BBBQ

We met up with the Daniels, our third cousins in Fort Smith. Joe and I had last met them in 1955 just before they moved from Cape Girardeau to Fort Smith. This is Pat on the right, her husband Cosby Hodges on the left and Tom Daniel in the middle. The youngest daughter, Julia was also there. We spent the night in their luxurious home on the golf course and we all went out to dinner. Anne, the fourth family member and my childhood favorite, died from cancer about four years ago.

The Bikers, Blues & BBQ bike rally in Fayetteville, Ark is supposed to be second only to Sturgis in size. We heard numbers like 300,000 but it must be very difficult to get a good head count as no tickets are required. There is a ton of bikes though, all throughout NW Arkansas. We camped at Dan and Debra's place in Fayetteville, a 30 acre hilltop that was a 20 minute walk from downtown. The rally itself was mainly vendors and outdoor music, the fun part being just watching people and bikes parading up and down the main drag which was closed off to cars. Lots of custom bikes and different creations. Our hosts are currently building a low energy house and we enjoyed their company and interaction.

We had had enough of the noise and congestion by Saturday afternoon and rode over to the Buffalo River and camped at the Steel Creek campground, making some friends and throwing horse shoes. The temp has been in the mid 40's at night, so we don't hit the road til 9 or so.

Sunday, we toured Eureka Springs and continued our habit of eating BBQ and catfish. Sunday night we checked into the 1929 restored Seville hotel in Harrison which had special rates for bikers and met some of the local characters in the hotel bar after doing our laundry.

Riding Arkansas

I stopped in Commerce and spent the evening with David and Betina Zavanut and left on Saturday with them to drive up to Oklahoma where there were going to camp and search for crystals. I continued on to Glenwood and spend the night in a hotel for a change from the Vixen. Sunday I met up with Joe in Helena and unloaded the bike and we headed south and camped at the confluence of the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers. We thought the weather was heading away from us, but instead it came on with lightning, thunder, wind and rain which confined us to our tents early in the evening. Two miles south of us the wind took down quite a few limbs and trees and five miles north of us they had golf ball sized hail. So we got off lucky.

We rode around southeastern Arkansas visiting museums and such and had lunch with Ann Rowe in Keo, Arkansas camping along a river or lake wherever possible.














After visiting Mena and Queen Wilhelmina in the western part of the state, we arrived Wednesday evening at Mount Magazine resort and decided to spoil ourselves. We enjoyed an evening with a couple from Oklahoma city celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary.

A Vixen here, a Vixen...

It was an easy drive from Flagstaff to Bourne, Texas for the Annual Vixen Owner's Association, the 25th anniversary of my 1986 model. It was a three day event with breakfast and dinner catered, technical sessions, and a dance evening. The most interesting for me was the technical stuff and seeing what everyone else has done to their Vixen, followed closely by meeting all of the fun people from the states, Canada and one from Amsterdam.


That is Pete on the right, the guy that I bought my Vixen from.

I also went over to Kerrville and visited with Ron and Chris Bradley, friends from La Ventana.















After leaving for Arkansas on Friday, I spent the evening and next morning with David, Cynthia's brother, and Betina Zavanut on their intriguing homestead/studio/farm in Commerce, Texas. In interesting and enjoyable couple!

Tomorrow, I hook up with my brother Joe from Nashville in Helena, MS.

Pickin in the Pines

The festival was as good as usual, I think this was my fourth time there out of the six years that it has been held. The highlights were camping, cooking and goofing off with Jeff and Bob, and the close up performances of Sam Bush as well as a group of young women harmonizing. We didn't go to or pay for the main stage, but just hung out in the jam sessions in the campground and went to the workshops. Susan came by on Saturday with more beer and ice and joined us for a workshop. Creighton, Kim and the Prescott gang had their usual contingent of pickers and singers.

I left Sunday morning for San Antonio and made it here to Clovis, New Mexico and checked into a motel for a needed shower and shave.

Vixen away!

This is the new to me Vixen motor home that I bought in Napa last month and then went to Burning Man with it. I am leaving tomorrow for the Pickin in the Pines Blue Grass Festival in Flagstaff and then heading east on Sunday. Go to www.vixenrv.org to see the story behind this unusual motor home. the bike is an '06 Harley Sportster and that is my house in the background.

It seems to have been too long of a winter and a slow start to Spring, but it is finally here. So on the road again. This spring, I had classes in sculpture and in Air Brush Painting and Oakley & Liseanne, Rebecca and Dan and I went to Maui for a week in March. We all returned to Charleston in April for the annual Dogwood Azalea/Reunion. I finished up the fountain in the front yard that Gary Mac and I had started on last fall.









I also started on a statue of Isis on the left of the front steps to the house. She is full size and is formed of concrete added a bit at a time with a rebar and chicken wire frame. There is currently 20 or so applications on her with another 20 to go.
















I sold three motorcycles and bought two others, a Sportster that I leave on in the morning for Missouri and my 49th high school reunion. The class ahead of me is sponsoring the reunion, but needed to invite five classes to get enough people together for a party. There were nine in my class. The other motorcycle is an electric scooter to run around town on. It is surprising how fast and agile it is. It is a bit of a bother to plug it in when I get home every day.


I plan on taking the southern route through Dallas and Little Rock and avoid tornado alley.

Back in Baja

Start at the bottom please.

My trailer was in good shape but the old Explorer didn't want to start and is currently in the shop. Hopefully it is just sticky injectors as I did not put in stabilizer when I left it in March. Most of the gang is here already and it's good to see them all again. The beach is to the right of this shot about 100 yards away and two volleyball courts seeing a lot of action. Temps in the mid 70's and I have already had two dinners at friend's campsites.
Travis is seated in the center. We have been camping together since 1997 and its been interesting to watch him grow. Pablo, the owner of the store across the street from the campground is on the right and his youngest son, Nelson, is in the foreground. The walls show a typical small country store with a quite limited selection but enough so I don't have to run 30 miles to town every other day.
I don't have a title for this 1983 Yamaha SR 250 so I thought it would be a good camp bike and I can sell it before returning to Prescott. This shot is in Santa Rosalia and is the first time one gets to see the Sea of Cortez on the drive down. It is over half way, so it feels good to see it. The road then follows the coast for a hundred miles or so and is my favorite part of the trip.
My brother Jerry and his company truck in Borrego Springs, CA. It's always good to see him on my way back and forth to La Ventana in Baja. More uncertainty at his office as they have recently elected three new members of the small board and have axed the director. Jerry prepared dinner and Greg from the office and friends Mike and Teri also came over. Breakfast in the morning at this restaurant and I headed south to Tecate. Lots of construction and bridge building on Highways 3 and 1. Their stimulus program but they must not be printing money as he exchange rate is 12.5 pesos to the dollar. Last year I could get 13.5 pesos for a dollar. Gasoline was up again to 8.37 pesos per liter from 7.4 last year. But that works out to about the same price as in Arizona. The Infinity got 22 mpg on the way down - I should try driving at 65 more often.