Jump to content
IGNORED

UnRally Routes


David

Recommended Posts

How the Routes Came to Be

 

Here is the result of the scouting that MurrayG, David Bearden, and I did last month (read about that here. Most people are arriving Monday night, and there are three full days of riding planned, if you wish: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So we put together three routes in case you want to ride every day.

 

Eureka Springs sits at the NW part of most of the good riding in Arkansas (there is a tiny bit of good riding west and even more north, into Missouri, if you want to explore). What we did was comb these sources:

 

  • An excellent Arkansas Rider's Guide by Mario Caruso.
  • A good web site on sport bike roads in Arkansas.
  • DeLorme's Arkansas Atlas and Gazetteer, which helped us spot good roads because of the curves and elevation changes, which are charted well.
  • Local knowledge, since all three of us had ridden there a bit, though Emerson was the expert.

We marked all the 4 and 5 star roads on a master map, and then strung routes together while minimizing duplication. Then we rode each route, Bearden leading, me taking notes in my digital voice recorder, and Emerson dying to pass us. smile.gif Here's your road research team.

 

threeriders.jpg

 

The Route Maps

 

Here is the master map that shows the final three routes. (Click here for a large version of the same thing.) Please note that I will bring each of you a copy of the color map as well a copy of each route. These are just here for your reference.

 

The big red "X" marks the Iron Horse, and the big red "L" marks indicate the lunch spots on each of the three routes.

 

The Route Sheets

 

Each route has a Word document and a PDF. The Little Eight and Big Eight routes have mileage and turns on the first page, and then a city list on the second page (for routing purposes). We had to scrap the third route we put together because it sucked smile.gif so Emerson put together the route sheet for the Lopsided Eight--it's in a slightly different format. Click the link to download whatever version you want for preplanning.

 

The route in red is the Little Eight (254 miles).

Word

PDF

 

The route in green is the Big Eight (291 miles).

Word

PDF

 

The route in purple is the Lopsided Eight (220 miles).

Word

PDF

 

RouteMapSmall.jpg

 

Which Route Should I Take?

 

Love twisties and want an excellent adventure? Go for the Big Eight. It's probably the most challenging.

 

Want to start out slower on a shorter ride that's a good mix? Go for the Lopsided Eight. It's probably the most easy going.

 

Only going to ride one day, two-up? Go for the Little Eight. It's probably the most scenic.

 

Fuel and Fuel

 

Don't get low on gas. Some of these routes (especially the Big Eight) don't have many fuel choices. And if you leave early, fill up the night before. Many stations are closed until 7 and even 8a!

 

Each route has a lunch spot. Be careful on the Little Eight, because there are limited lunch hours at the recommended BBQ stop. There's an alternate a few blocks away in case you miss the window. If you decide to eat elsewhere, take a snack in case you can't find something when you are hungry. There are some very remote parts on this ride.

 

The Road Conditions

 

While you won't have the same vistas we had at Gunnison, the road conditions are far superior. In fact, they are excellent. Traction is superb, and you won't find more than a couple potholes on an entire route.

 

But do watch for these things:

 

  • When you go to pass a car in Arkansas, they will slow down as a courtesy. If you are following too closely, you are going to end up in their trunk. It's a strange custom, but they are very courteous.
  • Corner entry speeds are over-cautious. Do whatever you need to in order to be safe, but when the sight lines were good, we regularly doubled the yellow "caution speed" signs and then added 10 mph. You'll catch on quickly.
  • There are virtually no shoulders on any of the routes. Ride precisely and efficiently. There's little room for error.
  • There are lots of dogs, armadillos, and deer. And hitting an armadillo is not like hitting a squirrel. grin.gif
  • It's a very motorcycle friendly state!

Iron Horse

 

The Iron Horse is several miles E of Eureka Springs on 62, on the south side of the road. The lat/long is:

N 36 23.871, W093 39.283

 

Group Riding

 

We will have no organized rides or designated ride leaders. Just do your own thing, meet up with people along the way, or organize a ride yourself. That's the purpose of the ride sheets--it lets people self-direct the rides without all sorts of strange group riding rules.

