Heading for the Hinterlands

[JackFlash]

Well it looks like the Duc is going to be fixed in time to ride it up to Michigan (approx. 1650 mi. mapped) for my sweet woman’s family reunion. We usually take the cage up and run the slab so I’m not really familiar with the best bike roads once you get past northern Arkansas. Any suggestions that would improve the quality of the ride or the scenery at any point along the way would be appreciated. Here is the general route (overall map) that I have laid out so far.

Starting out from Houston, take 90 E. to Liberty, 146 N. to Moss Hill, 105 E. to Kountze, 69 N. to Woodville, 190 E. to Jasper, 63 E. to Indian Hills, 87 N. to Milam then Tx 21/La 6 to Natchitoches per the map 1 below.

From Natchitoches we take 9 N. to 126 E. to 505 N. have lunch at the Tower (great catfish) and on to Wyatt. Take 167 N. to Lillie, 15 E. to Spearville, 3121 E. to Lockhart near the Ark. Border where we pick 7 N. which takes us most of the way through Arkansas. See the next two (2 & 3) maps.

In Northern Ark. near Lurton we will bear off 7 onto 123 to 374 then back to 7 at Jasper where we plan to do a catfish comparison at the Cliff House. We head N. to 206, S. of Harrison, then E. to Bellefonte where we pick up 412/62 E. through Mountain Home to Salem. Take 9 NE. to Mammoth Spring where we cross over into Mo., hit 63 N. for a bit then get on 19 N. to Winona, Turn E. on 60 to Van Buren then 34 E. all the way to the Il. Border at Cape Girardeau. See map 4.

This sure seems complex doesn’t it; anyway, at Cape Girardeau we pick up 146 E. over to Vienna, then 45 NE. Norris City where we take 1 NE. to I65 where we cross over into Indiana (I hate riding the Interstate) heading E. to 57 then N., picking up 67/231 south of Worthington. see map 5.

67/231 becomes 231/43 N. of Southport and takes us to Lafayette where we get on 25 heading NE. to Warsaw. see map 6.

At Warsaw we take 15 to the Michigan border, dogleg over on 12 to 40 and then it’s pretty much a straight shot north to Grand Rapids. See map 7.

[DuckMan]

Wow! A truly epic journey. I would say you have Arkansas nailed. That's got to be one of the finest motorcycling roads in the South. Now north of Arkansas... I didn't know there was anything north of Arkansas. I think that's where you get into no mans lands. Kentucky is nice but I think Indiana is pretty much flat and boring. Maybe someone from that area could help out.

...after thinking about it for a bit, I doubt there are many Ducatisti in that part of the country. After all they do still think driving around in a circle is racing there