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)
Click for Route Link
Departed at 9:45 AM
Starting temperature 46°
Ending temperature 58°
Got home at 6:50 PM
Ending mileage 70764
Total miles 244.1
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)
Click for Route Link
Departed at 9:45 AM
Starting temperature 46°
Ending temperature 58°
Got home at 6:50 PM
Ending mileage 70764
Total miles 244.1
No comments:
Post a Comment