Ozark Backroadtrip - Spring 2015

"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
04/29/2015 at 09:00 • Filed to: backroadtrip

A couple weekends ago, a group of like-minded friends of mine - mostly from work - set off on our biannual weekend of driving the curvy backroads of northwest Arkansas. It’s such a good time that two of our crew came up from San Antonio and one even flew down from Canada to join us (a friend in Midland unfortunately had his Cayman rear-ended the week prior, and had to bow out). Instead of taking this trip last fall, several of us rented our local track instead; while that was a fantastic day, all of us were itching to get back on these fantastic roads in and around the Ozark National Forest.

We took off from Tulsa on Friday afternoon, and used the back roads to get to the cabin we’d rented on Table Rock Lake. Thankfully there were some fun roads to explore in eastern Oklahoma and southern Missouri on the way to our destination. A friend had brought along his new fisheye lens, which made for some unique photos.

Our lineup included a 700 rwhp supercharged C6, a supercharged and track-prepped Z4M roadster, a heavily modified Camaro SS convertible, a Shelby GT500, a freshly-acquired S2000 and my E90 M3. We also had two guys on motorcycles along.

Our cabin (found on airbnb) was better than I could have expected, even if the driveway was a bit too rough and steep for some...

Once we’d off-loaded our gear, we piled into a few cars and ran into Eureka Springs for supper (at Sparky’s) and filled up our coolers for the nights ahead. After playing some washers and imbibing a few adult beverages, we turned in (pictured below - the best and luckiest throws of my life).

The next morning we grabbed our maps and radios and headed out for the day’s drive. It had rained earlier in the week, but thankfully the roads were perfectly dry for us that day.

We had breakfast in Eureka Springs, and the bikes headed off on their own way while the last of us fueled up. It was a great day to be out and we were enjoying stretching our cars’ legs on the open road, but then we ran into a snag less than an hour down the road. Our friend’s C6 had a fuel issue (long story short, they ended up having to get a wrecker to tow him to the nearest dealer, and our friend in the Camaro went along - they met back up with us at the cabin that evening). The rest of us then went on, enjoying the weather and scenery and largely unoccupied and fantastically twisty and hilly Ozark roads.

We stopped at the Cliff House for a leisurely lunch - a great spot with a great view.

We didn’t get in quite as many miles as we usually do on a Saturday, but it was a truly fantastic day. The road pictured in my lead image is one of our favorites, south of a little town called Mt. Judea. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! There are just so many good roads in this area - you could truly spend a week exploring them all. Even though we’ve been out here twice a year for several years, there are still some stretches we have yet to sample.

We headed back toward the cabin a little earlier than normal, to meet up with our fallen comrade and the bikes. We found a nice restaurant nearby and enjoyed a good meal (steak and quail for me) and then went back for beers and a night by the fire. It was a clear night and we were out far enough that the stars shone brightly, even in the normally deep, dark recesses. A handful of us kept the fire going past 3 a.m. before finally giving in to sleep.

The next morning, a few of our group took off early after we cleaned up the place. The rest of us got some breakfast and took one last drive - down and back a sweet little stretch west of the lake in Missouri - before turning our cars toward home.

If you’ve never taken a trip like this, I strongly encourage you to find a couple friends to go with and do it. I can’t wait to go back.

DISCUSSION (31)

Meatcoma > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
04/29/2015 at 11:26

Kinja'd!!!

That’s a tiny cabin!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Meatcoma
04/29/2015 at 11:29

Ha! Can you believe all ten of us slept in there? I know these guys a little too well now...

Meatcoma > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
04/29/2015 at 11:38

I wouldn’t admin that! haha

CaptDale - is secretly British > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
04/29/2015 at 14:39

Kinja'd!!!

Damn that thing is mean. I love what done to it. Sowed it to the guys at work and we agree it looks a little Viper-ish. 11/10 would hoon.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > CaptDale - is secretly British
04/29/2015 at 14:45

It’s... insane. He bought it like this. It’s got a very aggressive cam and sounds like hell on earth. He actually changed it out to a Corsa exhaust to quiet it down a little (it’s not quiet at all). It’s so low that it looks like the front lip is touching the road when the suspension compresses!

RallyWrench > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
04/29/2015 at 15:28

Sorry I didnt’ seen this earlier, it must have gotten buried pretty quick. Beautiful country there, what a great way to spend a weekend!

E. Julius > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
04/29/2015 at 15:32

Wow glad I caught this on the repost. Sounds like a fun thing I could do with my buddies at school once I get back to OK. Might ask you for a couple detail if/when this occurs, although it’d be a little less impressive with a Civic ; )

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > E. Julius
04/29/2015 at 15:53

For sure! I went a couple times in my old Mazda 3s hatch - I was able to hang pretty well in the tight stuff, but once you add the climbs into it, sure is nice to have the power!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > RallyWrench
04/29/2015 at 15:54

Thanks - it’s a great place, and a fantastic time.

E. Julius > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
04/29/2015 at 15:55

Ha I could see that. Last time I was in Colorado, my car was not very happy with me asking it pull full load of people and ski gear up a mountain.

