Clayton in two weeks

I am lounging at a Starbucks in Branson MO, waiting on Kay to do her shopping, wishing I had ridden my dual sport bike here, and thinking about our upcoming Clayton ride. This is my favorite riding event of the entire season. A good time to see old friends, meet new ones, and ride one of my favorite areas of the country on a dual sport bike. Southeast Oklahoma offers a wide variety of riding terrain, from rough, rock-strewn single track trails to boulder-littered water crossings, scenic jeep trails through old-growth hardwood forests, and fast dust-filled fireroads along spiny ridgetops. For the street rider there are plenty of twisty paved roads to scrub the chicken strips from your tires.

When I first started riding the Clayton area I chose my BMW F650 GS Dakar. Why? Because it was the only bike I had at the time. After a couple of years I added a Suzuki DRZ-400S as my ride of choice. This is an excellent compromise between true off-road prowess and street legal city exploring. I sure wish other manufacters would "see the light" and convert some of their off-road mounts to street legal bikes.

If you are planning to attend this year's Clayton ride, be sure and update the database on Yahoo with your information so we can get a head count for Saturday night BBQ. I look forward to seeing everyone there again this year.