 

Having said that, may I make a few suggestions? Thank you! smile.gif

 

  • Be courteous at the start. That means being ready at the designated time, with a full tank.
  • Ride in staggered formation, about 1-2 seconds apart, on straights. When it gets twisty, ride in single file with at least 3 seconds between you. That'll help the following rider not fixate on the leading rider.
  • After you've made a turn, go ahead and turn off your turn signal. wink.gif
  • Decide and announce where you'll stop and gather people again.
  • Distribute the ride leader's cell phone number.
  • If you leave the group and don't tell anyone, leave a voicemail on that leader's cell phone so they won't worry.
  • Don't worry about the rider behind you unless you are a good enough rider to be able to watch them in your mirror and still ride well.
  • Agree on a GMRS/FRS channel.
  • If someone is following closely, be courteous and let them pass. If they pass you on a double yellow, get over it. The only time you should get huffy is if they endanger you personally. Otherwise let it rest and let them be responsible for themselves.
  • Want feedback about how you are riding? Ask people. It's a great learning experience.
  • If there's an accident, leave only enough people there to help--the rest of you should keep going and not become a road hazard.

 

If you want some ride coaching or aren't sure why you are struggling with a particular stretch of road, grab one of us and we'll talk through it. You should not press yourself. Do realize that everything you do is at your own risk, so ride your own ride.

 

Finally

 

Have fun, for goodness sake! I'm still on a high from a month ago. This part of the US is a little treasure. Where else could you ride through utterly remote areas through towns like Deer, Nail, Fallsville, Fifty Six, Ozone, Forum, Dog Patch, and Ben Hur. By the way, you might be extra careful in Fallsville. grin.gif

 

We leave you with this telling shot:

 

sign.jpg

Link to comment

Could I add one item to your list of things to do on the group rides?

 

If you are following another, please turn off your head light modulator.

 

Thanks,

 

Rob

 

PS There's a get together this weekend in ES and we will be trying these roads! grin.gif

Link to comment

Great outline David, may have to leave ahead of schedule to ensure there is plenty of time to enjoy all the routes, as well as, the whole area.

 

Today’s task is to plot all the routes in the MapSource software (Ver 5.2) for my GPS V, if anyone would like a copy just pm me.

 

Link to comment

Today’s task is to plot all the routes in the MapSource software (Ver 5.2) for my GPS V

 

There was a zipped MapSource file attached to a message in the "teaser" thread which you can download here . I'm not sure if this route file will work with a GPS III+, 'cause it looks like it uses autorouting, but it may be OK with a GPS V.

Link to comment

Tried the downloadable files without success, although I'm not a power user in MapSource, I was able to access them, but they produced straight-line (crow flies) routing. Didn't know how to change it, so created my own. Thanks anyways, EB.

 

 

Link to comment

I downloaded all the routes from Matt's post on the "Teaser" thread and after I finally figured out how to extract them and seperate the six different routs, it worked perfect. Thanks Matt; it saved me a lot of work. I did go ahead and upgrade Mapsourse to 5.2 first however once I did that, my USB programer wouldn't work to move my map sets to the SP-III media. Fortunately, I had Mapsourse 4.8 loaded on my laptop and it download via USB worked fine. I'll have to call Garmin next week to see if they can help me sort out the problem. Anyway, I'm fixed for the trip.

Link to comment

You need to download the USB drivers from Garmin to get the USB programmer to work again. Just download the driver itself (USB Programmer Drivers - Initial Install) -from http://www.garmin.com/support/download.jsp - no need to download the update also as the driver package is the current one. The upgrade to mapsource does not include the USB drivers and will uninstall any previous drivers - even if the driver is the current one ( thanks Garmin).

