Carol, Jim and I all took the day off to ride.  It had been a long time since just the three of us got out on our bikes and we were really looking forward to it.  Part of the problem had been the record setting heat.  That combined with our schedules made our ride together long overdue. We planned two alternate routes, and would decide later in the day, which to follow depending on the weather and how everyone felt.  Our ride took us north up 265, then over to 71B for a short distance, onto 62 and up 37 north into Monett.  We stopped at the Buss Stop gas station and restaurant in Garfield for coffee (in Carol’s case tea) and a snack.  Little did we know that the Buss Stop serves full breakfast for as little as $3.00.  It is famous for ice cream, but it has a full menu too, including sandwiches, fish, chicken and burritos.  All of the prices were quite reasonable and the two guys having breakfast told us the food was great (it looked good).  We’ll keep that in mind for future reference.

 

From there we headed across the Missouri state line and into Roaring River State Park.  Jim hadn’t seen it for about 20 years and it made for another nice stop.  After a few pictures and a pit stop, we were back on the road.  37 North out of Seligman, Missouri is a nice road for bikes. There are long sweeping curves, and several slow lanes to let impatient drivers pass.  The scenery, while not as hilly as the around Northwest Arkansas, was pretty and pastoral. We all agreed it was an easy, relaxing ride.

When we rolled into Monett, it could have been something out of a scary movie, or the scene from a western, when the bad guys rode (rolled) into town.  We pulled onto a quaint, little, small town main street with no activity.  It was as if everyone knew something we didn’t.  Actually, that was the case.  They knew that many of the businesses downtown were closed on Mondays.  Low level panic set in (ok, that’s an exaggeration, more like collective confusion) as we walked along looking for a place to have lunch.  It was well into the afternoon when we arrived, and lunch was very high on everyone’s agenda.  Finally, we came across a Christian card shop that was open.  I went in (thinking, well she has to eat somewhere) and asked the clerk if there were somewhere to grab a bite to eat.  She pointed us to Mocha Joes.

Good call!  The food was fresh and good and the crew, friendly.  We ate a leisurely meal, enjoying the atmosphere and our sandwiches.  Jim tried the Club Sandwich which was Wheatberry bread, ham, turkey, bacon, cheddar, mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion; Carol ordered the My Hammy Vice, Ciabata bread, bistro sauce, ham, provolone cheese, black olives, onion, lettuce; and I ordered the Turkey with a Twist, made with Wheatberry, mayo, turkey, ham, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion (but I asked for no onions). After a pleasant lunch, it was time to hit the road.

We stopped for gas, and made the decision to head back rather than take the longer route.  We stopped again just outside of Seligman at a station that sold booze, snacks, gas & lotto– to grab a cold drink (no, not that kind).  From there we headed down 62, but cut across 72 going west and took a left onto 94 south to stop in and say “Hi” to Mom. By then the traffic was heavy and the going slow, so we stopped in Springdale for water and to gas up one last time.  From there I’d peel off from Carol and Jim and they’d continue south towards home. 

While we were there a guy pulled up in a plumbing truck.  Now, this wasn’t just any truck.  It was pretty unique.  We got to talking and he rides too, a Heritage Softail.  It’s more than 20 years old, belonged to his uncle, and only has 43,000 miles on it.  I told him I really liked his truck, and he said, “Why don’t you get in and take a picture.” “Really? Can I?”  “Sure.”  So that’s how I ended up driving the truck into the sun for a photo (otherwise there was too much shadow), however I have been dissuaded from sharing it with you for purposes of propiety.  It was a hoot though!