Dogpatch Biker bash 2008

Dogpatch Biker bash. September 5-7
It was billed as one of the biggest bike Rallies in North West Arkansas. It was to be held at the Hub and there was suppose to be lots of venders and shows and all that. Since I had never been to one of their gatherings I decided that I would go.
Planning a run has gotten to the point of telling people that I am going and what time and where I’m leaving from. I told everyone about the rally and everyone seemed interested in going. So I pulled out from my local one stop around 9:30 am and ended up going by myself.
The trip down was a good one. The recent storms passing through left it cool and fresh out and traffic was light on 412. Didn’t even see a state trooper anywhere. Since I was all on my on I took hwy 21 and went toward Kingston . There was always a few riders down that way and I hoped to catch up with some of them and get their take on this gathering. My luck was still holding and I didn’t see a soul anywhere.
At the foot of the Boxley mountain I took a left and headed to the river and hwy 74. 74 is a lot of fun for me to ride especially the ride up the mountain. I tell people that other states have their Dragons Tail, we have the “Possums Shank“. Short tight curves and some of the best scenery in the world. The only thing wrong with it is, it ends all too soon.
I pulled into Jasper and several bikes went by me heading north on hwy 7 toward the Hub. I fell in behind them and we all held to a leisurely pace all the way.
When I pulled the hill, hwy7 spur, to the Hub I noticed several bikes parked all over. I pulled in and visited with Randal, the owner. Randal told me that he was all sold out at the motel and was letting people pitch tents all over. He also gave me the run down on what all was going on.
After talking with Randal I started to go to the main Rally site at the other end of the parking lot and noticed a bikini clad girl with a garden hose. She was washing bikes for a donation.

From the looks of things she and a couple of other girls were doing a bang up business. There were several bikes around them and as they finished one would move on to another. For a fleeting moment I thought about having them wash mine. But in all reality it would probably do more harm than good. Mine might fall apart if all the grit and grime were washed off.

The Rally was a short walk across the parking lot. $10.00 got you an all day pass and access to everything. The first thing that I noticed was a live band that was doing a good job of bluesy southern rock that made for a good back ground as you walked around. The vender area reminded me of a carnival midway. Lots of fast food type trailers and plenty of people selling Tee shirts and leather goods, Pins and patches. A couple of people were selling light kits and super polish for your bike. The swap meet type of parts vendors were absent from what I could see. There was a man selling Suzuki Boulevard parts and that was about it.
The games were going on as I made my way around. I stopped to watch the tire toss and had a good time. The girl that that won looked less like a biker than anyone I have ever saw. She had on a nice dress and “sensible shoes”. She looked like she was headed to the grocery store or was on her way home from work in an office somewhere. As the tire toss was ending the Sport Bike Stunt Rider Team was gearing up. Those guys put on a good show. Watching them reminded me of my age.

My stomach reminded me that it was lunch time and I walked back to the Hub and Scooters restaurant. The place was pretty busy and the food was good, like always. The Bikini girls were still hard at it and provided a floor show for lunch. After eating I moved out to the patio and had coffee. While I was sitting there one of the best home grown rat bikes pulled in. It was a Kawasaki Vulcan 700 and it was painted military green camo. This bike had lots of custom touches. Like the hand shift made from half of an old harness hame. The brass knob serving as the handle. The pipes were wrapped and the mufflers were tail pipe tips off of a 70’s Chevy Chevelle. The seat was a wide solo like it was from and old 40’s Indian. The passenger seat was a true work of art. It was made from an army boonie hat. Stuffed full of foam and held to the rear fender by a cargo bungee. There was so much to this bike that I cant describe it all. It was just a real pleasure to look at. While I was looking it over the owner was bolting on an oogah horn. Showing that adding class just never ends. I stood around talking with the rat owner and visited with people from all over. Once they figured out that I was a local of sorts, they had lots of questions about the area and it’s history. Most agreed that it was some of the best riding in the world. Before I realized I had spent most of the afternoon visiting. About 5 I headed back down to the rally to see if anything new had came in. sadly it hadn’t. That was kind of a let down for me as I love the parts / swap meet type of get together.
All in all this was a great get together. Very relaxed and everyone that I saw seemed to be having a good time. I met people from several different states and all over Arkansas. I’m not sure and haven’t heard anyone comment on how many people were there. The motel was sold out and there were lots of tents. Some speculated that since last year it had rained all weekend, some of the vendors were a little gun shy this year. This turned out to be a great run. I had a good time. Met lots of good people and am looking forward to next year. Hope to see you on the road.
I totaled 172 miles of this “back yard“ride.
Proud Member Of The 365 Group
( I rode mine today)