16 miles in 15 minutes! Great Drive report

**67alecto** · 09-19-2005, 03:34 PM

But it will be the best 15 minutes of your trip...

Mammoth Springs, Arkansas to Hardy, Arkansas on Highway 63 starting at the Arkansas/Missouri Border. You come out of a good, flat stretch to find yourself in the Arkansas mountains. The speed limit is 55, the road is well maintained, but you only get a second lane on some of the particularly steep hills - time to get around those trucks! Lots of S-curves and gradual hairpins.

I'm sure someone like Northern Rider could shave it to 10 minutes or so, but I was driving late last night as we pushed home from Phenix City, AL and had a car full of luggage and the wife and kid were asleep. It's a tribute to how well the car handles that neither of them woke up. Unless the curve warning was for below 40, I let the cruise keep me pegged at 60mph and it handled like a champ.

Last time I made this drive was in a 91 Lumina and it was horrible. This time around, it was a blast. I actually made this trip twice this weekend - roundtrip.

Here's google's map of Thayer, MO to Hardy, AR:

**COLORADOMAGNUM** · 09-20-2005, 12:39 PM

Gotta love how this car handles for a big-ass station wagon!!!

**Old Navy** · 09-21-2005, 09:16 PM

Hey 67 I drive those roads along the MO-AK on ocassions just for fun, I really like letting the ass end hang out on some of the 30 mph or less curves. Hwy 142 & 160 that run E&W are also fun to run, although they have been improving those roads. Some of the county roads are really breath taking with a good road car, and the wife loves it when do the twisties. She likens it to a roller coaster, but no standing in line or someone blowing chunks on her. Needless to say I am always happy to fulfill her desire to pull g's or go negitive g on any road trip.

**Northern Rider** · 09-21-2005, 10:32 PM

Gotta love those twisties!

And that's the way to drive them, 67alecto. Just maintain speed, dial in a bit of extra steering on the tight turns to compensate understeer and let that sweet traction / yaw control do its thing.

the maggie never ceases to amaze me (for a fat ass stn wgn:lol: )

**IDSmoker** · 09-22-2005, 02:41 PM

When I was growing up in Oklahoma, a buddy and I used to love to take our motorcycles through the Ozark mountains for a weekend of straightening the curves out!

May have to take the Magnum back that way just for a little cruise down memory lane! <grin>