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Routing advice needed across NW Arkansas

Arkansas DOT has a excellent road condition website.
https://www.idrivearkansas.com/

We used it in 2017 after a major storm washed out a lot of roads.
They were updating the map daily or several times during the day.
It was easy to take a look on my phone and quickly see the problem roads.

Excellent site... when the levee failed near Dardanelle in Jun2019, the amount of road closures was stunning to see on main routes we use regularly. The damage and smell of flooded fields was very much visible in October and still had roads out of play.
 
McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigational System 1971

One way to understand this is the history of the Arkansas River and it's tributaries. The head waters of the Ar. River are in the Rocky Mnts. In Colorado. The Arkansas is usually a slow meandering river from the Rockies to the Mississippi River. But some years the river becomes a destructive torrent. Back in the 50's Sen's Kerr(Ok.) and McClellan(Ar.) Propossed the the lock and dam system to help the situation. It was basically the port of Catoosa north of Tulsa to the end of the Ar. River at the Mississippi River. For the most part, it works. But, some years the amount of water is still just too massive. Anyway read up on the McClellan/Kerr water system. It's pretty interesting.:thumb
 
if you have your heart set on Kansas thats great but an alternate ride would be 412 across OK through Guyman if you don't mind a dip to the South you can take in Roy New Mexico area the the Canadian River Canyon just West of there kind of neat then West and North toward Colorado.
 
if you have your heart set on Kansas thats great but an alternate ride would be 412 across OK through Guyman if you don't mind a dip to the South you can take in Roy New Mexico area the the Canadian River Canyon just West of there kind of neat then West and North toward Colorado.

Of the last dozen states I have ridden in, overall the road conditions in Oklahoma have been the worst. I am not sure specifically about either 160 in Kansas or 64 in Oklahoma but as a general rule Oklahoma road conditions reflect a high level of neglect.
 
The last time I was at the Peel Ferry (Sept)., as we pulled up to the sign that states, "Stop here" as in don't pull down to the edge of the lake...four Harley riders had pulled all the way down to the edge...DUH! I asked myself, "now how the hell do they think the vehicles can get off the ferry when it approaches this side?" When they saw the ferry approaching, it FINALLY occurred to all of them the problem at hand. It was freaking hilarious watching all of them frantically backing and turning around four super heavy bikes in a very narrow area, and slightly uphill. I really was hoping one of them would let their bike drop off in the lake :evil. Now they had to go to the back of the line :laugh.
 
If you pass through Yellville, you aren't too far from the Peel Ferry that crosses the western end of Bull Shoals - https://www.arkansas.com/peel/peel-ferry

If we hadn't taken the ferry on the way to the Sedalia MO Rally I'd definitely take it this time. But the last time I was in the area (with Barley) we explored much of southern MO. It was hot as the dickens and I was grateful for those ice cold rivers coming out of enormous springs!

This time the focus is on northern AR.
 
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