Yesterday I awoke early @ Clinton airport. Saw a sign that dealt w/ salvage of airplanes to explain the carcasses on the non flying side of the road. Peaceful night.

Drove back to Mountain View, AR to ride more of Syllamo trail. I sent myself up for Blanchard Springs XG were I could access Jack’s Branch trail and onto to Bad Branch Loop, rejoin Jack’s & down to XG for shower in enclosed building. Temp is in 60s making that $3.00 shower @ outside temp. Chilly. Plus, the road to Blanchard is paved saving the gravel road up & back to TH where I stayed before. But then i drove up there for Sat night as it is free; XG cost $.

Parked in day use area, paid $3.00 parking fee although TH fees for the trail are waived. Overpaid? Paid for shower later.

Headed up shared biking hiking trail to full on Jack’s. Some technical stuff, broken sandstone & limestone. Trail made an overlook over Sylamore creek and valley. Pretty much @ high spot. Trees are almost all completely leafed out. There several tree species that are later leafers anyway. The oak etc is big leafed. Area is 2nd or 3rd regrowth. W/ these broad leafed trees their trunks are not very tall, they just get bigger around and maybe a fuller canopy.  Can still see in forest even w/ the overcast day I had.

At TH w/ red & yellow trails 2 riders were engaged in a navigation discussion. I carried the day w/ my official map. An outhouse sits @ the TH. I say to the riders that anytime you see one of these outhouses they are made in Spokane. The more serious rider spoke up and said that that was in his neighborhood. I asked where, and he said Missoula. I asked what he is up to and he said that he is on a 6 month road trip mtn biking and taking pictures. Cool. Kindred spirit. We chatted briefly me voluntering ride info and him seeking it. We set out on Bad Branch which is the easiest of the trails. I lead for short while and then pulled ove. i was holding him up. We introduced ourselves, his is Garret, and agreed to meet upon ride completion. And I watched his legs churning him away. I rode Jack’s (yellow blazed) and Bad Branch (red) for 27 miles I saw only Garret and an attractive athletic young woman trail running up towards me. And she is Garret’s GF. They met in Missoula but she is from Mountain Home.

Red trail was too much Pablum. Recently a wheeled trail vehicle went down the trail some places repairing the ST creating unconsolidated surface that moved unpredictably. And then the trail was made machine width of vegetation leaving a wheel track on either side. No bar checkers here. On the yellow and Blue I stopped to carefully snake my bar ends between trees.

Back @ XG I find Garret @ his camp site. I ride to van where I find a note from Santacruzer inviting me to his campsite and that he has been reading my blog. I don’t know him. At Garret’s I pump him full of rides ideas for east US. Both of us were short of time making for me just sharing ride info and not learning about him & his GF who was by now @ camp. Boy shorts. Nice.

I got a shower and then walked to Santacruzer’s camp site. Everybody was gone. Chris, I wanted to talk w/ you and learn your story.

I wanted to get to sleep spot and chill. I drove back to Green mtn road to where I stayed previously. Just after arriving 2 riders few into parking lot. Both were wearing Competitive Cyclist jerseys. I recognize one (blanked on his name) and he is riding a Turner Flux raw color which is most popular this year which I think speaks to lead time of getting a painted bike. He is hot on it and also w/ Turner customer service. He said if all retailers were like Turner his life would be so much better. Another testimonial.

Brief sprinkle last night brought out rain cover. Short lived. Didn’t turn off music or go outside to listen for Whippoorwills.

Today got up and made french toast w/ whipping cream. Plan is to drive back to Mtn home & do wash as 5 days of riding gear is dirty. 5 out of 7 days riding is OK. I spent my REI dividend & member 20% discount on a bike jersey so I can ride 6 days between washes.

Did wash. The wet bike clothes are pinned to the clothes line @ the back of van line drying. Traveled back roads to Bald Knob and got on US 64 that runs thru Brevard, NC. A GPS route dealt w/ Memphis, TN and I rejoined US 64 which is mostly 4 lane controlled access, a step below an interstate. Drove east. Plan was to make Huntsville tonight but fell short hence the airport parking lot. Developed airport w/ a small terminal with a parking lot out front. I might be under the watchful eye of a security camera. Plan is to sleep here then be gone b4 they open @ 8.

Tomorrow is Muscle Shoals then Huntsville. Call Grace from her same area code.

Once I reached rt 64 the land was just flat that showed signs of past flooding. Must raise rice

Slept thru serenade of whipperwills and scattered light show of lightning bugs.

Up early w/ plan of riding @ 9:00 to keep ahead of the heat. And I let the morning slide on. A guy in a stationwagon w/ a mtn bike on roof rack pulled in. I asked what he was up to. he said that he and several buddies were planning on riding all 56 miles of trails and he was caching h2o. He invited me along when they rode thru. I said thanks after admiring his muscled shaved legs. Almost ready when a white sprinter pulled in. I recognized the small slider windows in the aft most window panel of Dave & his wife from Twisp, WA that I met back in Sedona. Cool. They made their visit to DC and are working their way back home down south where the weather is more pleasant.

