work, but it has been delayed
- - so the official presentation will have to wait.
Sunday
Most of us met for breakfast (Paul, Dee and Greg took off early) and said
our goodbye's. The event really seemed to come to an end way too quick. It
was then off for the run home. I opted to go west to catch a major road out
of the Eureka area, but in the process ended up adding about 80 miles to my
trip - so much for saving time. The trip home was interesting to say the
least. Once I hit the Little Rock area the temperature seemed to skyrocket.
By the time I hit Memphis, the temp was at 99 degrees and the road felt
like it was 150 - went through a lot of gatorade. Then onto 55 south. A car
passed at a high rate of speed followed by a police car. Coming around the
bend about a mile later, the traffic came to a stand still. Around the
corner was the car, upside down in a field .... I think he misjudged the
corner.... Then not 10 miles down the road traffic stops again. Both sides
of the road and the median are on fire and the police are stopping traffic
as the fire fighters attempt to get it under control.
So after a 20 minute delay in the full sun, I was moving again. The rest of
the ride was pretty uneventful until hitting Gulfport, where I ran into
some rain. Ran fast for a few miles and got out of it - phew - I had no
desire to be riding wet at night. Crossing into Alabama, I interrupted the
annual deer convention. On a 10 mile stretch of road I counted 22 deer on
the side of the road - I have no idea what drew them all, but all I could
see in my mind was Kyle Rocke's mangled ST after he tangled with a deer - I
wanted no part of it. Luckily for me they decided that they were better off
not jumping in front of me.
From there on the rest of the ride was fairly normal - just the normal
"Man Vs Fatigue" - I pulled in at 7:30 before my wife and daughter had
left. I had told them I was spending the night in Jackson (they worry when
I ride straight through) so the sound of the bike revving up the little
hill brought them both running to the garage. A barrage of hugs ensued
(followed by some slobber from the Great Dane) ..... as I have said before
"My life is great...."
Thanks again to everyone that participated - I can't begin to express how
much fun I had, not to mention the joy of getting to meet everyone in person.
I look forward to the next one and getting to meet everyone again. Until
then - ride safe and keep the rubber side down....
- - Eric
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