Road Trip Weekend – Natchitoches, LA

Pronounced (Nack-a-tish) this little southern jewel, is a fantastic place for a quick motorcycle adventure with friends.

This was a spur-of-the-moment trip for me. I heard that a bunch of the Dallas gang was making a quick trip to Natchitoches, LA, and I knew I had to snake my way in if possible. I started reaching out and Tom was generous enough to allow and Bob to crash their little Louisiana party.

Natchitoches is one of my favorite little getaway destinations. The little town has a great feel to it with a downtown that is made for exploring. The food, the scenery, and the history all are a reason to visit. Here is a quick ride report and video from the weekend. This trip took place in Mid November of 2022. We visited this area for the first time back in 2009.

I woke up on Thursday morning, loaded up the Kawasaki, and hit the road. The sky was clear and the temperature was a comfortable 60 degrees. The perfect weather for a road trip. Today I would be taking the long way to Hot Springs village where I would be spending the night, before heading to Louisiana the following day with Bob. It is always nice staying at Bob’s lakehouse. I took off from Bella Vista and made my way down to Hot Springs via the amazing backroads here in Arkansas. I still can’t believe that I live in this motorcycle wonderland.

The weather was amazing and the riding was not too bad as well. Great roads, little traffic, and more twists and turns than any one rider would ever want. It was a fantastic start to the trip. I rolled into Hot Springs around 3pm. I jumped in the shower and then enjoyed dinner with Bob and Tom. We had a few adult beverages and enjoyed our time together.

Bob’s garage project for the winter

Love the lakehouse in Hot Springs

We woke up Friday morning to rain. This would be the weekend theme, along with much cooler temps. We had breakfast and hit the road. The rain stopped as we left the fringe of Little Rock and we got to ride for most of the day in dry conditions. We hit AR7 and made our way south. We did stop in Junction City, LA for some of the best BBQs I have eaten in a while. McGraw BBQ was out of this world! Take a minute and stop by when riding through Junction City, LA.

With our bellies full, we headed out for the short 2-hour ride into town. Unfortunately, the weather Gods were not with us. We finished the last hour in a downpour. The Dallas group had to battle the rain all afternoon. Don’t miss the video as you can see how wet some of them got.

We took a shower and warmed up while waiting for the pizza to arrive. The weather was awful and no one wanted to get back on the bikes for dinner. We really appreciated the delivery driver at Pizza Hut. She was fun and kept the pizza hot. We ended the night looking at the forecast. Tomorrow we ride, but we will ride in the cold!