The Ozark escape did not disappoint!
WOW! I am sitting here starting to write the ride report from this years Ozark Escape. We never thought that this event would get as large as it has become. This is the 5th year that we have had this event and each year it seems to get bigger and better! Jamie and I are proud to host this “Just For Fun” event.
Thursday April 21 We had been watching the weather for the past week and this morning we were greeted with bright skies and a weather forecast that looked very promising. This is the main reason we moved the event back into late April.
Jamie had to work today, so she would be driving up after teaching her last class. I finished loading up the bike and headed out to Eureka Springs around 2PM. I was excited to get the event underway and the ride to the springs just wet my appetite. It was going to be a wonderful weekend.
Jamie arrived and we had dinner with our friends and awesome Dual-Sport ride leaders Dustin & Kate. This event would not be the same without them. They know the trails of Arkansas like no other. Their vast knowledge and awesome riding skills were on display as they led the dual-sport rides on Friday and Saturday. Go check out their social media @solivesoride – Thank you Dustin & Kate for making this a memorable event.
I have so much to learn from these two. Great folks and experienced off-road riders.
We had a great dinner at Sparky’s with Dustin, Kate and Yeeha Stephen. We were all excited about the weekend. The twisty roads and off-road trails of Arkansas and Missouri were waiting for us. We all called it a night fairly early. I think we were all excited for what lay ahead for the weekend.
Friday April 22 I have to admit that I did not sleep as well as I should have. I was so excited, to see everyone. Thursday night we counted over 30 bikes in the lot, so I was excited to see how many more riders had shown up. We had 52 riders pre-register, so I knew we were going to have a full house. When I walked out to the parking lot I was greeted by many fresh and excited riders. This was going to be a great Friday!
Getting ready to ride!
Dual-sport guys ready to roll!
The parking lot was abuzz with activity. Riders were coming in and having breakfast, before heading out to the parking lot to kick tires before the ride meetings at 8:45am. Some of the street riders hit the road early as they wanted to get a few twisties under their belt before stopping for breakfast.
The gangs all here
We had 10 riders for the street ride and the dual-sport gang showed up with 10 as well. We had our quick safety meeting before hitting the road. Everyone seemed excited to hit the road. The gang was fueled up and ready to ride. Todays route was 240 miles and we had it planned to have everyone back no later than 3:30pm so we could rest some and prepare for the 1st hamburger cookout in Ozark Escape history. Let’s ride!
