Day’s distance: 270 miles
Total trip distance: 9,811 miles
I started the day with two goals. The first was to ride the Talimena Scenic Byway. The name comes from the end points, Mena, Arkansas and Talihina, Oklahoma. Since I spent the night in Mena, it would take just a few minutes to arrive at the beginning of the Byway.
Before leaving the motel, I checked the oil and tire pressure. The oil was fine, as was the pressure in the front tire. However, the back tire had lost six pounds of pressure since it was replaced some 36 hours earlier. I went to the local service station and filled it to 42 pounds and decided to keep going but keep an eye on its pressure throughout the day.
It was about 10am when I arrived at the start of the byway.
I saw at least a dozen motorcycles while on the eastern half of the trail, usually while I was stopped at one of the many vistas.
The eastern half of the byway, while not technical was full of sweepers and twists with pavement was in generally good shape.
Frequent elevation changes added to the fun. The Byway crosses the border into Oklahoma not far from Mena, Arkansas.
Unfortunately, the western half of the Byway was closed due to flooding. Oklahoma received record rainfall in May and this is one of the roads impacted.
Most of the rest of the ride to Edmonds, my second goal, was along I-40 and tollways. Before I reached I-40, I did stop in Heavener, OK to find a bite of lunch. I found a pizza place but passed it by. Then I saw a Taco Trailer with about 6 people eating on the benches in front. I figured I would give it a try. I ate 6 tacos, a mix of carne asada (beef) and al pastor (pork).
From the photo, it looks abadoned, but it did seem to be the place to pick up lunch and there was a steady stream of orders being prepared inside.
My last stop before arriving in Edmonds was in Okemah, Oklahoma, which according to the city sign is the home of Woody Guthrie. 🙂
I arrived at my friend’s place about 4:30pm and I’ll be largely off the bike for the weekend before heading to Colorado on Monday.