CaptDale - is secretly British > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
04/29/2015 at 16:40

Damn... That’s how to do it... Could you post a video of it running?

Carlin_Rules_2008 > CaptDale - is secretly British
06/19/2015 at 18:12

Looks like my parent’s 3LT GS. Fortunately, their hood doesn’t look like something Stan Lee would create...

Makist > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/19/2015 at 19:51

I’m from a little south of that area (Hot Springs National Park) and I loved taking my S2K AP2 up Scenic Highway 7 towards Harrison. Absolutely stunning roads, great views, and great food if you know where to stop.

I can’t recommend the driving in those parts enough! Thrilling, but surprisingly hardly any cars at all.

Hi there > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/19/2015 at 20:04

Bit of a Necropost but I’m glad y’all had a good time down here in AR. I grew up here, albeit in central AR instead of the Ozarks. However, my friend’s uncle has 5 acres and a house/shop in Elkins, AR and while I do not have a performance car I do have a ‘91 EF Civic that has hooned those roads for thousands of miles and a ‘14 Accord Sport 6spd on Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber that has seen some good times in that region ;-)

Hi there > E. Julius
06/19/2015 at 20:08

I have an EF hatch. Coming down the hills in the tight sections it’s not impossible to keep up pretty well with faster machines. When your car weighs less than 2400lbs with you and a friend in it plus your gear... inertia (or the lack of it) is your friend!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Makist
06/21/2015 at 11:41

Definitely a place I want to share with OPPO, but not get the word out too much... Ha!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Hi there
06/21/2015 at 11:43

I’m always impressed how much speed some of the locals carry on those roads!

Hi there > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/21/2015 at 13:43

Mhm, 92 vengeful horsies in that old Civic. Matters less when you’re going down the hill...

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Hi there
06/22/2015 at 18:52

Ha! I prefer heading uphill with my 450 hp (and 3700 lbs).

JRSR > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/10/2016 at 09:57

Just now read this, but I’m really happy you enjoyed your time in my backyard. I grew up in NWA and I’ve spent quite a bit of time driving its twisty roads. I know it’s not as remote, but did you get a chance to take scenic Hwy 71 at some point? Yes, I know it sounds boring, but the run from Winslow south to Mountainburg is one of the best stretches of road I’ve ever driven. Traffic is extremely light and cops are limited to county sheriffs on rare occasions. The view is pretty great too (although you’ll be too busy screaming around the corners to take your eyes off the road).

I’ve driven my recently acquired B7 RS4 down it and laughed and smiled the whole way. That road was made for performance cars. I can’t recommend it enough.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > JRSR
06/11/2016 at 20:25

Thanks for the tip! Our spring 2016 trip was great - can’t wait for fall. =)

JRSR > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/11/2016 at 23:22

Just counted the corners on that stretch and I figure on 30 decent ones with several at 90 degrees or tighter. Just talking about it is giving me the itch to drive it.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > JRSR
06/12/2016 at 14:00

Nice - have you run 123 heading south from Mt. Judea? Crazy to look over your shoulder to see when you’re going next!

I'm a designer, too - seems like we really need to get together for a drive and beers after at some point. Ha!

JRSR > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/12/2016 at 15:08

Sure man, I'm down. You guys are in Oklahoma? I'm about 2.5 from Fayetteville.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > JRSR
06/12/2016 at 19:44

I'm in Tulsa - ever get over to Hallett?

JRSR > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/13/2016 at 16:57

No, never ran the track there. Looks like a decent one though. You spend quite a bit of time on it?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > JRSR
06/13/2016 at 17:27

I’ve been out there a handful of times - heading back again in early August. I’ve got three kids, so getting away for stuff like this is somewhat limited. Might be crazy for going that time of year, but hopefully we get lucky with the temperature that day. It is a great little track and the people that own and run it are salt of the earth folks. The other track I’ve been on is Motorsport Ranch outside of Fort Worth - great facility. As much fun as I have on the track, it’s terribly hard to beat the experience of running around the Ozark backroads for a weekend!

JRSR > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/15/2016 at 16:10

I need to get over there and try that track out. I really wish there was one like it here in Little Rock. We certainly need one and it would do quite well here. Are the fees pretty reasonable at Hallett? And do you take track tires and such?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > JRSR
06/15/2016 at 17:52

NW Arkansas needs a biannual hillclimb event!

The cost is very reasonable - I’ve run there with Hallett’s High Speed Touring, with the Tulsa Caffeine & Gasoline Group, with the BMWCCA, and a group of friends and I actually rented the track mid-week once.

I have PSS and just run those at the track, as well as StopTech Street Performance pads and a higher temp fluid. Since I’m a couple times a year track guy at best, I can’t see having dedicated wheels and tires just yet.

JRSR > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/17/2016 at 14:38

The previous owner of my RS4 had 2 sets of stock rims because he put snow tires on them in the winter (got it in Denver) and I have been thinking about putting some track tires on them.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > JRSR
06/17/2016 at 15:43

Nice - I've got two sets, with PSS on one and Conti DWS on the other.