Previously my non drive crank arm loosened from axle. I tightened it down. Rode off on orange trail w/ long ride of my own planned. Trail is well defined and occasionally color coded marked. Heavy leaf cover. Some patches of sand stone for slick rock. I left untested several Sedona moves. All by myself pedaling along. Noticed play in crank arm. Made a trail intersection and there was the guy and 3 of his buds. One broke the chain stay on his full suspension. I gave him the 3 longest zip ties and he splinted a piece of green sapling for road ride back. I retraced my ride back to van and toolbox. I retightened the compression nut holding the crank arm onto axle. Found that threads were stripped and the crank would always be too loose. I googled bike shops near by. Found a part @ Competitive Cyclist back in North Little Rock 2 hours back down the pike.  Best decision was to drive to Competitive, score the part and some other store goodies and drive back to Syllamo for another day of riding tomorrow. Competitive has a bike shop for building up bikes. Zak got me in the shop and another wrench figured out that 3 small spacers were missing between the bottom bracket cup and crank arm. He had a replacement part with the spacers and the crank is tight again. He said that my bottom bracket is up for new grease. Need to find a shop that has the Chris King bottom bracket grease tool. A piece of past tornado activity landed next to trail in the form of aluminum faced siding. Poison ivy is norm. Saw a small shrub that bore 3 leaves in clusters that looked close enough to be poison but it was mimicry. I rode thru several small stinky puddles leaving reminders on m y legs. I needed a shower.

Hustled drive to NLR. Started to drive 6 miles each way for free FS shower. At the side road intersection was a camp ground. I figured that a $5. shower while saving the time of 12 miles of driving was a wise investment. And the shower was only $3.00. This one took the cake. It was like an old style boy scout camp shower: rough sawn wood boards unsealed, gaps above ground & below roof. No way to heat it. Old mud wasp nests high up. H2o was hot, plenty, & forcefull.

Pushed my speed on the twisty 2 lane hwy to Clinton. several times I stopped to reclose an opened drawer. I slowed down. Made Competitive about 45 mins before closing. Turned around & fought early evening traffic exciting Little Rock. Some aggressive drivers.

Tonight I am sleeping outside the Clinton airport. There is a huge fenced in bone yard of small planes behind me, Fuselages and separately wings.  Wonder what his business model is. Airstrip is unlit.

Tomorrow is back to finish Syllamo, maybe stay up there and leave Sunday for Huntsville.

Have a small spot of poison ivy on my right thigh.

Dr Holloway, the chiro in Sedona, worked over my legs to fix the cause of my leg swelling. Regular mds wanted me to wear compression socks. Done w/ that. Called her office on Thurs w/ praise. She liked that. They asked me to submit a testimonial. Loose stool appears to be firmed up. I drank more h20, ate vit C which is shrinking my lymphomas. Needed her treatments years ago.

As in Deliverance. I think people are people and those kind of people are able to be anywhere. My expereince so far has been , what, OK? The guys I have ridden w/ are enjoyable as I shared time w/.  Service people can be pretty slow. The gas stations had some real cake takers.

Free association recall of last 3 days in the hinterland of Arkansas out of internet & phone coverage.

Today I spent driving from Albert Pike rec area, location of Eagle Rock loop trail I rode part of yesterday, to north central AR up by Mtn View to the Syllamo bike trail to ride tomorrow early because it is in the mid 80s w/ about 40% humidity but hey, I’m getting too warm. 2 days ago I rode from somewheres South of mid point to S end point & back. Camped at start point out in toolies again.

Whipperwills have been calling at sundown.

Mon left XG and drove into MT Ida for supplies & propane. Guy who worked @ propane retailer was a former paper server back in his day. Gave me a bit of an education and told tales to make his point. Using propane for cooking & refrig which use very little.

Found planned ride starting point maybe 6 miles from where I started yesterday. I had an idea of riding both out & backs. I was hammered from yesterday. I rode S to end point. At the lake I engaged a USFS fish magmt person in what, fishing? He has 28 lakes to monitor manage. Today he was sampling fish count. He had some colleg kids help. He has 2 poles that are wired to a strong electrical source which shocks the fish causing them usually to float to surface where they are netted and checked out. Turned around for return trip. Parts of the trail have been prescribed burn. As I was pedaling I just decided to clip out of my right pedal. I twisted my ankle, heel outward, to end of range of motion and I was still clipped in. I stalled and sat on a few poison ivy plants. I freed myself from my bike. I discovered that 1 of the cleat screws is somewheres else than the bottom of my shoe. I had previously exchanged hydration packs and touched a spare cleat screw. Yes, score. Screwed it in & tightened the other one.  Hard to work up hard effort. Made van which was still in direct sunlight, 114 degrees inside. Repositioned solar shower into sunshine & waited. Warm solar shower.

Spent night same place listening to Whipperwills.

Yesterday i drove to Albert Pike rec area for eagle rock loop trail. Today I am really flat. Found trail out of well developed FS XG w/ showers for free. This trail is a hiking trail but rides well. It crosses many trickles to knee dee swirlers. Tepid temperature. The dreaded stall and topple over landing in the water caught me, almost a full immersion. I had no energy. I am so dehydrated and the heat is getting to me. Eagle rock is a 29 mile loop, I made 14 miles and bailed @ a rode and rode 5 miles back to van. Took a shower & drove back out to a TH I passed to sleep in the parking lot. CXT from Spokane provides comfort in their faux old wood built tougher than a brick shit house.

Then today i rested & drove. My clothes drawer started popping open. Something was up that it wouldn’t stay closed. I stopped and turned too w/ a screw driver. i discovered that one of the slides was missing a roller. decision: find a cabinet shop and ask for advice. Found one just down the road. Bought a pair of slides, repalced broken one but drawer bound. I asked for help. Guy checked screws, Don used half round head screws that were interferring w/ smooth rolling. Guy replaced screws and I was off w/ a working drawer. Bought Scotch in same store as last spring in Hot Springs. No, I did not take in Bill’s library.

Tomorrow the Syllamo. From the parking lot the trail shows almost no use. Pretty heavy poison ivy ground cover.