SFO 2014 - May 29th thru June 1st at The Hub

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Thanks for the tip MGM...

I will be getting new tires from Yamaha of Harrison Thursday morning at 9:00. Plan on spending the night Wednesday in Harrison. Sounds like GP may be there as well.

I have been doing some research on the area, thought it might be fun to take a leisure day Thursday to actually spend some time checking out some of the local attractions. You Know...some of the interesting stuff that I have just blown by in past years. Sort of a "tourist mode" as opposed to the usual "Moto-GP" mode. Marble Falls? Dogpatch? Caves? ect.....Just a thought....

Weather man says, I Had better get my rain gear tuned up.....???? we'll see.

 
Weather man says, I Had better get my rain gear tuned up.....???? we'll see.
Yeah, what else is new ?
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I'm sure you'll have fun anyway...
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Wake-up all you SFO'ers, it is almost time to party!! Brian, I checked many different weather sources, and though it looks like a 40 to 50 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms on Thur-Sat, I don't believe

they will be the all day type of precipitation. The great great great great news is that the high temps will be in the low low 80's or high 70's, with temps starting in morning hours of mid 60's. This could not be

more perfect riding weather!!! I am soooo ready and will be seeing everyone on Thursday afternoon.
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Yeah, the rain situation is not looking too good. Hopefully we will be ok for a day or two. You never know. As of now I'm planning on meeting Brian in Harrison on Wednesday. We will see what the next few days bring.

GP

 
I have been doing some research on the area, thought it might be fun to take a leisure day Thursday to actually spend some time checking out some of the local attractions. You Know...some of the interesting stuff that I have just blown by in past years. Sort of a "tourist mode" as opposed to the usual "Moto-GP" mode. Marble Falls? Dogpatch? Caves? ect.....Just a thought....
Weather man says, I Had better get my rain gear tuned up.....???? we'll see.
One spot that popped up when I was perusing Google Maps was Glory Hole Falls. I've got to get a picture of the sign if nothing else.

 
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If you guys get a chance be sure to eat at the Low Gap Cafe in hw 74 about 10 miles west of Jasper and six miles east of Ponca.

If you guys get a chance be sure to eat at the Low Gap Cafe in hw 74 about 10 miles west of Jasper and six miles east of Ponca.

 
like always...I will be snooping around looking for a quick paced ride. And more often than not changing a tire for someone that unexpectedly finds cords!

c'ya when the sun is shining,

Mark

 
If you guys don't mind,

I was invited by Pegsparks to come along seeing as I am not that far at the moment (Springfield).

I couldn't make it today but it looks like I'm a goer for Saturday. Would love to meet up while I'm over from Australia.

If any of you have a spot it might help me find you when I get there. Cheers

Festar

 
Let me say, Southern Hospitality is definitely alive and kicking in Missouri, Arkansas and Alabama,

After being very well looked after here in Missouri, by Kevin Houseman I rode down to Marble Falls in Arkansas today at the invitation of a few Alabama fellas to partake in an FJR meet and ride. Also there were others from Wisconsin, Indiana, Missippippi and Oklahoma. What a great bunch of blokes. We went for a brisk but full days ride around Bull Shoals Lake and left them after a couple of beers in Branson. If this is typical of the people I am to meet and the roads I will ride then this trip will meet my highest expectations.

I wish I could spend more time down here but the show must go on.

God Bless America

Special thanks to:

Pegsparks, FJRBandit, CraigRegs, Wine whisperer, Sevens0n & LA 2 Wheeler.

My spotwalla link for those who asked is https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=98a35360d911c370c&showInfo=yes&showHome=yes&hoursPast=24&fillFactor=100&zoomLevel=10&showWeather=no&units=F

cheers fellas

 
Home safe and wishing I lived closer to those curvy roads! To all of my new buds, I can't wait til we do it again! Brian (festar) it was a pleasure to share the roads and the other treats Arkansas and Missouri have to offer. Photos etc. to come.

 
Another year of SFO is now in the books. Well, maybe, but more on that later....
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Most of the usual suspects were in attendance this year and in addition, we had two new attendees as well. One from the land of the corn (Iowa) and the other from the land of Oz (Australia). Several past attendees have gone MIA and some just couldn't make it for personal or medical reasons. To those I wish the best and a speedy recovery. Hopefully they will all resurface and join us at the next SFO.

