Sunday, October 25th, 2026

We had a great day of riding yesterday exploring the Ozarks. The area is unlike anything we can find in Colorado, with large dense forests of deciduous trees. We were able to grab a section of the Ozark BDR-X that was super fun. We didn’t want to do anything too difficult, enough to get out and try out some of the route, while refreshing our offroad training skills. For the most part the approximately 40 mile section that we did from Highway 23 (Pig’s Tail), to Oark was fun gravel roads with a some paved sections mixed in. There was one hillclimb section for a mile or two that kept us on our toes. Learning how to commit and trust the motorcycles has been huge. It was enough of a challenge that if you let off the throttle or questioned your line, it could have gotten ugly quick.

The topper on the day was hanging out with other riders at the Oark General Store. Established in 1890, it is the oldest business still running in the state of Arkansas. And on a Saturday, it is the meeting place for just about every type of motorcyclist, car enthusiast and tourist that decided today was a good day to explore the roads in the Ozarks. We shared a table with a group from Kansas who was out riding the full Ozark BDR-X. It was great to meet more riders and share stories. We got several tips for locations we need to check out on along our trip.

Today we are headed up to Eureka Springs for a couple of nights as we slowly make our way across the US.