Fair Grove Mill Loop

We decided to mill hunting again today. :) We headed north from Ozark up Hwy 65 and made stops at three area motorcycle stores: Cruisin 66, Gene's Gallery, and Honda of the Ozarks. We are looking for replacement seat options and also wanted to check out the condition of our tires, which turned out to be just fine.

After the motorcycle store stops, we headed north to Fair Grove and stopped at the Wommack Mill. Several families were taking fall photos there, but we were able to get some good shots without too much trouble.

We left Fair Grove and headed to Bennett Spring State Park. We didn't stay too long, but took some great pictures of the dam and a bunch of fly fishermen. We met a "Harley trike dude" from Lebanon.

We decided not to head to Pomme de Terre as originally planned, but instead headed to Bolivar across Hwy 32 and ate dinner at Smiths (open faced roast beef of course). From there we headed home.

Route Info:

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Starting mileage 72185
Ending mileage 72369

Roaring River and 911 Lady

We forgot to get starting and ending mileage for this trip, but you will understand why after you read about our adventure today.

The goal of the day was to go to Roaring River via a twisty route, then to Monett, then home. We had two unexpected twists along the way. One historic school (cool) and one hysterical lady (uncool).

First, the cool twist to our day. As we were taking the "twisty way" to Roaring River, Cindy spotted a sign that said "Woolsey Historic School," so we turned around and headed down the side road for about four miles. One deer and several dozen twists later, we found the rock one-room school building. We took several photos of the school, a small stage area, and even two outhouses. We headed back to the highway and headed toward Cassville.

So here's the uncool twist to our day. We were talking about the cool school and missed the turn for Hwy M. We continued to head toward Cassville on Hwy 76. As we rounded a corner about five miles from town, there was a young woman in the middle of the highway begging us to stop and help. She was barefoot, crying, and wearing only a bra and towel. We were unable to stop in time, but slowed to around 10 mph and coasted past her mobile home looking for a place to stop. At that time, we noticed that she was being pursued by a guy wearing only boxer shorts. She was clearly in serious trouble and we were not sure what to do. We came to a stop about 1/8 mile down the road. There were two cars trailing us and they drove on without stopping to help. The lady continued running down the highway toward us. We could not tell if she was still being pursued. Eric pulled off his helmet, grabbed his cell phone, and called 911. He explained the situation and that we were at the intersection of Hwy 76 and 86 near Cassville. At that time, we both heard a gunshot, although we were not sure if it was related. The woman was getting closer and we did not feel safe to engage her. Eric hung up the phone and we headed on down the road. As we pulled out, we saw a white SUV stop by the woman and we proceeded to hear shouting. Two sheriff's cars passed us heading toward the woman, so we were hopeful they would be able to figure things out. We found a place to turn around, and headed back toward the scene to make sure the police found the woman. When we got back to the intersection, there was no woman, no SUV, and no police. We continued back to the mobile home, where we saw the SUV with both front doors wide open, no people, and no police. We were very concerned that the police didn't know where to look and figured that the woman was still in serious trouble. We found a place to stop and called 911 a second time. We described the SUV and the location of the mobile home and pleaded with them to send the cops back to the area. Not wanting to stay involved, we headed back to Hwy M and went to Roaring River. We couldn't stop thinking about that lady and still wonder what happened to her.

Roaring River was beautiful as usual. We parked at the hatchery (next to a Goldwing that didn't look nearly as nice as ours) and hiked up the small loop. We took some photos and then headed on to Grandma's house.

We arrived in Monett and helped Grandma set up her Christmas stuff. She fed us well (as usual) and then we headed back home the normal way. This was quite an adventurous Sunday ride!

Ride Info:

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Arkansas Fall Foliage Tour

Today we went out for a "fall foliage tour" through Harrison and Jasper, all the way down to Clarksville, over to Ozark (AR), up the Pig Trail, through Eureka Springs, and home. Along the way, we took a pit stop at Pedestal Rocks for some hiking. BEAUTIFUL leaves! This is one of our favorite routes for day ride in Arkansas.

Ride Info:

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Starting mileage 71621
Ending mileage 71992
Total mileage 371

Starting temperature 41 degrees

Our first multi-day trip - Hwy 19 to Booneville

Friday, October 25, 2013
On Friday, we left the house at 1:07pm. Cindy had a half-day of school and Eric took off work early. Everything was loaded in the trailer and ready. :) We were very excited to take our first multi-day motorcycle trip.

When we left, it was 47 degrees. We took Hwy 60/63 all the way to Thayer. We then turned north on Hwy 19....the main attraction. Near Alton (at 3pm), we saw four bald eagles and a young buck who was strolling across the highway RIGHT IN FRONT of the motorcycle. Had to slam on the brakes to avoid him. Just past Alton, we stopped and took a photo of Greer Mill, which was right along the highway. We would like to come back to the 11-Point River Area for hiking and floating.

We continued on to Winona, where Hwy 19 merges with Hwy 60 for a mile or so. We continued north on Hwy 19 to Eminence, where we tried to reserve a bed and breakfast but they were all booked up. We went to Alley Spring and took photos, although we couldn't stay long because we were losing daylight and had a long way to go to Rolla.

We took Hwy 19 to Salem, then Hwy 72 to Rolla. We made it safely to Drury Inn at 7:30pm, but just missed the free cocktails :).  We ate dinner next door at Steak N Shake, then crawled into bed.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

On Saturday, we ate breakfast at Drury Inn, then bundled up and headed out. It was another cold morning, around 40 degrees. We rode up to St. James on Hwy 44, then took Hwy 68/8 south to Maramec Spring Park. There was a $5 entrance fee because it is not a state park, but it was WELL WORTH the money. There is an old ironworks, fish hatchery, a beautiful powerhouse, and the spring itself. We took tons of pictures and then headed on south.

