No Bad Roads

Aside from our relaxing weekend away, rain has been thwarting nearly all my plans lately, particularly on the motorcycle. I took advantage of a rare sunny afternoon yesterday to take a spur-of-the-moment solo ride while Melissa was at work. While there are numerous websites suggesting great routes around the Ozarks, I just pulled up Google Maps, threw together a random two-hour loop that looked good, and went. (OK, I also transferred the ride I’d created in Google over to Sygic for the actual ride since cell service out here is extremely spotty, and I needed that app’s offline maps.)

This completely random route was better than almost every other area I’ve ever ridden. Sure, places like the Tail of the Dragon, Back of the Dragon, and Angeles Crest are iconic motorcycle roads. Each lies in an area with a few amazing roads connected by a series of ordinary ones. But here, EVERY road is good, even a random loop I whipped together with absolutely no planning whatsoever.

I’ve said before that the best roads are the ones that look like a toddler scribbled all over the map in crayon, and these certainly qualify. The map doesn’t show the rolling hills, the excellent condition of the pavement, or the complete lack of traffic around here. It also doesn’t show the breathtaking scenery, particularly as you crest some of the hills and get a good view of your surroundings. The more I ride the Ozarks, the more I understand why, after exploring the entire country, Tenere Across the USA* decided that this was the best motorcycling and bought land here.

While I am thankful that it’s stopped raining so hard and frequently to turn our campsite into a mud pit, it’s still raining too much for me to get out on the bike a lot. Even yesterday, a bright sunny day with a 0% chance of rain in the forecast, the sky opened up just as I turned onto the last few miles of dirt road back to Melissa’s place. I might have set a new record getting back here before the dirt turned into mud, which is my tires’ weakness. I think that was nature telling me off, insulting me because I dared to go have a good time on the bike during the rainy season.

Take a look at this map of the general area. Every road on it looks absolutely amazing. Zoomed out this far, it doesn’t even show the dirt county roads crisscrossing the areas between main roads, either, which is something else I want to explore more now that I once again have a back tire I can trust. I just want the rain to stop so I can get out there and ride.

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* Speaking of Tenere Across the USA, Glen will be back in the area soon, and I already have an invitation to visit, which I intend to take him up on. Take one look at his “Yamahauler,” and you can probably see why.