"Strictly Arkansas" - Sam Correro

The motorcycle was a Honda XL650 and its journey across the Atlantic Ocean from Bath, England to the United States was completed on Monday the 10th of July, 2000. The Honda was in the compound of the U.S. Customs Office in Jacksonville, Florida and remained there for 4 days completely unaware of the oncoming attack from its owner Russell Fisher.
Sam, Russell and Ernie.

Russell is a journalist from the United Kingdom, who happened across the website of Sam Correro's Trans America Trail some eight months earlier. Russell and Sam exchanged several e-mails and after that Russell decided that this off-pavement ride across the United States was just what the doctor ordered. So in the early evening of July 13, 2000 Russell arrives in Orlando, Florida. The next morning he boards a Greyhound bus to ride up to Jacksonville, get his bike out of Customs and start his ride on back-pavement toward Central Alabama to meet up with Sam. The two men trailer the bike back to Sam's home in Central Mississippi. Russell stays in Madison, MS for two days and uses this time to prep his bike, add an odometer and do some Public Relations. On the afternoon of July 19, 2000 the two riders trailer their bikes up to Lula, MS which is their trailhead for the Trans America Trail. There they meet Ernie Phillips and his son Christopher for an overnight at the Lady Luck Casino for a wonderful evening meal and a good nights rest. Now the stage was set. Russell was on his Honda 650, Sam was on his Honda 600 and Ernie and Christopher was on the BMW R100. Everyone was waiting on the next morning for 7:00AM to begin the Ride.

Day One: Lula, MS to Clinton, AR - 235 miles and 10 hours on the Trail.


The first few hours of riding in the Arkansas Delta the land is flat, cutting through cotton fields, rice fields, catfish ponds and soybeanfields with the trail being gravel and dirt roads. Now this combination means dust and more dust. There was a short rain storm just before our lunch stop in Beebee, AR. This settled the dust, gave us super traction and the remaining of the day was very good riding. After lunch, the terrain changed to rolling hills with both hard and soft wood forest. Russell was in charge of navigation using the roll charts and maps provided by the Trans America Trail. Let me say here that he did an excellent job of staying on the Trail. He found the turns with ease, reset his odometer back to zero in seconds, and made a fast exit. This is just what he had to do for the next 4,500 miles and 18 days on the Trail. Russell was the first bike, with Ernie and Christopher next and Sam was bringing up the rear. We rode into Clinton, AR. about 6:00 that evening ready for a good nights rest.

Day Two: Clinton, AR to Alma, AR - 188 miles and 10 hours on the Trail.

This section of the Trail is in the Ozark Mountains and the terrain was a drastic change from day one. All the days ride was on forest roads, some jeep roads and a short section of rocky downhill with a few mud holes on Warloop Road. Just ask Ernie about the rocks and the water holes that he had to ride with that heavy BMW. But he did a super job and came through with flying colors.


About mid-morning we did get a light rain. It did not last long but we were on dirt roads which became very SLICK. We learned something on this trip. We learned that a street legal BMW GS R100 is an "ATV Vehicle", so says the Arkansas Fish and Game. We were blocked from riding a short section (about 3 miles) of the Trail because atv's were banned from using a country road. Go figure!! Anyway, we had an alternate loop. After expressing our displeasure in a gentleman's fashion, we turned around and did the pavement thing for some two miles then got back on the Trail. Riding in the Ozarks was super. We had gotten out of the high 99 degree heat of both the Mississippi and Arkansas Delta. Russell, Ernie and Christopher were smiling once more. We arrive in Alma about 5:30PM, showered and had a great dinner. Everyone was ready for a good nights rest.

Day Three: The group splits here.

Sam got on the back-road pavement and rode to his truck in Lula, MS. Russell, Ernie and Christopher continued on the Trail for a half-day then bailed out on the pavement to Tulsa, OK. Ernie has family there and Russell needed to do some bike maintenance and also join up with a friend that he met on the Internet. Then Ernie and Christopher rode back home to Chattanooga, TN. Russell turned to the West and was looking for the Pacific Ocean. His plan is to ride the Trans America Trail all the way to Port Orford, Oregon, some 4000 miles away. The boy has a true SPIRIT of ADVENTURE. This is what the ride is all about... Ride on Russell!!

 
 

 

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