On to the recap - we end up having 10 bikes (and their respective owners) show up, 8 stayed at The Hub, one local and one just passing thru. We had an '03, an '05, two '06's, 3 '07's, an '08A, an '08AE and even a Super Tenere'.

Our newest attendee, Craigsregs hails from the land of the corn. He had been in Atlanta on Wednesday where he had a little suspension work done at Traxxion. As he passed through Birmingham on his way to SFO he joined Pegsparks and I for the trek to the Ozarks by way of overnight in Memphis. Although Wednesday was a washout throughout Alabama, we managed to stay "relatively" dry. But once we arrived in Corinth, MS we stopped for dinner and checked the radar out ahead and quickly decided to spend the night there, then head to Memphis the next morning to meet Winewhisperer. Let's just say, if you've never been to Corinth, MS I doubt you've missed very much. But we managed to have a blast! However, as they say, "What happens in Corinth, stays in Corinth."

Unloading the FJR's that evening in our "budget" priced motel.

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The next morning it was on to Memphis to meet Winewhisperer, then head in the general direction of The Hub.

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The first of many of our parking lot meetings at The Hub this past weekend.

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On Friday, all eight of us staying at The Hub headed to the Ozark Cafe in Jasper for breakfast. We learned to never trust the radar on your phone in an area with a very poor phone signal reception. Needless to say, the rain made it's presence known early and often on Friday. However, three or four of the guys made the most of it and said that they had found some dry pavement somewhere. Some of us found a wet county instead and stocked up for the afternoon....
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After the Friday washout some of us endured, we were jonesing to get out Saturday.

Friday night we heard from our Aussie attendee, festar. He said he would be at The Hub Saturday morning. He came rolling in on his shiny new '03 Gen I ready to roll. FJRMGM and two others had already headed out on a ride, so the remaining seven of us charted a course that would take us on a little 250 mile jaunt around Bull Shoals Lake.

Here's Pegsparks and sevens0n waiting to pull out Saturday, with Winewhisperer back at the pump fueling up.

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We headed up through Harrison on AR 7 and then briskly down AR 14 to Push Mountain. At Push Mountain we rearranged the riding order so that the ones feeling the most spry could push the limits of the FJR, while some of us just strolled along smelling the roses. Supposedly there is film somewhere of the Push Mountain trio but I'll have to leave that to the owner of that production to decide whether or not it goes public.

Either way, after that big run we stopped to fuel up and grab a bite. We introduced festar to some Southern eatin' at Skippers in Mountain Home, AR, While we were hoping for some healthy vegetables, apparently they specialize in fried this and fried that. It's all good. Then it was time to suit up again and head for US 160 in southern Missouri. Here's Pegsparks and LA2wheeler ready to roll.

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After the roller coaster ride that is US 160 we found our way to Hollister, MO, just outside of Branson, MO to an interesting little spot called "Ye Olde English Inn" founded in 1909. https://oldenglishinnbranson.com/ It's a neat little place I discovered a couple of years ago when I was looking for some hangover relief after an evening around an SFO campfire.

Anyway, here's a shot of the gang of seven that were in the Bull Shoals run on Saturday, taken just before entering the Pub at Ye Olde English Inn. From left to right, Winewhisperer, FJRBandit, LA2wheeler, festar, Craisgregs, sevens0n and Pegsparks.

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Here's LA2wheeler, Craigsregs and Pegsparks enjoying a cold one while relaxing and chatting with festar about his upcoming travels across the US.

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Our steeds waiting patiently out front.

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Winewhisperer telling us all he's number one.

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LA2wheeler trying to look and see what going on inside the car next to him.
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Headed back to The Hub on a beautiful evening in the Ozarks.

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That evening we had a nice prime rib dinner at the restaurant on site at The HUB and then it was back to the parking lot for more stories lies about what great riders we all are...
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After a good time was had by all, we said our goodbyes and agreed that it would be The HUB again for the next SFO.

