He spends the day riding his dual-sport bike, of course.
Arkansawyer Mark asked me if I had a ride planned for Sunday. I told him I was thinking about doing the GOAT (Green Country Oklahoma Adventure Tour) south loop. He suggested that we do it. I invited everyone else in the GOAT group, but Mark was the only one who showed up. We met at Tenkiller Dam at 10:00 and rode out from there.
The marble quarry at Marble City. Mark rides an XR650. Mine is the 450L.
The railroad spur to the quarry.
Little Lee Creek.
The Elohim City bypass through the Ozark Plateau. It’s a public road but not maintained. It’s one of my favorite sections of the route.
Bridge over the Baron Fork of the Illinois River.
Only 250 miles to Kansas City.
We rode into the Cherokee Wildlife Management Area. I had heard that the low water bridge on Greenleaf Creek had washed out a couple months ago. I figured it would be repaired by now.
Nope.
Mark found a way to cross just downstream.
We left the WMA and headed south on Indian Road for the final six miles or so of our ride.
I had forgotten that it washed out too.
The lake was to our left and the WMA was to our right, we absolutely could not find a way to get around this. We decided to ride back into the WMA and see if we could find a place to cut through. After several miles of overgrown trails, dead ends, and locked gates, we gave up and back-tracked. The only option was to make about a forty-mile detour back north, then across the lake to the other side. This part sucked as it was late, hot, and all paved highway. We got back to the trucks at 7:00. By this time, it had cooled down to 101°. Except for the detour part, it turned out to be a really fun ride. I can’t figure out why no one else went. Surely, it wasn't the heat?
Arkansawyer Mark asked me if I had a ride planned for Sunday. I told him I was thinking about doing the GOAT (Green Country Oklahoma Adventure Tour) south loop. He suggested that we do it. I invited everyone else in the GOAT group, but Mark was the only one who showed up. We met at Tenkiller Dam at 10:00 and rode out from there.
The marble quarry at Marble City. Mark rides an XR650. Mine is the 450L.
The railroad spur to the quarry.
Little Lee Creek.
The Elohim City bypass through the Ozark Plateau. It’s a public road but not maintained. It’s one of my favorite sections of the route.
Bridge over the Baron Fork of the Illinois River.
Only 250 miles to Kansas City.
We rode into the Cherokee Wildlife Management Area. I had heard that the low water bridge on Greenleaf Creek had washed out a couple months ago. I figured it would be repaired by now.
Nope.
Mark found a way to cross just downstream.
We left the WMA and headed south on Indian Road for the final six miles or so of our ride.
I had forgotten that it washed out too.
The lake was to our left and the WMA was to our right, we absolutely could not find a way to get around this. We decided to ride back into the WMA and see if we could find a place to cut through. After several miles of overgrown trails, dead ends, and locked gates, we gave up and back-tracked. The only option was to make about a forty-mile detour back north, then across the lake to the other side. This part sucked as it was late, hot, and all paved highway. We got back to the trucks at 7:00. By this time, it had cooled down to 101°. Except for the detour part, it turned out to be a really fun ride. I can’t figure out why no one else went. Surely, it wasn't the heat?