Bikes, Blues, BBQ & Braums
Fayetteville, Arkansas is the home of the University of Arkansas (UA), the only college or major sports team in the country with a pig as a mascot.
For anyone new to motorcycling, there is also a universally popular motorcycle brand that carries the nickname hog. Apparently, at the end of summer about 9 years some of these hog riders formed a band and roasted the mascot at one of their concerts and Bikes, Blues, and Barbeque was born in Fayetteville. Although a financial boon to the community and local charities, the UA sports teams haven’t faired well since. |
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This year a contingent from EKTR attended. Wednesday morning it was raining so the departure was wisely postponed an hour. Then Bill, Cheryl, David, Sheila, Robert, and yours truly departed Sears for Arkansas.
A little mist early and we were done with moisture for the entire weekend. A quick ride to Pittsburg for lunch where it became apparent that this was to be a Braum’s and Bikes event. We arrived at our Super 8 in Rogers about 4:00 and were entertained by the front desk staff. Robert hit the sack—he had been up about a 1,000 hours straight—while Bill and Cheryl played a game with the hotel staff. The object of the game seemed to be to find a room with towels and without strange odors. This really didn’t present a problem until Cheryl insisted that the room also had to be unoccupied. The staff scored bonus points by giving Sheila (recovering from a broken ankle) a walk-up room on the second floor while everyone else had ground floor rooms. We unpacked and headed down to Dickson Street, the party street in Fayetteville at the edge of the UA campus.
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Dickson Street Wednesday Evening
Bikes were lined up on both sides of the street for about eight or nine blocks and we found parking on one end. We walked up and down the street, admiring the bikes, enjoying the evening, and
scouting out T-shirts. |
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We headed home and stopped at an AQ Chicken restaurant in Springdale where David provided the entertainment with a description of a terrifying experience of his youth that involved a used car salesman and a restaurant that we had passed. (Hermans)
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Thursday was another perfect day. I had some business to attend to but caught up with the group about 10:00 AM on Dickson Street. We gawked at the bikes some more and did some serious T-shirt shopping. Along the way we learned that pink T‑shirts are not available in XL regardless of demand. After about an hour, we hopped on the bikes and sampled some of the Arkansas back roads.
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Bill led most of the trip and I just sat back and enjoyed the road and scenery. David showed us some trick riding by doing a wheelie with two up. |
On the way back to Rogers, I split from the group and headed to the UA for supper with a graduate student. On the UA campus the names of all graduates are engraved in the sidewalks. I also saw the building where Bill (Bubba) Clinton taught law—that must have been interesting. I understand
the rest of the group stopped at Braum’s.
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John and Bev arrived on Thursday evening. On Friday at breakfast Bev insisted that she had heard the roar of my Wing when I came in the night before. We went back down to the rally but in a different part of town where there were demo rides and vendors. I signed up for a ride so that Bev would have time to shop. Shortly after noon, Bill took us for another outstanding ride. We met up with Robert in Eureka Springs for dinner. He had gone to Memphis to visit friends and stopped in Little Rock to shop for a tire. |
We ate at an Italian restaurant frequented by EKTR in the past and known for its big balls. When we got back to Rogers we stopped at Braum’s.
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The next morning Robert, David, and Sheila headed for the local Harley dealer and home. The rest of us (me, Bill, Cheryl, John, and Bev if you’re trying to keep track) went back to Dickson Street for more shopping and bike and people watching. Then we cruised Dickson so everyone could take our picture as we headed out for another ride. Bill let me lead for a little while and I took everyone to the end of Arkansas 7—a state park. We back tracked and caught a ferry across a lake then into Missouri, through Branson, and back to Eureka Springs. There met up with Craig and Becky and ate at a restaurant on the west side of town called the Rowdy Beaver. They had a BBQ buffet so Bill and I, at least, got BBQ during the trip. You can probably guess where we stopped when we got back to Rogers that night.
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Sunday we packed up and headed home; riding through Bill’s old stompinggrounds of Grove, OK, and stopping in Pittsburg for lunch at Braum’s.
We covered over a 1,000 miles for the trip and the riding doesn’t get much better. Lots of sunshine, moderate temperatures, smooth roads with outstanding curves and vistas, and great company. The trees were showing the first signs of changing—and every now and then we found a Braum’s.
This was my first extended bike trip with a group. It was a great trip. By the time you read this I will have completed my next, the fall color ride, and from everything I hear, it should be even better. I can hardly wait.
John English
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Eastern Kansas Tour Riders |
Ride of the West 2016
