What a hard day. I planned  my ride on the Womble heading North like last year, however, this time I figured to split the 37.4 mile point to point trail more equally.

I changed out blankets, heavy to southeast spring warm. My sleep spot was shaded allowing me to sleep till past 8. The pain from the smacked ribs is slightly better, diminishing returns as time moves on. I am aware of the pain while riding gasping deep breaths. This hurt adds to other pains, non of them sufficient to cripple me but are of a nature that several weeks not riding would make a lot better. But I have about 370 more days to go.

I drove to another trail access point @ about 18.25 marker. Getting excited to ride this pedal trail. Big grin. Spun off. I planned to ride hard to turn around point of trail end then more slowly ride back. I considered holding my pulse to max 140 bpm. That didn’t happen either way. Leaves are almost fully deployed, some sections still had unridden down last fall leaves. Saw 3 hunters just at road access points the trail was mine. Right away I learned that my bike is “too big” for this trail. Squish is good, this bike is like ridding in your favorite arm chair, too much squish. Carried 70 ozs h2o, 4 electrolyte caps, a pbh sandwich, & 4 shots of huckleberry Hammer gel. Warm w/ breeze sometimes, not sure of humidity. About 11 miles out is a campground w/ h2o. I tried to drink more, the 70 ozs went dry just  as I rode into XG on return. My body temp seemed high. I sweat very little perhaps because of my conditioning. Each suck on my hydration bladder got harder as I was sucking the bladder to itself. I was marshalling my resources of energy & supplies. The trail N of XG crossed several small creeks of differing clarity. On way back I picked one and sat in it cooling off  my hot nuts. I never bonked, I just ran out of steam. Impressive effort: 37.84 miles in 4 hrs 58 mins, climbed 4765′, and burned 5722 calories. I beat my body pretty good.

Late start meant late finish. I drove into MT Ida seeking propane & a shower @ Depney point xg. Buisnesses close @ 5:00. Drove further east to xg where I showered & stayed last year. Free shower. Plan was to drive back into MT  Ida & beyond for 2nd half of Womble. I rethought it and paid $14 for utility site in XG.

Tomorrow back thru MT Ida for propane, discussion w/ FS on Vista trail, and on to departure point for Womble. Perhaps a mid point for 2 out & backs from van. Comfort.

Bed time and no cramps.

Not quite but pretty close out near MT Ida, AR in the Ouachita mtns, all 445′ above sea level. Spent the day driving from furthest NW corner of Arkansas in the Ozark Highlands to here Did stop & do laundry in Russelville, a dry city. Besides that no alcohol sales on Sunday in the wet counties. Two beers to last for 3 days. Religious people spoil all the fun. Bit of Baptists around.

Camped last night up near forun in the Madison cty game management unit. Area was recommended for all trails but nothing is mapped. I camped @ the posted camping area and hoped that riders would show at least for a Sunday ride. Nobody arrived. Last night I crafted my decision that if I didn’t ride here I was going to drive S to the Womble & whatever around Hot Springs and then maybe drive back north to pick up the Syllamo.

Pretty countryside, very green cattle grazing, several large chicken ranches and more abandoned ones. Ice storm damage. Crossed Buffalo River @ Boxley, saw an elk right off hwy. Missed Turner’s bend. twisty roads in great driving shape.

Found same spot I stayed in last year almost to the day where the trail just kisses my camp. Walked short distance N on trail conjuring up past ride. Poison ivy away from trail. After dinner I walked S to next road crossing. This year the trail is dry with several of the streams i crossed last year are dry this year. This trail is so much fun to ride as it is mostly a sit & spin trail on narrow tread twisting thru forest.  Last year I rode North out & back from here for 28 miles & 4500′ vert. hard to say but the GPS spit that data out. The second day was 38 miles. I am thinking about starting  a bit south to even the 2 days out.

Today it was 86 in Russelville and humid. I swapped out my down blanket for the lighter thermal one. AT camp the side door is open and the netting is blocking insect access, sort of.

Yesterday but to go back to friday @ Bentonville. Friday @ noon I was to meet mark loosely connected w/ Phatt tire cycles right on the town square. I arrived but he never showed. I hung @ the shop for a while. Local rider Benji showed up and he offered to lead me around Slaughter Pen from  town. Neat old town that has a square w/ buildings facing the street. Quite old town. On the west side squeezed between other bigger buildings is Sam Walton’s original  5 & dime store which is now a museum to him & WalMart. Mr Sam & Walton Way street.

Benji rides a 29″ rigid. We rode out from town along a new paved trail. A new piece of mtn bike trail is being constructed w/ machines to make an introductory skill experience b4 getting to the good stuff. IMBA layed the trail out & it is being built by a professional trail building company. Back @ far end there is an impressive dirt jump track. Benji smoked on the single speed. Needed to saty back bebhind him because the line he chose & how he pedaled it is different than a geared squishie bike. Also on the grunt climbs when he was out of the saddle cranking for his worth to make the hill he would squirt rocks back.

Short intense ride. He had to leave. back @ the square again. Attractive young woman laying on gras working on a computer w/ a butterscotch colored lab @ her side. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pet one of them. Hass, the lab let me. Girl w/ a dog is a guy magnet.

Just outside the square the new world of automobile exists. Battled heavy traffic to FedEx store to return my Edge. And I joined the freay exiting town to drive to Lake Leatherwood up near Eureka Springs. City campground, not poshly developed but for $11.00 and a funky shower life is good. Picked tent site in lower field where a nearby campsite was occupied w/ mtn bikers. I sat outside reading to be greeted by  husband & wife who invited me to share their camp fellowship. More riders were coming. After my dinner I jioned them around their campfire. My radar didn’t sound off. Bits of conversation topics revealed the group to be god squaders bent on converting native people in far away places to speak english & accept jesus.  destroy the native culture & replace it w/ something that will add to further religious strive.  They left me unconverted.