Everyone got out relatively early Sunday morning headed back home. Pegsparks and I struck out with GPRIDER, Winewhisperer and LA2wheeler. We made our way to Hot Springs via scenic AR 7 where we said our goodbyes. Pegsparks and I continued on towards Greenville, MS where we crossed the Mighty Mississippi.

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Then onto the long slog across Mississippi on US 82.

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As it started getting dark we had to stop to change out our visors and eye protection. I wish I had kept on my dark shades.....
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All good things must come to an end. But before signing off I'd like to give a big shout out to Randall and Debbie at The HUB, along with their very friendly staff and of course Happy, who is one of the best furry animals on the planet. Because of them all, we were treated to another great stay for SFO this year.

For those that don't know, Randall and Debbie took on a monumental task a few years ago when they purchased the once proud property known throughout Northwest Arkansas as "Dogpatch". It is said to have been one of the largest amusement parks in the country at the time it was in operation. Well, mother nature has now reclaimed most of the remnants, but Randall and Debbie have worked hard to get the hotel back into shape, while providing us all with a clean place to stay at a very affordable price. Not to mention, they are two of the nicest people you will ever meet, bar none. They tell me that they've already had two or three weekends of complete sell out this year and there are several weekends booked solid this coming year. That's great news for both them and all of us. Hopefully they'll be able to continue to update and improve the property and continue to provide us with an affordable place to hold SFO right in the heart of some of the best riding the country has to offer!

Thanks to everyone that attended and I look forward to seeing you all again next time at SFO. Which, by the way, brings me back to what I mentioned at the very start. I said that another year of SFO was in the books --- However, we had an executive committee meeting of eight this year and decided that after multiple years of having at least one day rained out that maybe the Spring wasn't the best time for us to have SFO. So we decided that we are going to give the Fall a chance in the Ozarks. But since none of us can wait another 18 months to go back, we're going back this coming September. Yep, you heard it right, we're going back to The HUB in the Fall this year. If you are interested in joining us stay tuned and keep an eye out for a new thread entitled - SFO 2014 - The Redux.

Till then ----

 
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Fixed it for ya...

Here's Pegsparks and sevens0n waiting to pull out Saturday, with Winewhisperer back at the pump fueling up. polishing.

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Ha. Thanks for posting the pics Turk. That's great. I made it home safe. Everyone attending should sound off so we know all made it home ok. On the way home I almost mated with a car in Hot Springs that moved over into my lane, but fortunately I got out of that one unscathed.

GP

 
Nothing better than fall in the Ozarks...good call! Several groups already have weekends planned for this fall. I will post up dates later.

Sorry I missed riding with y'all. Since moving here I have become a pansy fair weather rider and mostly ride when all is well. I even recall NOT riding one day because it was to windy! If weather is iffy we tool around in the convertible.

Fortunately we had a great ride to Push on Sunday with the MSSR group (Mid South Sportbike Riders) out of Memphis.

C'ya in the fall.

 
Nothing better than fall in the Ozarks...good call! Several groups already have weekends planned for this fall. I will post up dates later.
Sorry I missed riding with y'all. Since moving here I have become a pansy fair weather rider and mostly ride when all is well. I even recall NOT riding one day because it was to windy! If weather is iffy we tool around in the convertible.

Fortunately we had a great ride to Push on Sunday with the MSSR group (Mid South Sportbike Riders) out of Memphis.

C'ya in the fall.

Thanks Mark! We missed you out there leading the "spirited" ride Saturday.
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As far as the date for the fall, everything is set. We have a small block of rooms reserved for the last weekend in September. What we are going for is to be in the area for the blues and barbecue event in Fayetteville being held Sept. 24th thru the 27th. Although its a few miles over there, it should provide for a nice ride to and fro, as long as one doesn't get too tempted while at the festival.
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I'll post up the specific info in another thread as soon as I get caught up from being out a few days.
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My voyage to SFO began with a side-trip to Woodstock, GA to give the '07 a much-deserved suspension upgrade. After 800 miles on Tuesday, I bedded down in Chattanooga, then it was a quick 90 minute hop to Traxxion Dynamics Wednesday morning. After 4 hours, the FJR was buttoned up and ready to go, so off to Birmingham to meet up with FJRBandit and pegsparks. As the GPS guided me into FJRBandit's driveway, they were pulling on the rain gear. Greetings were to the point: "I'm Turk, that's Terry, we gotta go if we're going to get ahead of that rain." We dodged in and out of the edge of a wall of grey clouds until we reached Corinth, MS. Not a town in which you expect much, but let's say Turk has a knack for picking motels. With a cozy nightclub right next door, we had no trouble whiling away what could have been an otherwise boring evening.

