Dave and I spent the day walking thru the courthouse square munching on the local cuiscine and listening to the the local folk music. Dave was all smiles, this is great. Are all towns in Arkansas like this. Well kinda, but not really. Mt. View, if your Ar. stop in and check it out. I've been coming since the mid 60's, I'm at home here, I'm an old hillbilly; Dave graduated to hillbilly status. All it took was one trip and a good tour guide. Glad I could help.
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Mid-South ride, eat, and meet
- Thread starter barryg
- Start date
We took 66/263 back to 14 and the campground. We were pretty whipped when we got back to the campground. Standing around campground, Dave said best day I had on this trip. Yep, just doing my civic duty, one BMW bike rider at a time. By the way Dave, tell me about your K100; looks like a cool bike.
Sunday morning had some coffee with Dave and the rest of the rally drunks trying to sober up and ride home. Dave thanked me profusely for Saturdays cool day of riding. No problem you and that K100 were perfect riding partners. I rode pass Mt. View then crossed White River at Guion. Use to ride the ferry here back in the day, the 60's and early 70's.
Rode on into Sage an rode around the little community. Not much is here. My great grandparents lived near here in the 1890's and early 1900's. I don't know where. I have pictures of the log cabin they lived in, it was a shack. My grandfather was probably born in that shack in 1892. There was word Abraham Lincoln used to describe his parents. I'll have to look it up. A long way to say it is poor uneducated itinerent farmers.
I rode out of Sage to the Highway 69. Looked both ways. North about 5 Miles was the county seat of the county we were in, Izard. Sitting I the stop sign, sitting on the bike looking north to Melbourne. I started thinking back quite a few years, to1971. I drove a pretty cool car a 1966 2 door Caprice Classic, 327ci, bucket seats. Took my girlfriend to see her birth mother and a couple of siblings. Her mother was pretty young and lived in a real shack out in the country, with this real old dude. Probably my age today. Sitting there it really brought back the memories. I headed out on the bike, no not to Melbourne, but south to Batesville, my old home town.
More Forgetfullness
Heading south on Highway69 after I left Sage, I went about 10 miles and I passed Stella Rd. It's a little gravel road just north of Mt. Pleasant on the Izard and Independence County line. I U-turned back to Stella Road headed a little east. About a couple miles I started looking off the road for Chinquipin Cemetary. It's off on the left out in the middle of a cow pasture. Yea, I missed it; u-turned and went back up the gravel road. Saw a cattle gap fence gate; stopped and looked down thru the middle of the pasture and saw the little cemetary. Took the gate down, rode on thru down the little path. Stopped and put the gate back in place. I didn't see any cows, but their somewhere in there, their probably all laying down chewing their cude. Anyway, didn't want to be responsible for runaway cows. And I sure didn't was to do a cattle roundup.
Heading south on Highway69 after I left Sage, I went about 10 miles and I passed Stella Rd. It's a little gravel road just north of Mt. Pleasant on the Izard and Independence County line. I U-turned back to Stella Road headed a little east. About a couple miles I started looking off the road for Chinquipin Cemetary. It's off on the left out in the middle of a cow pasture. Yea, I missed it; u-turned and went back up the gravel road. Saw a cattle gap fence gate; stopped and looked down thru the middle of the pasture and saw the little cemetary. Took the gate down, rode on thru down the little path. Stopped and put the gate back in place. I didn't see any cows, but their somewhere in there, their probably all laying down chewing their cude. Anyway, didn't want to be responsible for runaway cows. And I sure didn't was to do a cattle roundup.
I rode the bike down the path to the little cemetary. Looked around, still no cows. Parked the bike under the tree next to the barb wire cattle fence around the cemetary. Looked pretty much the same as always. Both great grandparents and a couple of their children who died at birth birth or really young. Looked around some more. Several other family names match names of my class mates from Batesville. Our 50 year class reunion is coming up in 2021, I'll ask 'em about it.