We took Hwy 68 all the way back to Salem so that we could see all of Hwy 19. Once there, we headed north to Steelville then took Hwy 8 east to Potosi. Upon arriving in town, we could hear the Potosi Marching Festival in the distance. We ate lunch at Boo's Market and Grill. (Best ranch dressing ever.) Eric had wings and Cindy had a steak sandwich.

Our next stop was Onondaga State Park. We took Hwy 185 (our favorite stretch of the whole trip) until we turned off on Hwy N. Hwy N had lots of "tree tunnel" but the road quality was poor in comparison to Hwy 185. We went all the way to Hwy 44 to Bourbon, west for a few miles to the Onondaga exit, then a short drive south to Onondaga State Park. We did not have time for the cave, but took a short tour around the campground. There were TONS of families with campsites and campers completely decked out for Halloween. We stopped and asked a guy about it, and he said that the campground has a contest and people go all out. We backtracked to Cuba on Hwy 44, then headed north on Hwy 19 again.

We rode through Owensville all the way to Hermann. Wish we could have had more time to sight-see in Hermann, but daylight was going quickly again. Next time, we hope to stay in Hermann, but everything was booked due to Octoberfest and Mizzou Homecoming. After crossing the river and going a short distance on 19, we headed west on Hwy 94 along the Missouri River, then north on Hwy D (which sucked) to Hwy 70. Next time, just take Hwy 19 all the way to the interstate. We took Hwy 70 (BLUSTERY) on to Booneville, arriving around 6:30pm. Got checked into the High Street Victorian B&B and ate dinner at The Palace (smoking....yuck) a block away. Food was undercooked and we had to send it back twice. Other than that, it was......acceptable. Back to the hotel where Cindy fell asleep and Eric watched Mizzou lose in triple overtime on the iPad. The B&B was very nice and would stay there again, but it had no TV and a shared restroom.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Early Sunday morning, we got up before dawn and walked across the Booneville bridge (KATY trail). It was 36 degrees....brr! The bike was covered in frost. It was our coldest ride to date, but we were warm with our heated gear. Breakfast was a bit delayed - didn't eat until 8:30am. We left around 9am and had a quick stop at the Warm Springs Farm, home to the Budweiser Clydesdales. After some photos, we headed on to Mizzou, where we met Corey around 10:15am. We walked to the bookstore, then to Panera Bread (too crowded), then to Chipotle. After lunch, we headed back to Corey's dorm where we said our goodbyes and hit the road for home. Once in Camdenton, we continued on Hwy 54 to 65 to avoid the interstate and it was a great choice. Beautiful ride on 54. Got back around 3:30pm, although Eric was sleepy due to sun-in-the-face and a need for a nap (which we didn't take). Got home and started the chores. Ready to go again!

Ride Info:

Friday Starting Mileage 70777
Saturday Starting Mileage 71059
Sunday Ending mileage 71621
Total miles 844

Friday
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Saturday
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Ozarks Mill Tour

A few nights ago I was searching for motorcycle routes in Missouri and I stumbled upon a group called the Ozark Mountain Riders. They had a scheduled ride for October 19 to do the Ozarks Mill Tour. Eric and I already had plans to ride on that day with his boss and some friends, so I knew we would not be able to join. But, the ride route sounded awesome. I googled "Ozarks Mill Tour" and found out that it is a common ride in the area that takes you past five different mills.

This was right up my alley! Luckily, it didn't take any convincing to get Eric to agree to take me the day after our ride with his friends. :)



Here is an overview of our trip:
We took Hwy 14 through Sparta to Ava, then Hwy 5 to Gainesville. We then took 160 to PP to 318.
On the way, we stopped at Tecumseh Park on Norfork Lake....beautiful!

We visited Dawt Mill, took lots of photos, and unfortunately, Eric dropped his helmet onto the rocks and scratched his lens and helmet (he was not happy).

Next we headed off to Hodgson Mill Spring. We took PP to H to 181 and arrived at Hodgson Mill Spring. There is a small cave behind the mill, a spring, an old bridge, and a beautiful red mill. Took more photos, then headed on.

We drove five miles on 181 and came to a white mansion in Zanoni. We drove a little bit up the driveway (felt kind of bad about that since it is now someone's home) and took some photos of the mill. Headed back off.

Next we took 181, right on N, left on 95, then 143 to Rockbridge Trout Ranch. We ate lunch at the restaurant and took a bunch of photos. We actually remembered to charge our headsets so that we could talk the rest of the trip. The food was good, but very expensive. The meal for two including tax and tip was $50. Eric ate a trout BLT, soup, salad, and dessert. I had a ham sandwich and mac & cheese. After we ate, we took photos of the surrounding buildings including the mill. Lots of people, fishermen, and direct sun, so the photos here were not super.

Our last mill took us from 143 to 95 to 5, back onto 95 then D the 848. (Hwy 95 had recently been re-paved and was a beautiful twisting drive on top of a ridge. You could see for MILES and this is one of the more beautiful roads on our trip today.) We carefully drove down a steep gravel road (tricky) to find Hammond Mill. It is a little run down and looks like it was converted into a house. I would not suggest visiting this mill on a motorcycle. The road is not safe.

We took some photos, headed back up the gravel hill (won't be going back down that road on the bike again!), back to Ava for fuel, and then headed home.



The heated gear is AWESOME!!


Ride Info: (IMPORTANT - if we do this route again, we will leave off visiting Hodgson Mill. It is not a safe road for motorcycles - dirt road with a steep hill)

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Departed at 9:45 AM
Starting temperature 46°
Ending temperature 58°
Got home at 6:50 PM

Ending mileage 70764
Total miles 244.1