We left the Bull Shoals park and after a meal at Connie's, proceeded southwest. Initially, the plan was to hit the Pig Trail Scenic Byway, ride around some more, and find a campsite whereever we wound up, preferably BEFORE dark. This changed as soon as we found out that there was a Harley dealership in Rogers, AR that none of us had been to before. Naturally that meant we had to go there first. Took the back roads through Yellville and Harrison (hate the traffic in that town) and finally ended up in Rogers. Bought the obligatory tshirt and we were on our way again. This put us a little behind schedule, such as it was, but we are in no hurry on this trip.
The roads from Rogers to Brashears are some of the most fun I've had on a bike. Traffic was light and the weather was perfect. We arrived in Brashears which is the northern terminus of the Pig Trail around 3:00 PM, made sure our gear was properly secured on the bikes, and began the run. The Pig Trail Scenic Byway is a 2 lane road made up almost exclusively of curves, with tall trees providing an arboreal tunnel through most of the route. The curves can be challenging, with a couple of switchbacks and several 20 mph maximums. And they mean it. Still, it is not something that is dangerous so long as you use a bit of common sense. It is a very nice ride. About halfway through there is a pull-off area where one can take pictures of the countryside. Here is where the trip got really interesting.
I pulled over onto the parking area next to a concrete barrier. As I am bringing the bike to a stop and putting my foot down, I notice that there is no ground under my foot as I had expected. Seems that at that exact spot, the asphalt slopes down at a nice angle that I didn't notice because I was too busy looking at the valley in front of me. It does not take a mathematical genius to figure out that a 1000 lb bike, once it reaches an angle of 45 degrees to either side, is going to continue to fall. I know that there are people out there that can prevent such a tip-over by muscle power alone, but I am not one of them. In the split second it took me to do the geometric computations, I knew I was up the proverbial creek without the paddle. The bike threw me into the concrete barrier and then decided to continue on down until I heard some distinct cracking in my chest area. My buddies were there instantly and trying to get the bike off of me, and eventually with all 3 of us working at it, we got it somewhat vertical again. Took me a while to regain my ability to breathe again, but fortunately we were in an area where there was no need to hurry. After about 20 minutes of my grunting and cursing, we hit the road again. I was thankful that at least my body provided a sufficient cushion such that my bike didn't get damaged, but I was rapidly feeling like that was not necessarily a good thing.
By the time we had finished the Pig Trail, we (meaning me) had decided that this was enough riding for the day and we should start looking for a place to eat and camp. Finding a place to eat was simple enough, there was a truck stop right where Hwy 23 meets up with Interstate 40. The meal was adequate but I wouldn't recommend it. From there we found a campsite run by the Corps of Engineers across the river. It was a very nice campgound and the people running it were great. And best of all, it was still light outside so we could see what we were doing while pitching the tents. With the help of my companions I managed to get the tent up, and then rest at the nearby picnic table.
Spent an enjoyable evening just sitting around talking with each other and then hit the sleeping bags. Wish I could say that I slept well, but while the pain pills I had did take the edge off the rib pain, it was no where near enough to let me sleep. Luckily, the scenery around the campsite was nice to look at, even in the dark. By the way, I give this campsite a 10 out of 10. It is the Aux Arc Campground and I heartily recommend it should you be in the area.