Good Route Thru Arkansas?

[Drjones]

So knowing y'all like to head in to AR for moto shenanigans, what're some good routes between NE Texas and St. Louis?

Contemplating taking the moto and spending a couple of days getting back to Houston from Indy/relatives in St. Louis instead of superslabing it in a 12hr marathon in the ole truck.

[muskrat]

head up through Paris and into Broken Bow, OK, via 259 to the Talihina Trail that runs into Mena, AR.  From there I'd usually take 271 North and then onto 23 North but 23 is crap south of I40.  Choose a different route from Mena, AR, to I40 which is the town of Ozark.  North of I40 jump onto hwy 23 into Eureka.....you'll love this part.  If you have time do hwy 123 (AKA Arkansas Dragon).  Let me know if you need more info but from Eureka into Branson is about 52 or so miles through some great scenery and then onto the Metropolis.

[fastwin]

Watch out for turkeys. Great route by the way!

[Drjones]

Tentative Route without checking specifics:

Day 1:  St. Louis -> Farmington -> Ellington -> Winona -> Thayer -> Mountain Home -> 123 -> Clarksville.

Day 2:  Clarksville -> Danville -> Mt Ida -> Norman -> Glenwood -> Dierks -> Lockesburg -> Texarkana -> Houston.


Hopefully all of the turkeys will see the great death spawn eagle of doom front end of my Multi 1200 and run away!

[muskrat]

don't forget to roll down 23, a bit out of the way but you will like it.  Remember, NORTH OF I40 from Eureka and after Texarkana scroll through Mt. Pleasant area, good roads there.

[Drjones]

Since this will be the return from St. Louis and I only have two days to get back to Housotn I'd probably have to superslab it down 44 in order to get through 23 before dark and write off 123 for another trip.  Speaking of which 123 is indicated as unpaved (i.e. dashed) from Mt. Judea to hwy 7 on city navigator 2011, however it looks paved on the satellite from google maps.  Any insight?

[muskrat]

it's paved, was just on it weekend before this past.

[Drjones]

Ended up taking 23 and staying overnight in Ozark at the Oxford Inn.  Cool road, but it was about 3pm and I was tired after riding since 8am from St Louis, so I was slow boating it through.  106 and 19 around Winona were pretty cool as well with lots of the similar 40 mph posted sweepers to 23.

Ozark South to Houston sucked, but sucked less than the 13.5 hour 800 mile marathon from Houston to St Louis the first day up.