I rode the bike down the path to the little cemetary. Looked around, still no cows. Parked the bike under the tree next to the barb wire cattle fence around the cemetary. Looked pretty much the same as always. Both great grandparents and a couple of their children who died at birth birth or really young. Looked around some more. Several other family names match names of my class mates from Batesville. Our 50 year class reunion is coming up in 2021, I'll ask 'em about it.
One last look around and headed south to Batesville. When I've been running the Ozarks, I'm always a little sad; south or east of Batesville and I run out of the hills and twisties and into flat farm land. This time I ran south thru Batesville; I lived here '68-'73. I have mixed feelings about this town. After I cross White River and get to south side. I usually look back. Batesville High School sits on the bluff overlooking the river. It was a new school in '68. Hard to believe it's been it been 50 years ago.
About a month later, I got a letter packet from Kansas Dave. A letter and about 10 pics. Barry, my ride thru the Ozarks was the best, the rally was also the best. But my ride with you to Mountain View was the hilite of the whole trip. Yeah, it was a perfect week of riding, the Ozarks, Mountain View, the little festival. Yeah it's like going back in time for me.
I attended the old school Mt. View folk festivals in the late 60's. The Great Woodstock Festival in 1969 changed everything. Those hippies got inspired, spread their new age freedom all over the USA. They came to Mt. View by the thousands and took over. Never seen nothin like it. Hey Dude, Peace, Make Love not War. Everybody was giving the Peace Sign. The normal crowded 25,000 attendee festival became over 100,000. It overwhelmed the town and the county. If you can't beat'm, join 'em I always say. I became a hippy, well really a temporary semi-hippy. Could'nt quite pull the trigger and go the whole way. Grew the long hair, kinda talked the hippy slang, fringed my jeans, tye dyed my T's. and smoked those left handed cigarettes. Ah, the good old days. But I survived to live and tell the tale. I was to much of a red neck. 
mikegalbicka
Back in the saddle again
I resembled that back in the late 60’s and early 70’s before I got saved. Attended this festival out your way in 74. I was blessed to survive that season of life!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozark_Music_Festival
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozark_Music_Festival
There are all kinds of ways and roads to run in Arkansas. One way is to find a back road of length and ride it the distance end to end. One I rave about is Highway 16 from Searcy to Siloam Springs. A majority is really isolated. Some pastoral farming, but a lot of mountains, twisties, a lot of the Ozark National Forrest, lakes, rivers, etc.. much of the time you'll have it to yourselves. Well, that and the locals; deer, raccoons, possums, coyotes, turkeys, buzzards, roadrunners and all their buds.
Scenic 7
Maybe the most well known scenic highway in Arkansas. Most have run it from Hot Springs to Harrison. North of Hot Springs thru the Ouachita National Forest, then cross the Arkansas River and ride north thru the Ozark National Forest to Harrison. Yep, the famous Scenic 7. But there is also the southern section, mostly unknown and unridden
Maybe the most well known scenic highway in Arkansas. Most have run it from Hot Springs to Harrison. North of Hot Springs thru the Ouachita National Forest, then cross the Arkansas River and ride north thru the Ozark National Forest to Harrison. Yep, the famous Scenic 7. But there is also the southern section, mostly unknown and unridden
The southern end of starts at the Arkansas and Louisiana line near Lockhart, La.. No there ain't no mountains here, but is still interesting country. Timber country, oil and gas fields, Civil War battle fields, old railroad lines. Scenic 7 sorta parallels the meandering Ouachita River. Caddo Valley, Caddo River, Lake Degray, roll into Lake Hamilton, then famous Hot Springs National Park. The unknown southern end of Scenic 7.
mikegalbicka
Back in the saddle again
Stayed in Harrison about 5 years ago for a long Memorial Day weekend and road both of those. There isn’t a bad ride anywhere in that area if you stay off the main drags. Great scenery and little traffic and lots of twisties and sweepers. We had a great time and passed through Mountain View as well.
