This year's Central Rally was amazing. Here are a few photos as a tease....
Fred
A big thank you to all who attended the 2018 Central FJ rally. I only put 829 miles on my bike, but I only live an hour and a half from the Cliff House Inn. Spirited sport touring was the order of the rally, no performance awards were earned. Got to ride about 60 miles in lightning, hail and a torrential downpour. The vividly brilliant double rainbow at the end of the ride to the inn was an awesome payoff. Had an wonderful time seeing Aviationfred, Cap'n Ron, The General, FJ Hooligan, FJdave1200 and his brother Camron. This was my first FJ Rally, but definitely not the last.
The riding was incredible, the people are even better.
We were honored to have an international traveler in our midst.
We got some awesome riding in.
Day one, Thursday. The ride route was to Push Mountain Road AR341. Starting just east of Big Flat running about 30 miles north to Norfolk. We rode it in both directions. Mileage was about 249.
Day 2, Friday. We rode up into Missouri to the Rainbow Trout & Game Ranch in Rockbridge, Missouri.
Mileage for the day was about 229
Day 3, Saturday. We rode west and south to the Oark General Store. The oldest operating business in Arkansas. After leaving Oark. Captn Ron and Country Joe departed the rally too continue their journeys. The General and I took a pleasant ride back to the Cliff House Inn. Mileage for the day, about 224
Thursday's riding with Country Joe, Cap'n Ron, FJhooligan and myself. We joined 4 friends of FJhooligan's for a destination ride to Push Mountain Road. This road is about the most perfect high speed public road that you can find outside of an actual racetrack circuit. 25 miles long with no cross streets, only a few homes, perfect pavement with no tar snakes. Dan McCoy (giantkiller) has claimed this to be "the ultimate road that was built for the FJ". The roads that We rode to get there and the roads back were also very good. Typically the ride there and back is done as a group at a very brisk pace. We stop at the south end of 341. From there.... It is go time... if you want to leave blackies exiting corners, have at it. Everyone rides their own ride without worrying about staying together. Everyone meets up at the 341 Market store. Due to an unfortunately placed rock, One of FJhooligan's friends ended up with a bent wheel and loss of air pressure. He did not go down, but the bike needed an alternate mode of transportation back to their home base. Three of us rode to Mountain View for a bite to eat and then back to the Cliff House.
Photos from the Push Mountain ride
Ride day 2, We added FJdave1200 and his brother Camron. A ride into Missouri to the Rainbow Trout & Game Resort. The food is great, (The Amaretto Trout Florentine was amazing) :good:, and the ride there and back is spectacular. One of the highlights of the ride was crossing Bull Shoals lake on the last remaining ferry in Arkansas. On the way back to Arkansas, it got quite warm and everyone had thoughts that a few rain drops would be welcomed to help cool things a bit. We ended up with buckets of raindrops the size of dimes falling from the sky. Cap'n Ron and I had flashbacks to the 2015 Black Hills Rally and the flash flood in Hill City. The rain let up a bit and we headed out for the final 60 miles back to the Cliff House. Not far along, we got hit by another round of heavy rain. We were all already soaked, so we just kept going. Nothing like a bit of adversity during a ride..... :scratch_one-s_head:
Photos of day 2.
Ride day 3. Joe started out the day wearing his Arkansas riding gear. We rode West and South to Oark, AR. Those that have been to a West Coast Rally will understand this reference. We rode AR74 out of Japer towards AR23. This stretch could easily be the sister road to HWY 20 from Willits, CA. to Fort Bragg, CA. We turned south on 23 which is known as The Pig Trail. This road is to the cruiser crowd, what Push Mountain road is to the sport bike crowd. Don't misunderstand, this is still a very fun twisty road :yahoo:. We stopped at Turner Bend for gas and a few souvenirs before heading to Oark. The road to Oark is absolutely stunning. Sheer cliffs rise up from one side of the road and trees from the other side canopy the road. The Oark Café has some of the best burgers around and their famous Buttermilk Pie. The General had to sample that. As we were paying, I saw something that I have not seen in decades.... Candy Cigarettes.... :pardon:
After we ate, Joe and Ron departed to other destinations. The General and I returned back too the Cliff House after stopping at the Ozark Café in Jasper, for a late dinner and some live music.
Sadly rallys have to end.... :cray:
The last sunrise over the canyon as I am ready to head home. A wonderful time was had. I had the pleasure of meeting and riding with a few members where this was their first rally. Riding with the General was a treat. Cap'n Ron as the ride leader, navigator and pace setter is second to none.
Awesome stuff Fred.
Wish I could have been there.
Yep, Cap'n Ron can ride the wheels off of that FJ!
It was a pleasure meeting you Fred. Your FJ is a work of art.
We were able to retrieve Luke's wounded Honda before darkness fell but making that round trip twice in one day is way too much.
On Friday, Will (Aprilia) and I did a quick loop up 21 to 74, Jasper for fuel, then Upper and Lower 123 back to Clarksville. Looks like we were early enough to beat the rain.
Disappointed that I didn't get a chance to meet the other FJers but it's always a treat to see Joe and MY old '93 FJ. :-)
We'll be doing it again in late September or early October. Start making plans!
You need to know CPN Ron is an immortal... sorry buddy to out you.... :flag_of_truce:
Neither Cap'n Ron nor The General are a slouch on a FJ on a curvy road. I think they both got a whiff of the burgers cooking at the Oark Cafe while on Highway 215. They disappeared and I didn't see them till the next stop sign :flag_of_truce: :sarcastic:
Hooligan, I am definitely looking forward to your fall visit up here as well.
I think it was the Buttermilk Pie that the General got a wiff of..... they left us like we were on pedal bikes. :rofl2:
Yep following Cap Ron last year was awesome. Best ride leader I have ever gotten to trail behind.
Looks like you all had a great time. Wish I could a been there. Maybe I'll have this house done by next year.
Quote from: giantkiller on June 11, 2018, 10:44:33 PM
Yep following Cap Ron last year was awesome. Best ride leader I have ever gotten to trail behind.
Looks like you all had a great time. Wish I could a been there. Maybe I'll have this house done by next year.
Rally at giantkillers?!
Quote from: aviationfred on June 11, 2018, 10:08:14 PM
I think it was the Buttermilk Pie that the General got a wiff of..... they left us like we were on pedal bikes. :rofl2:
Fred,
That was entirely true. :pardon:
Quote from: fj1289 on June 12, 2018, 12:55:24 AM
Quote from: giantkiller on June 11, 2018, 10:44:33 PM
Yep following Cap Ron last year was awesome. Best ride leader I have ever gotten to trail behind.
Looks like you all had a great time. Wish I could a been there. Maybe I'll have this house done by next year.
Rally at giantkillers?!
If I ever get it done anyone that is in the area. Has a place to stay and or work on their fj.
I was so glad to be part of this! As I often say, "It's not what you do, it's who you do it with." In this case the event and the people were both spectacular! It was great to finally meet Dave...carb screws and all, a top-notch guy! The "Squids" he brought along were a nice (albeit short) addition to the ride too. Hanging out in the rain with Dave and Cameron was a treat... What can be said about the General other than he outranks me...a true joy to spend time with! Joe, first rally??? Seriously? You picked a good one and I hope (expect) to ride with you again! A heap of thanks goes to Fred for picking the venue, coming up with most excellent destinations for our rides and giving me a bit of push to make the 2,000-mile ride there well worth the effort!