honky tonkin'

August 29, 2018 — Mississippi → Arkansas

Left Batesville heading north to pick up 10W60 at Graham KTM in Senatobia MI. I asked them to mount the new rear tire, and I rinsed some of the dust off the bike. Donny and Jake there were super helpful and very welcoming of TAT riders. They dropped everything and helped me on the spot. I was back on the road by 9:30, riding the levees and then over the Mississippi. Another sunny morning. I'm gonna miss Mississippi, friendly people and great riding.

Arkansas started with a few miles of pavement and then becomes miles and miles of deep gravel. I stopped into the TAT Stop a little after noon, had a drink and shot the shit with Percy, who was betting on horses, and Al.

I signed their book and got back at it after a bit. More gravel, more dust. A couple reroutes for mud holes and road work. A lot of it was fun, and some miles required close attention, but you could cruise at a good speed. I was thankful for the steering damper.

Near Beebe the skies got dark, so I stopped at gas station to rest. Decided I'd had enough of the gravel for the day and took the state highways up to Clinton to stay for the night. The sun was setting and mist hung in the valleys. It was gorgeous and got me excited for tomorrow's riding through Ozark NF.

I had planned to do the oil this evening but a long day and late arrival made me decide to handle it in the morning.