TAT Day 13

Day 13
Tues 18th Aug

 

IMG_6698 (Large)

 

We had such a great day of riding today, managing to do just over 180 miles! This probably doesn’t sound like a lot to most of you, but seeing as we normally only manage a maximum of 150 miles when we’re on paved road, to do more than 180 miles on mostly off-road was quite a feat.

My bike also hasn’t been running too well the past couple of days, and has been using more and more oil and fuel. It’s now using half a litre of oil for every 30 miles, and with my range going from 120 miles to 60 miles for some reason, that’s a 2 to 1 ratio of fuel to oil. Let’s be honest, that really isn’t very good. With fuel stops and towns becoming few and far between, I decided to stock up on oil as soon as we saw a store. Unfortunately they didn’t have the correct rating that I needed, but after stopping at a local auto garage we managed to get 3 litres of top quality oil for the grand total of $2! We couldn’t believe it, and I was very thankful for it knowing that my bike was getting through it at a rate of knots. I was starting to get rather embarrassed about the thick white smoke bellowing out from behind me, but with a new piston on it’s way to a town further along the trail, it was just a case of keeping the bike topped up and my head hung in shame.

The day saw us riding up in to the mountains and Ozark national park, which really was beautiful. We got some fantastic views over the countryside, and the dirt and gravel roads were perfect.

 

 

IMG_6704 (Large) IMG_6713 (Large)

 

Having not had any breakfast we stopped in a town for a snack and a drink, and as my bike had appeared to get even thirstier, I also stocked up on oil too. What I’d bought in the morning should have done me for the day, but with my bike now using half a litre for every 15-20 miles, I thought best not to risk getting caught out.

 

IMG_6718 (Large)

 

We were in the shade for most of the day, which was brilliant seeing as it was another scorcher. The trail wound through the forest, and I loved how the trees met at the top, giving the feeling that we were riding through a tunnel.

 

DSCN0931 (Large)

 

There was a fair bit of hill climbing to do, which was performed VERY slowly. And not out of choice I would like to add, as we now had two rather sick and under performing 90’s. It was a long steep hill that finally finished my bike off, with a cough and a splutter and a good puff of smoke. I was busy trying to work out how we were going to get rescued, but Ed decided to check the valve clearances instead. They weren’t far off but he adjusted them anyway, and with a fair bit of kicking my bike finally burst in to life, and we were happily off on our way again.

 

IMG_6722 (Large)

 

The trail took us up high and along a hillside, and I have to say that there was something really cool about being high up on a dirt road looking out over a beautiful view.

 

 

IMG_6723 (Large)

 

We also discovered that what goes up must come down, and taking the lead I had great fun whizzing down the trail, sliding round the corners and generally having a blast. I love it when I feel on form with my riding, and seeing as it doesn’t happen every day I tend to make the most of it when it does.

 

IMG_6733 (Large)

 

Running low on fuel and supplies we decided to stop in a cafe in Oark, and it was there that we had a drink, a rest, and a very kind employee called Dawna gave us some free homemade bread! I tucked in to it straight away, as you have to eat it when it’s fresh, and it was absolutely delicious. I tend to find that free food often tastes better too, but this really was damn good bread.

 

DSCN0939 (Large) IMG_6734 (Large)

 

We’d had the perfect terrain up until our fuel stop, however I think that that thought crossed my mind too soon, as we soon found ourselves on quite the opposite. After a fairly long paved section we got back off-road, and it was particularly rocky. It was fun when there was a clear way through, providing a good technical challenge that you could actually complete, but when there was a not so good way or a worse way it wasn’t quite as much fun, with us and the poor little bikes taking quite the battering.

 

 

IMG_6752 (Large)

 

And it wasn’t just rock on the ground, as we rode past some really cool rocks along the trail.

 

 

IMG_6743 (Large)

 

We also got some relief on some gravel and dirt, but it wasn’t long before we were smashing over more rocky stuff. I think I’ve mentioned before that I always manage to hit every pothole going, well the same goes for massive rocks too. On several occasions I was surprised that I didn’t blow a tyre or buckle a wheel.

Happily flying along we were surprised when we came to a gate across the road and a road closed sign, but being our usual selves we decided to completely ignore the sign and go round it.

 

 

IMG_6755 (Large)

 

We couldn’t quite work out why the road was closed, but we suspect that there had been a landslide or something which had recently been cleared. There was also a gate at the other end, and a big hump of mud that we had to get over. Ed’s advice was to ‘stay committed’, and I certainly did that. I stayed committed throughout the entire process of riding over and crashing on the other side. The bike did a wheelie and for some reason I turned the handlebars at exactly the same time, and I say I stayed committed as the throttle was still open as I lay on my side complaining that I’d hurt my vagina; ah the perils of a female adventure rider.

