Little Rock to St Louis—Tips?

[SmithSwede]

I always get such great feedback from you guys with questions like this. 

Tomorrow I’m planing to ride from Dallas to probably the Little Rock area.  Then towards St Louis.  I need to be in Troy, Illinois by Monday morning for work.  I have a Butler map of the Ozarks and can see there are a lot of great roads along this general route, and west or southwest of St. Louis. 

Any particular recommendations as to roads?  Must see historic sites or museums?  Restaurants?  (I don’t eat sushi and hate Armenian cuisine)

[LowRyter]

I always get such great feedback from you guys with questions like this. 

Tomorrow I’m planing to ride from Dallas to probably the Little Rock area.  Then towards St Louis.  I need to be in Troy, Illinois by Monday morning for work.  I have a Butler map of the Ozarks and can see there are a lot of great roads along this general route, and west or southwest of St. Louis. 

Any particular recommendations as to roads?  Must see historic sites or museums?  Restaurants?  (I don’t eat sushi and hate Armenian cuisine)

I think one of my Texas buddies took HWY 9 out of Mtn View and routed to St Louis.  The Mex restaurant used to be good there but I can't recommend it now.  There are no "bad roads".  (but you might ask Rocker).  It's a little too far east for me to know first hand. 

When you get there, get some veal on the Hill and a cold one with a plate on the half shell at the Broadway Oyster Bar. 

Catch the Cards if they're home.   

[ozarquebus]

New aquarium at Bass Pro in Springfield MO if you are into watching thousands of fish swimming by in an eerily lit museum atmosphere. $42.
 If you can detour off 49 to the  East of Fayetteville and go up 23 through Eureka Springs, AR you will hit the famous Pig Trail area of curvy roller-coaster roads. Its a popular biker destination.
 If you continue back roads to the NE toward St Louis you will eventually get to the area North of Van Buren, Missouri with sparkling streams and a place called Johnson's Shut-ins if looking for a nice place to camp and swim on slippery rocks or maybe a cabin. It sounds like you won't have time to enjoy its slow paced charms.
 

[Shorty]

There are numerous designated scenic highways coming into and north out of Little Rock. I personally like the areas near Eminence, Mo, and also Van Buren, Mo. The roads to Ironton are nice. There is a pretty good winery at St James, Mo. and the road there from Salem is nice. The nice hilly twisty roads end pretty abruptly east of Poplar Bluff, Mo. Thats's where the flat farm land begins the closer to the Mississippi you get. Have fun!

[Guzzistajohn]

Gimme a holler if you run through SW Mo. Prescott. I don’t really know much about the roads in the area 

[rtbickel]

Get to Little Rock from Dallas via eastern Oklahoma and Hot Springs

[PJPR01]

I always get such great feedback from you guys with questions like this. 

Tomorrow I’m planing to ride from Dallas to probably the Little Rock area.  Then towards St Louis.  I need to be in Troy, Illinois by Monday morning for work.  I have a Butler map of the Ozarks and can see there are a lot of great roads along this general route, and west or southwest of St. Louis. 

Any particular recommendations as to roads?  Must see historic sites or museums?  Restaurants?  (I don’t eat sushi and hate Armenian cuisine)

If you have time to meander a bit, try to ride some of the Great River Road sections on the way up or back, those always have scenic spots to stop, dine, sight seeing. 

[yogidozer]

St. Louis?
Wear a vest....a Bullitt proof vest 
St. Louis, Missouri has the highest violent crime rate in the United States of 2,082 incidents per 100,000 people. The murder rate is 64.9 per 100,000, with a total of 205 people murdered in 2017. Certain parts of the city, specifically East St. Louis have an increased likelihood of violence due to unsafe housing, a poor school system, and a failing economy.

[Guzzistajohn]

St. Louis?
Wear a vest....a Bullitt proof vest 
St. Louis, Missouri has the highest violent crime rate in the United States of 2,082 incidents per 100,000 people. The murder rate is 64.9 per 100,000, with a total of 205 people murdered in 2017. Certain parts of the city, specifically East St. Louis have an increased likelihood of violence due to unsafe housing, a poor school system, and a failing economy.