Link to comment

Question on the red and green routes,,,Are HWY's 16, 21, 23 the top three roads on these routes? We are heading up on 10/3/2003 and I need to scale the routes down to something that will fit our limited time and still hit the best of the twisties.

Thanks for posting all of this great information.

Link to comment
Question on the red and green routes,,,Are HWY's 16, 21, 23 the top three roads on these routes? We are heading up on 10/3/2003 and I need to scale the routes down to something that will fit our limited time and still hit the best of the twisties.

Thanks for posting all of this great information.

 

Yes, Roger, I think I'd do those three if I had limited time. Especially 23. The one section you'll be missing is the southern loop on the green route (123, 164, 27). It's a very technical section, or "rider's roads." There's a lot of satisfaction if you can ride them well. But they are the farthest and the most remote.

Link to comment

Dave...

 

A friend and I were in the northern Arkansas area last weekend. My schedule won't allow me to participate in the UNrally this year. However, I just wanted to let you know that the routes you have outlined look really good. I developed a new appreciation for Arkansas during our trip last week (and even more appreciation to the capabilities of the RT). They have some great roads to ride. While I didn't go into the 25-mph corners at 50+ I do agree with your observations that they are conservative in their posted speed limits.

 

Hope you all have a fun and safe ride.

 

Link to comment

I've been looking over the routes, they look great. I realize that the text/PDF files are probably going to be used as accompaniment for GPS files etc, but for those of us Luddites who don't have the latest GPS' .... laugh.gif

 

In looking over the Big eight ride ... at mile 259, it says "R at stop to continue N on 21" .... should this be "L" instead of "R"?

 

 

Link to comment
In looking over the Big eight ride ... at mile 259, it says "R at stop to continue N on 21" .... should this be "L" instead of "R"?

 

Uhmmm. Now I'm scared! smile.gif I went back to my notes to see if I just transcribed them wrong, but that's what my notes say, too. So I guess we'll have to leave it unless someone can run that route on the way into ES. If no one shows up for dinner that night, we'll know I got it wrong. Fortunately the "to continue north" part should make the mistake obvious.

 

Argh.

 

I don't route anything via GPS, either. I guess we can be old fashioned together.

Link to comment
D

 

In looking over the Big eight ride ... at mile 259, it says "R at stop to continue N on 21" .... should this be "L" instead of "R"?

 

 

I think I noted that anomoly also but went by the "continue north" when I was setting up the route for my GPS. If I recall looking at the map detail, it's pretty obvious which way to go.

Link to comment

johnlt said it's pretty obvious which way to go.

 

I thought so too, but I've made some bone-headed turns before, so I figured I'd better ask the dumb question and "remove all doubt" .... laugh.gif

 

 

Link to comment

I may have the density of lead, but I'm not able to match up the written instructions for the Green Big Eight Ride with the JPEG map green route. The written instructions say to head east on 74 (marked blue on the map) and south on 123 (which isn't colored at all). The map shows a green route staying on 7 to the west of this, until 123 and 7 meet.

 

Did you ride both routes, color one on the map and write the other one down in the instructions?

 

Link to comment
I may have the density of lead, but I'm not able to match up the written instructions for the Green Big Eight Ride with the JPEG map green route. The written instructions say to head east on 74 (marked blue on the map) and south on 123 (which isn't colored at all). The map shows a green route staying on 7 to the west of this, until 123 and 7 meet.

 

Did you ride both routes, color one on the map and write the other one down in the instructions?

 

Mark, you are absolutely correct. The printed route sheet is accurate, but I goofed when coloring the map. I'll have corrected color maps to give people on Monday.

 

Good catch, and thanks for the heads up.

Link to comment

Attached a final run-through based on David's printed route sheets. If anybody cares to compare these to theirs, that would be great.

 

Incidentally, they're calculated ("Fastest" not shorter) in City Navigator. The mileage counts are slightly lower than those provided by David, most likely because the MapSource mileage is low.

250345-3_routes.zip

Link to comment
×
×
  • Create New...