THE GYPSY IN ME

Post by **GypsyRR** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:30 pm

On a whim and because I'm sick of rain and tired of working 16-18 hour days and because I have a lot more work coming up.................. I'm heading out on my bike either tomorrow or Friday with no particular plan. (barring any unforseen disaster or emergency). I think I'll head toward Arkansas, but from there.......... I do not know. I'll either ride Arkansas the whole time or I may venture further east. I guess I'll just try to check the weather daily and make my decisions that way. But at this point I have no plans - other than to travel.

This will be the longest and farthest I've traveled by bike, so suggestions are welcomed. Help would be welcomed too, if I run into some trouble.

Wish me luck. I'm sure I'll have stories to tell when I return (don't know when that is either).

Post by **OU812** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:52 pm

Good for you! A few of us are riding to the Rally in WI. Not a far ride, but I have 4 days off! No wife, kids, dog, WORK!

sep999 · Post by **sep999** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 6:13 pm

I live in Memphis, and I'll tell you, I'd stay in Arkansas for the whole time. There are great roads little traffic. If you head east from there you'll have to ride several hours before you get to some good roads, almost to eastern TN.

BTW, if you want some help finding good roads, stop by BMW of Little Rock and they sell a book that has a lot of great information about roads in AR.

Post by **r1150rider** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 6:33 pm

What a lucky pup you are, takin' off in the middle of summer! I don't know how many days you'll be out, but one suggestion that comes to mind is that if I'm out more than 4 or 5 days, I'll only pack enough clothes for half (or a third, etc) of those days. It's pretty easy to find a way to get your laundry done once or twice on the road, and this helps me be able to pack pretty light...

Oh, another idea- I've shipped stuff I'm done with (dirty clothes, heavy jacket, "guest" helmet) part way through a long ride, just another way to lighten the load. Did I mention I like to travel light?

And hey, not to hijack your thread, but is mid-to-late September good for runnin' around the hill country? I'm lookin' at a big "loop"; SoCal up to Seattle, hang a right, east to maybe Sturgis, hang another right, head south, etc. (inquiring minds wanna know, ya know?)

Have a nice ride!!

Post by **GypsyRR** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 6:40 pm

Ed - TEXas anytime is good.

September will still be hot - possibly into the 90's in the hill country, but also possibly in the 80's. Nights are cool though. Not much traffic in September either. Most of the travelers to the hill country are there either in Summer, October or whenever deer season starts. I don't know when deer season starts. So - a lot less traffic in September. "iffy" on the heat. October is usually kind of rainy, but all summer has been rainy this year. It's always hard to predict, that is why we say it is always a good time to come to Texas (except in the floods).

mad1150 · Post by **mad1150** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 7:04 pm

I think you'll do just fine!

You are doing one of the things I would like to do, just pack up and go, no particular direction or plan, just go for a long ride.

..and some of the most fun things we do are the unexpected ones.

Have a safe trip, we'll be waiting for your ride report.

Cool avatar/s - where did you find the it/them???

Post by **GypsyRR** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 7:13 pm

Thanks.

Avatars - made 'em. I like change and options. Photobucket.com (free) has a tab in there called "meez" that lets you make your own and save them (animated if you want) as avatars.

Post by **DJ Downunder** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 8:06 pm

Ride safe Gypsy....Don't forget your camera..and take lots of pictures for us.

Don't push your luck with that new radar detector..there's no hurry..and speed kills..so they say.

Have a good trip.

DJ

Post by **GypsyRR** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:33 pm

Decided - leaving tomorrow a.m. HA - this is gonna be an adventure to end all adventures probably. I've never camped before in my llife but have always wanted to. I guess I'll learn to set up my own d*mn tent and survive the wild on my own.

Honestly, I'm skeered to death since I've never camped before, but at the same time I'm determined to learn. Maybe this isn't the best way to learn, but it's my only option at this point in my life. So off I go. I wish I could bring my laptop so I could write daily as I travel so I won't forget anything, but it's not coming. I'll resort to pen and paper.