Bebji texted me his friend’s name that would be @ Leatherwood. I planned to call him in the AM. In the AM I dallied and didn’t call. I saw a white Sprinter in a distant camp. I pedaled over to learn of this guy in a Sprinter w/ mtn bike. Name of Riley & he is Benji’s friend. Cool. We chatted. He left the Army after 8 years and is taking a year off traveling & riding on his scale. He shared a couple volcano bags for a good buzz. He invited me to ride w/ his group. Shortly Pat pulled in in his Sprinter. Both guys converted their rigs. Before we left we were joined by 3 younger guys full of piss and leaking blood. One of them endoed onto a rock & gouged his leg. He needed first aid and shots of medicinal alcohol. Everybody is on 29″ mostly single speeds and younger. We set off @ a blistering pace. i stayed w/in switchback sight. They were faster mostly until we encountered technical rocks either up or down.  Squishy bike rules. I waited @ an intersection for 2 slower riders in fear that they would miss the turn. The faster boys were on ahead. I treid to tell them why i was waiting and they tried to tell me that they turned back. They left and I eventually moved forward. They were gone and I was alone. I made my way ultimately back to camp where all of them were gathered drinking beers. The 3 guys left for their second crown of their trifecta of Slaughter Pen & Hobbs, which I rode 1 per day. Ah, youth.

Muddy trails that were acceptable to ride on. Needed shower for me and bike to wash off the brown mud.

Which now brings us back to last night.

Yesterday on my solo ride i came upon 2 buzzards in a tree just off the trail. They flew away b4 I could take their picture.

Tonight during my after dinner walk i heard many Whipperwills calling, my first hearing.

Way slow internet, going to let this fly as is.

Brutal 2 hour time zone difference from AZ. Woke up local time 8:00 @ airport.

Checked tire pressure & found rt rear was 7 pounds light which would explain some of the handling problems.

GPS wandered around looking for a grocery store before heading out. Local chain, no filtered h2o. Food choices are not as healthy here in south.

Today’s ride is @ Hobbs conservation area outside of Rogers which is next door to Bentonville, home of Walmart. Found TH. As I was getting ready 2 local riders finished their ride. Brief conversation netted me a ride date tomorrow @ Slaughter Pen outside of Bentonville.

Rode series of trails, nothing on tread for technical challenge but trail is all about pedalling  thru broadleaf forest that is starting to leaf out. Red buds & dogwoods are blooming. may apples are opening their crown of leaves. Didn’t recognize poison ivy vines. Loblolly pines mixed in. 2 hour ride, 17 miles w/ 2178′ climbing. Elevation profile looks like ragged cuts from all the little ups & downs, never more than 200′ sustained. My Spot is built up for Sedona but these trails are under kill. My 21 psi tires might be too low as I felt the tires squish around. Need higher pressure for rolling. Pedaled hard & body felt it. have bad tendinitis in right elbow. Had trails all to myself. Well marked, Takes effort to cut trails here, no just ride thru the desert when looking for a connector trail.

Deep woods cover, can understand why vistas are so special

Needed a shower. Drove to visitor center where I viewed several exhibits, one on armadillos that can inflate their small intestines for buoyancy and can hold their breath for 4 to 6 minutes for swimming. Learned of a camp ground, Hide a way nearby that was opened & had showers. Drove twisty road up & down to XG. Met owner, Wayne, out repairing the in ground pool. I started conversation about armadillos and we went from there. he told me about Buffalo river national river. He said elk have been reintroduced, some from Idaho. Shower for $3.00.

drove back into Rogers looking for sleep spot. Tried airport but it was larger and had security cameras in the parking lot. Wandered around and am still unsettled for sleeping. Daisey B B guns are made just next door to where I am now.

South is strange in their alcohol laws, I am in a dry county, but Fayetteville just down the way is wet.

Lining up some of that tasty moonshine from Dalton, GA.

Gotta go to nail down sleep spot for night. Original spot was on same dirt lane shared by Daisey B -B gun factory and separated by a fence a rough apartment complex.  Stayed in van until after dinner after dark. Got out to throw out dinner wash h2o and went for walk checking out possible sleep spots as present place was in factory parking lot. Checked out large office bldg w/ big paved parking lot. Back in van finishing cleaning up when a police car pulled in to lot. 3 officers got out and looked into bushes between me and apartment complex. I watched as they approached me. I greeted them and was asked to step outside to be talked to. They were responding to suspicious activity. It turned out it was about me. The apartment complex security person reported me. Conversed w/ officers, main guy ran my drivers license and wrote a report. I was not illegal, however the officer suggested that i not stay in area because of past nefarious activity. Main officer shared w/ force that I was in town and had been checked out. I asked for suggestions and he offered Walmart. I said no. He suggested checking w/ security person @ office bldg. I let that one go as I figured that the security person lacked authority. I GPSd Walmart and drove off looking for possible other spots. Right off main st in Rogers I saw a bank parking lot. I drove around block and discovered quiet side street. I parked in front of a for sale business between residential houses. I observed life for several minutes b4 settling down. No traffic on side street. I set my alarm for 7:00 AM so I could get moving b4 too much activity. Jumping to Friday as I drove away I found I was a block away from Rogers city hall. Slept uneasy afraid of rousting or criminal activity. Nothing happened. I did pick a bad neighborhood in factory area, my bad.