 

vlcsnap-2015-09-07-13h48m57s25_2 (Large)

 

Due to the unscheduled stop we decided to refuel and top of my oil, and it was then that I finally found something that resembled Mississippi mud pie, in the form of my oil filter. It was a sticky, muddy mess, but all I could do was wipe it off with a tissue and hope for the best.

 

IMG_6762 (Large)

 

While I’d had a brilliant days riding, inclusive of my rather amusing crash, it was the last part of the ride that was the most challenging. It was a section that took me by surprise, as it suddenly got very steep, very rocky, and very technical, for me at least.

 

 

IMG_6768 (Large)

Photos never show how steep something is!

 

I don’t know why but I lost my composure and got the fear, making my arms really stiff. The last thing you want is stiff arms when off-road riding, and really I should have stopped for a few minutes and tried to go down in one go, instead of stopping and starting which saw me lose my momentum. Despite not being on form I still got down in one piece without falling, even if it wasn’t the most graceful descent. With hindsight I really should have asked Ed for advice BEFORE I went down, but with him off round the corner and a crap intercom range I was left on my own. After having ridden so well all day I was quite disappointed with how I’d done on that last section, but seeing as I’d never been down anything like it before, it was late, and I was tired and hungry (is that enough excuses?!) I shouldn’t beat myself up too much about it. One definite schoolboy error was not taking my hand off the throttle, or front brake lever in my case. A couple of times I pulled on it accidentally and went hurtling forward and had to stop to regain my composure. It’s difficult as out of habit you have your hand on the brake when doing downhill sections, but that’s not something you want to do when your front brake lever is actually your throttle. At least I know what I need to work on next time (head working as fast as my hands would be a good start), and I’m actually looking forward to the next section that’s like it so I can see how I perform!

 

IMG_6769 (Large)

 

There was a beautiful sky as we rolled in to Mountainburg, which despite the name wasn’t an idillic mountain resort town full of cafes and restaurants. In fact all it had was a few churches and a fuel station, so we decided to ride another 10 miles on to the town of Alma, that had everything that we desired. Unfortunately for us though the only motel we could afford was unmanned, so we had to settle with a KOA campground. We didn’t mind though, all we needed was a place to pitch our tent and a good shower, the latter of which became apparent under the lights of the local Cracker Barrel restaurant. Filthy? Check. Happy? Check. Loving the Trans-Am trail so far? Check!

 

IMG_1277 (Large)

4 thoughts on “TAT Day 13

  1. I’m enjoying both your blogs enormously.
    I finished the TAT on 31st August and I got home yesterday. Loving the memories your stories evoke.
    I remember the closed gate which I too ignored. It was a repaired landslide. The drop into Mountainburg was so steep. Last year a blogger I was following fell there and abandoned.
    The Aussie boys on KTM 990 you met finished the tat with me and were great fun. I couldn’t keep up either!
    I met ed when he came to talk at adventure film festival Sherborne and he gave me some inspiration to do the tat!
    You must now be close to Utah. Call in at three step hideaway, just off the tat before LA sal. Take care over the Rockies and beyond and keep blogging. S x

  2. Love reading your posts. I’m and Englishman living in Oklahoma. I’ve been here for 18 years. Love it. My son and I did the Western half of the TAT in Oklahoma in a 4×4. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Not too taxing, very flat but and altogether different type of beauty. Just stay out of the mud on the farm trails. We are looking forward to doing the Eastern part this Autumn.

    Safe travels and I hope you enjoy Oklahoma. If you get a chance try a Chicken Fried Steak with all the fixin’s whilst your here.

    Cheers………..

  3. Love reading your posts. I’m and Englishman living in Oklahoma. I’ve been here for 18 years. Love it. My son and I did the Western half of the TAT in Oklahoma in a 4×4. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Not too taxing, very flat but and altogether different type of beauty. Just stay out of the mud on the farm trails. We are looking forward to doing the Eastern part this Autumn.

    Safe travels and I hope you enjoy Oklahoma. If you get a chance try a Chicken Fried Steak with all the fixin’s whilst your here.

    Cheers………..

  4. adam kudla

    I too enjoy reading your posts, entertaining and informative. I will be making a go at it with my sons as soon as they get a bit older. Until then I read up on others adventures. Have fun!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes:

<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>