Later - sometime

mad1150 · Post by **mad1150** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:56 pm

I took my laptop to WI, and will take it to the Rally too. I have a Backpack for it. I stuff the backpack with other things, shoes, flip-flops, etc., wrap it in a backpack rain cover (from Gander Mountain) and tie it down to the back seat & luggage rack with a cargo net.

It came in handy in WI, thats how I collected pictures from digital cameras at the end of the trip.

MIXR · Post by **MIXR** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:49 pm

Travel light. A sleeping bag and a bottle of scotch is all that's needed. Then the sleeping bag becomes optional as you won't feel the lumps on the ground or the rain or the cold!

Have fun Gypsy. Enjoy the ride and the stars. Just watch out for the 'drop-bears'.

Post by **GypsyRR** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:14 pm

"drop bears"???

need more information please, or is that some kind of Aussie joke like snipe hunting?

Post by **bmwdave52** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 12:31 am

Notify your credit and oil card companies about your travel plans. This will save you embarrassment and many headaches.

Also, drink lots of water and eat salty snacks.

MIXR · Post by **MIXR** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 12:53 am

Wikipedia

A drop bear (or dropbear) is a fictional Australian marsupial said to be related to the koala.

Drop bears are commonly said to be unusually large, vicious, carnivorous koalas that inhabit treetops and attack their prey by dropping onto their heads from above. They are an example of local lore intended to frighten and confuse outsiders (usually American tourists), and amuse locals, similar to the jackalope, hoop snake, haggis or snipe hunting.

Stories of drop bears are often told to unsuspecting foreign visitors to illustrate Australian morbid humour. It is often suggested that doing ridiculous things like having forks in the hair or Vegemite or toothpaste spread behind the ears will deter the creatures.

Post by **taosports** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 1:22 am

Beware the dropbear!

BoiseBeemer · Post by **BoiseBeemer** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 12:25 pm

bmwdave52 wrote:Notify your credit and oil card companies about your travel plans. This will save you embarrassment and many headaches.

Plus one! On our recent tour to the Ozarks, my wife and I gradually lost the use of all 3 credit cards we were carrying. On three of my last four trips I've had the credit card I was using blocked. Why? Because I rarely use them and always pay the full balance each month if I do. Since the card usually starts the trip with a zero balance, any sudden flurry of activity, particularly if it happens to cross a few state lines, automatically triggers an alert at the CC company. Very annoying on the road, and potentially devastating if a quick phone call can't get it immediately corrected. An advance notice to the company is a good idea.

kantuckid · Post by **kantuckid** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 5:00 pm

Ride straight out thru east Texas and come over to Mississippi-Natchez and ride up the Trace-slow but a peaceful scenic ride. You will end up in Nashville if you stay on it and then you can choose some nice riding from there in several directions.

Post by **GypsyRR** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 3:23 pm

WOO HOO! I'm home from a one week solo peregrination through Arkansas. Ride report will be posted in Great Rides soon, but first I need rest. My route was dictated mostly by weather, secondly by rivers and roads. It was my first time camping and longest trip so far - 1883 miles. No MC accidents or drops. Only 2 injuries (unrelated to motorcycling). I learned a lot about camping, traveling by mc, Arkansas roads, riding in rain, trail braking, stamina, spear fishing, park rangers, sleeping wherever you can find shelter, hunger, and so called "business trips". Summing up - I managed to amaze, annoy, amuse, avoid, and ally many different people on my travels through Arkansas. What a blast.

Besides all that, I also found possible places for a motorcycle gathering in the Fall if any of you would like to join up in Arkansas for some great riding on some great roads.

But first .......... I sleep.

Post by **MikeCam** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 4:36 pm

In addition to the usual outstanding photos and 'fish' stories we have come to expect from you, Gypsy, we now require an annotated map (satellite or road base) with your routes and recommendations.

By 5.

mad1150 · Post by **mad1150** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 5:40 pm

...don't forget to include dining, lodging, and party spot/watering hole recommendations with ratings please.

Oh, and yes, and per cam - by 5:00 would be nice.

Thanks in advance!