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Wow! What a purr-fect day!! I can't wait to get some good off road experiences and learnings under my belt!!June 14, 2022 Update - Back in the Saddle Again!
On Tuesday, we met at Gabriella's Mexican Grill Restaurant in Prarie Grove at 11:00 AM for an early lunch, and then we headed out on our day-long trek to revisit the dual-track trail called East Outer Loop near Devil's Den State Park.
This was the same trail that @kodiakisland and I were scouting on May 31st, before the larger group ride, when my fuel pump died.
This time, however, we tackled the trail with a larger group of four people (me, @kodiakisland, @mikec426, and @SFAforester), navigating the entire 10-mile trail counter-clockwise, beginning at the trailhead campground (waypoint on the right; GPS coordinates 35.71485, -94.25768), around the inner loop circling Bradford Knob (middle of the map), and then back onto the East Outer Loop again, past the spot where my fuel pump failed two weeks ago (upper waypoint), and out to Lee Creek (left of the map), where we stopped for a break. Then we continued on along the north side of the trail and circled along the south side back to the trailhead campground where we started.
It was really hot and humid all day (95+ heat index), so everyone packed plenty of drinks in coolers to stay hydrated.
Below are some photos we took along the way, along with brief descriptions for context.
Note: A brief, edited highlight reel, prepared by @SFAforester, and a few other short video clips are also included at the very bottom of the post, because the indeterminate sizing of video links by the forum software tends to screw up the organization of the text and photos.
1) 6-ft-long, black rat snake that @mikec426 spotted, sunning itself on a log along the gravel road heading to the trailhead campground.
2) Group shot before heading towards the trailhead (me, @mikec426, @SFAforester, @kodiakisland). Right behind @kodiakisland's rig is the 3-way intersection where my dead vehicle was picked up two weeks ago by Roadside Assistance on a flat-bed trailer to take to a local dealer for servicing.
This was my first time wheeling with the doors off, and I was looking forward to the experience, knowing how tight the last 2/3rd of the trail was, from our pre-ride scouting trip two weeks prior.
3) Another group shot at the trailhead campground. Since this was a week-day, no campers were present, but I imagine on the weekend, it will likely be occupied.
4) Fortunately, despite the heat and humidity, the forest canopy of tree limbs and leaves covering the trail kept the sun at bay, and occasionally, when we were riding along a ridge, a nice breeze would blow to cool things down.
5) Oops! There is a big water hole that blocks the entrance to the rock beach alongside Lee Creek, and the ruts are pretty deep. Since I was in the lead, I decided to SEND IT through one of the deeper lines, and almost got stuck, but with a brief reverse, and a little more momentum, I was able to climb out without assistance from the rest of our motley crew.
6) After watching my line, the rest of the crew chose different paths, and each made it across successfully without incident. (Bastards!)
7) Once we got past the waterhole and reached the beach, we took a break for about 45 minutes to chat, hydrate, enjoy a dip in the creek, and take photos.
8) @SFAforester brought his drone, so he did some flyovers and recorded some overhead photos (below). He also recorded some videos, which are linked at the bottom of this post.
9) This long-range drone photo is one of my favorites, because it gives you a glimpse of the massive size of the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest surrounding us.
Nice job, Drone Master!
The State of Arkansas is home to two national forests: (1) the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest (aka "the Ozarks"), and (2) the Ouachita National Forest. Since the Ozarks are closer to home, that's primarily where we wheel on these day trips.
Fun fact: Forests (national, state, and private) cover 19 million acres or 56 percent of the state!This little known fact played a part in the development of the official nickname, "The Natural State", which was adopted by the state legislature in 1995 "because of our unsurpassed scenery, clear lakes, free-flowing streams, magnificent rivers, meandering bayous, delta bottomlands, forested mountains, and abundant fish and wildlife."
10) During the break, @mikec426 and @kodiakisland decided to take a dip in the creek to cool off. 20 minutes later, @kodiakisland remarked that, while the water was cool at first, eventually it felt like it was 90+ degrees again, just like the air temperature!
11) Along the creek side, I found this interesting formation where the water had washed away the topsoil, exposing the roots a full 3 feet below the ground above.
12) After the break, we hit the trail again for the remaining 2/3rds of the trail.
This part of the trail was more technical in nature, with tight switchbacks and very narrow gaps between the trees. At numerous spots along the way, there was the potential to do real damage to mirrors, fenders, flares, or doors, if we weren't careful in picking our lines.
@kodiakisland's 2-door handled the tight switchbacks fine, while the rest of us with 4-doors used Trail Turn Assist (TTA) occasionally to maneuver around certain obstacles.
At one point, the main trail was blocked by a huge treefall that completely covered the trail, both horizontally and vertically, and the bypass was also partially blocked by a smaller sapling, but I made quick work of that with my 10-inch RazorTOOTH folding saw, and we were all able to pass by smoothly.
13) We also had some pretty steep pitches to navigate (e.g., 23-degree pitch)...
And some sections with both pitch and roll amidst tight turns (e.g., 16-degree pitch, 8-degree roll, 18-degree turn)...
14) When we returned to the trailhead campground, we headed up to Devil's Den State Park so @SFAforester, who had never visited before, could admire the view before heading home.
@SFAforester once again whipped up some photographic magic by setting up a tripod and taking a 360-degree panoramic photo of all our rigs staged in a 4-sided box, with headlights to bumpers for each. This shows a unique, 360-degree perspective of our motley crew at the end of the trail.
https://s.insta360.com/p/422da5a0a79e7f8783c367374cba26d0?e=true&locale=en-us
Conclusion:
It was a long, but satisfying day, full of fun, technical challenges on the trail, but nothing too taxing or dangerous to either man or vehicle. From start to finish, it took us 5-6 hours to complete the 10-mile trail, including the break at Lee Creek.
I loved wheeling with the top down and the doors off, and my rig was covered in mud and trail dust throughout... as it should be.
Peace out, amigos!
Highlight Reel Prepared by @SFAforester:
Videos:
Great write-pics and videos, @Razorbak86!
Thank you!!
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, stopped immediately, backed up a few feet and changed my approach angle. When I got through the obstacle and examined the flare, I saw the front two of the five plastic cams attaching the flare to the fender had snapped in two. 
