spring fling thru AR, MO and TN

[bivenator]

A buddy and I are heading out may 15 from houston thru AR to enjoy a drive thru the spring/summer heat. I am familiar with the AR roads (7 and 21 and pigtrail) and willl only venture briefly into southerm MO, we may go to Branson to see the big jerry van dyke spectacular comedy variety show. I don't know the roads in TN at all. We will try to make it to eastern TN as i have heard that the roads there are the schizznit. Does anyone have a suggestion? We will be camping along the way so if you have any fav campgrounds in any of the three states, i'm all ears.
One quandry that we have is, should we trailer my Pcar and his bike behind my truck or drive the car and bike the whole way. his bike is a rebuilt gs1100t and my pcar is a stripped down no ac/heat. the truck adds comfort and will make the camping easier but will burn more gas and possibly decrease our flexibility in planning. flexibility is important cause we don't really have a plan.
If there are any Pelicans along the way (bigchillcar) maybe we can burn up some dead dinosaurs together [

[bigchillcar]

i may be out of state at that time, but do let me know if you're passing through..would be novel indeed to lay eyes on a 'roc' (rest of country) pelican!
ryan

[Rot 911]

Eastern TN has great roads, but really not any better than northern Arkansas/Southern Missouri. And the advantage with AR/MO is much less traffic on the back roads. And as for Branson, unless you like traffic jams and old people, avoid it.

[bigchillcar]

And as for Branson, unless you like traffic jams and old people, avoid it.

+1

scenic 7 and the pigtrail are great! thinking there's 'crater of diamonds' state park near murfreesboro, arkansas..you can 'dig for diamonds' (good luck..only found dirt + sweat = mud). mount magazine is the highest point in arkansas and has a nice new, improved park..great scenic view..might be close to your route..gotta admit it's been years since i've driven either of them. i have no life.. anyway, i used to own a 35' motorhome and have stayed in many of our state parks..they're nice. hopefully it won't be so hot in mid-may. this place becomes a broiler by july..
ryan

[Rot 911]

Let's not forget Eureka Springs and the area around it! Nice campgrounds at Table Rock Lake although my favorite is at Roaring River State Park about 20 miles from Eureka Springs.

[Rot 911]

Oh and a comment on riding or trailering. If you both ride, you get the fun of the adventures along the way. On the minus side you are not on compatible vehicles so hard to compare the fun. If you take the truck you have someone to BS with through the boring parts and can haul more crap with you.

[bigchillcar]

i tend to agree with kurt..trailer everything..**** the gas..it's not gonna be cheap no matter what you do and it's all about 'the journey' anyway.. yep, agree on eureka springs and table rock lake..can't go wrong with either.
ryan