Good advice. I'd gas up 50 miles out of StL (in the daytime) and KEEP MOVING 70 MPH +

[yogidozer]

Maybe go to the Ozarks instead?
Park your bike, do some hiking and fly fishing.
Always wanted to go there, maybe some day 🙏

[Guzzistajohn]

Maybe go to the Ozarks instead?
Park your bike, do some hiking and fly fishing.
Always wanted to go there, maybe some day 🙏

Come on over, I'll show you all the places I've ridden since I was 17 years old and still enjoy. 

[LowRyter]

Ask a simple question and get a dozen bogus answers and some political advice to boot. 

Got to love it.

I think myself and a couple more actually answered him.  Mine was caveated.  The rest, not so much.     

[PJPR01]

Ask a simple question and get a dozen bogus answers and some political advice to boot. 

Got to love it.

I think myself and a couple more actually answered him.  Mine was caveated.  The rest, not so much.     

"Moderator in training" response here...      You should go thru the rest of the threads too and clean up the irrelevant answers there too!  Will consume all of your free time, you won't be riding anymore!   

Just playing with you!

[PJPR01]

 Wait , training was available ?????

 TS

ROFL!  That was a good one!

[Gliderjohn]

Got lost in a car years ago right around Cape Girardeau. Ended up going a ways on some beautiful blacktop that went through bluffs with in and out views of the Mississippi River. One of the best lost drives I have had.
GliderJohn

[yogidozer]

Ask a simple question and get a dozen bogus answers and some political advice to boot. 

Got to love it.

I think myself and a couple more actually answered him.  Mine was caveated.  The rest, not so much.     

Did a comment get deleted? The only political comment I see is yours?
I stated a government statistic, you can look it up....
Or you can go there and make your own assessment, or become a statistic 😎

[LowRyter]

 Wait , training was available ?????

 TS

More than 30 minutes here and I'd blow my brains out. 

You might not know it but sometimes I can be a little grouchy and lose some tact?   

[yogidozer]

More than 30 minutes here and I'd blow my brains out. 

You might not know it but sometimes I can be a little grouchy and lose some tact?   

Take a video, you can be the next YouTube sensation 🤣

[Guzzistajohn]

What’s the b effen d? Prescott already had his route laid out. He’s a big boy that travels a bunch more that all of us ya-hoos and he’s obviously not reading this anyway! He’s enjoying himself squishing bugs @ 75 mph.   

[LowRyter]

better him than me Johnny.  It's getting hot outside.  I won't ride further than my BBQ grill.  The weather was perfect in Taos on Monday. And it was cold in Colorado.

[PJPR01]

More than 30 minutes here and I'd blow my brains out. 

You might not know it but sometimes I can be a little grouchy and lose some tact?   

Nothing a little good music and drink can't cure!  Cheers John!

[LaMojo]

^^^No comment 

 The Sultan

You have already made four comments on just one post!

[jrt]

79 between Hannibal and STL is a nice ride.  There are a number of decent places to lunch in Hannibal along the main drag.

[delrod]

Back to the original topic. I rode as far east as possible if n AR once and began picking my way north through the country and entered in the bootheel of MO. Def not inspiring motorcycle roads and you never get close to the river but an interesting part of the state.

[Two Checks]

Quote from: jrt on August 06, 2021, 09:48:45 PM

79 between Hannibal and STL is a nice ride.  There are a number of decent places to lunch in Hannibal along the main drag.

Hannibal is waaaaay north of STL and the OP is coming from the south. And the junction of 70/79 is well west. I live about a mile from there.

Hwy 19 is a good ride as is 8, 28 and many others. Plus many of the state lettered roads. Grab a good old fashion map and explore.

[LowRyter]

^^^

[raul]

79 between Hannibal and STL is a nice ride.  There are a number of decent places to lunch in Hannibal along the main drag.

Drake's in Hannibal is the place to eat.

[LowRyter]

 

[yogidozer]

Drake's in Hannibal is the place to eat.

What's on the menu?

[SmithSwede]

Just got home from Illinois . . .

Yes, I’m playing CCR

Thanks for the tips.  Great trip.  A bit over 2500 miles.   I hit some great roads in Missouri coming up.   Then Troy, Illinois.  Had 2 days to kill so went all across Indiana, then down to Kentucky.  Then the Great River Road along Mississippi in Illinois back up to Troy.   

Then linked up with Guzzistajohn.  Saw Topaz Mill and more great Missouri roads.   

Dropped down into arkansas and hit a bunch of yellow and red Butler map roads.  Saw Petit Jean SP.   Mount Magazine.   Then wandered over to Talimena. 

I love my little Guzzi.