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Posted by: kerensky Jun 9 2012, 05:59 PM

OK, I've heard for years about Talimena Drive - seen pictures from the MUSR and from other car groups I hang out with on occasion, but had never been myself.

I was just there this morning. I had to pick my son up from Boy Scout camp near Talihina (at 8 frickin AM, so had to get up at 3:30...) and couldn't resist a quick peek at this road, even though I really had no time for it.

We turned onto the west end of the road and traveled about 5-6 miles, turned around and came back 'cause I needed to get the other boys home. 9 AM-ish on a Saturday and we saw one other car. Absolutely beautiful area out there. I've *got* to do this road right one of these days - the wife's Acadia handles pretty decent for a 4000+ lb crossover, but it's no 914!

Posted by: dakotaewing Jun 9 2012, 06:15 PM

That road, from what I remember is about 70 miles long -

Typically motorcycles could not keep up with 914s in the past on
that road. Not a lot of police seen on that road as well.

Did you see any Tarantula's? I took my son to that camp about 4 years ago and remember seeing hundreds of the them crossing the road...
I stopped and caught 2 and brought them home -

Thats a great BSA camp as well-


Attached image(s)

Posted by: kerensky Jun 10 2012, 10:18 PM

Yeah, I think a straight road from that point to the other end at Mena AR would probably be about 40 miles, but once you travel all those twists and turns and ups and downs, I'd believe 70 miles. Of heaven.

Theoren (my son) said he woke up to find a tarantula on his chest one night. Luckily he's not scared of spiders. He says he saw six others, usually in and around the bathrooms. And yeah, he had a *wonderful* time, can't wait for next year.

Posted by: vsg914 Jun 11 2012, 04:27 AM

61 miles of pure exilaration! Summer weekends can be very crowded unless you get there early morning. Sneak off work and go in the middle of the week. You will have the road to yourself. I might have to meet you there myself.

Posted by: Porschef Jun 11 2012, 05:18 AM

I like the look of the front car, with rear flares only...

Posted by: vsg914 Jun 11 2012, 05:49 AM

That is Richard Fishers car. 500+ hp 350sbc. Beautiful car. It was given special recognition by PCA at the fort worth parade a few years ago.

Posted by: pcar916 Jun 11 2012, 08:46 AM

Yeah, the only thing you don't really want to do is string 20 914's onto the Talimena - Mena run at night in the fog. Not a spirited-drive opportunity that one.

Posted by: hot_shoe914 Jun 11 2012, 11:04 AM

Last time I was there it was really foggy durging the day, quite interesting.

Posted by: vsg914 Jun 11 2012, 12:49 PM

That was a white knuckle drive.

Posted by: pcar916 Jun 11 2012, 12:56 PM

Yeah, but the food was good and who doesn't like a line of 914's goin' 20 miles per hour trying to see the tailights of the car in front of you to maybe see where the road is supposed to be...

and we were ALL hungry by then.

Posted by: vsg914 Jun 11 2012, 01:55 PM

A very good meal it was, Ron.

If I remember right, when there wasn't fog, there was rain.

Posted by: pcar916 Jun 11 2012, 02:48 PM

Ya know... I must've blocked that out. Maybe it's the gray hair. But the driving was excellent because by then I'd just finished converting Penelope from a standard fuel tank to the current config that's in my avatar. Other than an LSD, bigger CV's, a more interesting transaxle, a few oil cooler upgrades, and full-time cameras she's still pretty much the same old girl as she was at that MUSR.

Posted by: ClayPerrine Jun 11 2012, 05:12 PM

For a few years we had a April get together to run Talimena. Kinda went away due to lack of interest. But if there was some new interest, I would be willing to go.

It was a simple event. Show up on Friday night, get up, drive to Mena. Eat lunch. Drive back to Talihina. Push the cars back in the Motel parking lot. Cook burgers on the grill and drink beer. Wake up Sunday morning and drive home.

BTW.. I followed Richard's V-8 914 through the fog that night. We were 3 feet behind him and all we could see was his tail lights and the yellow line down the middle of the road.

Not fun at all.