Thursday, on to Memphis to meet up with Winewhisperer and hightail it to The Hub.

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Upon arrival,introductions were made, gear was stowed, and a good old-fashioned Southern porch party commenced.

(dsbiker, FJRBandit, GPRider, LA2Wheeler, winewhisperer).

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This lasted until long after the sun set and too long after dsbiker brought out the real-deal Kentucky moonshine.

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dsbiker really should put a warning label on this stuff. It's like 450 proof or something. winewhisperer could have burned the whole place down.

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As is typically the case at SFO, I'm told, Friday dawned cloudy and threatening rain. FJRBandit led the group on an abbreviated ride that included a stop at the Ozark Cafe for an awesome breakfast.

(FJRBandit, GPRIDER,dsbiker, LA2Wheeler, sevens0n back in the shadows, pegsparks)

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wineshisperer headed into the Ozark Cafe.

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Sevens0n, LA2Wheeler, winewhisperer, dsbiker, FJRBandit, GPRider, CraigRegs waiting on coffee at the Ozark Cafe.

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After an hour or so slogging through the rain after breakfast Turk guided us back to the Hub...where the parking lot of course was dry. GPRider, sevens0n, and I decided to head NW to try and skirt the rain and for the most part, were successful. North to Harrsion, Hwy 62 west to Berryville, then south on 21 until taking 74 into Kingston. A few miles out of Kingston, we stopped for a break and a photo, and to enjoy not being wet. Well, Gary and Brian aren't wet. I'm smiling even though a leak in my rain pants made me look like I had bladder control issues.

(CraigRegs, GPRider, sevens0n)

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After remounting, it was on to the intersection with Hwy 23 which we followed south. Just before I-40 we cut east on 352, then headed north on the glorious Hwys 21 and 16, unknowingly running right past one of my intended stops, Glory Hole Falls. That sucks.

However, Brian's eagle-eye spotted this place in time, Aptly named Backwoods BBQ. It's actually a relatively new building, well-disguised as a rusted shed. Had a fantasticly smoky and juicy pulled pork sandwich and a piece of homemade chocolate cream pie.

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GPRider orders up.

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Back on the road, Hwy 7 ran us back to the Hub and past some gorgeous valleys. Sorry, not many landscape shots to share; sevens0n runs a spirited ride!

Saturday morning, several of us waited around for the arrival of festar, our new Aussie friend who had just purchased an FJR up the road in Springfield, MO and was in need of some hooligans to teach him to drive on the right side of the road. After FJRBandit said a few words and passed the collection plate, we were off on a run to Push Mountain and around Bull Shoals Lake.

(festar, FJRBandit, Kevin Houseman, LA2Wheeler)

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After a catfish lunch in Mountain Home, ice cream sundae in Theodosia, and a pint outside of Branson, I think SFO made an impression on festar's stomach, if nothing else.

(pegsparks [back to camera], winewhisperer, sevens0n, festar, FJRBandit, LA2Wheeler)

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Saturday night in the south usually means goin' to town...unless you've got enough of a party going at home. And we did, so back on the porch to enjoy a beautiful

. Most hit the hay early as morning meant piling on the miles to get back to Memphis, Birmingham, Mesquite, Des Moines, Smackover, or similar metropolises. (sevens0n, GPRider, dsbiker, LA2Wheeler, FJRBandit, pegsparks)

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It was great fun, I met some fantastic new friends, renewed old acquaintances, rode almost exactly 2700 miles, Looking forward to doing it again!

And by the way, I spent a few dollars and had an "SFO '14" graphic created. If you'd like to use in your sig, I believe you can copy it from mine.

 
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Excellent write up and pictorial...well done sir!

Bikes blues and BBQ is certainly worth experiencing if you have never been. Just attempt to get here early so you can ride some during the week before Saturdays BBB trip.

 
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