Hello Mississippi!

Day 19

Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monticello, Arkansas to Indianola, Mississippi
107 miles
688 ft. of climbing

Today was another milestone day - rode into a new state, Mississippi and we crossed the Mississippi River!  Out route was about as flat as could be.  Rode through the Mississippi Delta and many cotton and rice fields.  The weather was hotter and humid than we've had in the past few days, but still a beautiful day of riding.

Jerry, Art & Ron - before breakfast

Causeway over Lake Chicot

Me, Christopher and Gerhard

Me & Art - at the 2nd rest stop at mile 56

Art crossing the mighty Mississippi River

Cotton fields

"Logging" in the Miles in Arkansas

Day 18

Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Arkadelphia, Arkansas to Monticello, Arkansas
98 miles
2,600 feet of climbing

Another spectacular day of riding. We had a relatively easy day - only 98 miles and only 2,600 feet of vertical - most of which were rolling hills.  Saw several logging trucks.  Beautiful tree farms on either side of us as we rode.  Had lunch in a lovely shady park.  Reached our destination in Monticello by 2:30.  Had a nice relaxing evening and lots of time to rest our legs for tomorrow's ride.  : )

Art leading the pack

A beautiful spot for our lunch stop

Logging trucks - they were very kind to us
as they passed us on the narrow, two-lane roads

Bike - adelphia

Day 17

Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Queen Wilhelmina Lodge, Arkansas to Arkadelphia (Caddo Valley), Arkansas
101 miles
3,800 ft. of climbing

Today's destination is Arkadelphia, located at the foothills of Ouachita Mountains in Clark County.  I kept referring to it as "Philadephia" as a joke, but then I couldn't say it right, even if I tried.  That's what I get for being a wiseacre.  : )
We had a exquisite breakfast overlooking a gorgeous vista in the parking lot of the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge.  The crew outdid themselves and made us cooked-to-order omelets for breakfast.  The morning temp was a mild and comfortable 60 degrees.  For the first 12 miles of today's ride, we finished up riding the Talimena Scenic Drive, with a few more climbs and then a speedy and fun descent into Mena, Arkansas.  From there, we had beautifully scenic rolling terrain pretty much the entire day.   Much less intense than yesterday's ride.  We passed  many small towns with signs that indicated populations of less than 1,000 (e.g., Norman, Arkansas, pop. 423).  I was intrigued by a big sign that said "Redneck Smokehouse" next to a tiny house on a hill.  I wondered if they didn't have a television and therefore didn't know that people routinely make fun of rednecks in this day and age.  Today's weather was 84 degrees and sunny.   The dogs chase just as much in Arkansas as they do in Oklahoma, but none have caught us (yet).  We all really appreciate the perfect biking weather that we've been blessed with so far.  Feeling strong and having a great time.  It just doesn't get any better than that!

Breakfast at the Lodge: front row seats to a majestic view

Art riding by the DeGray Dam

Making progress every day!

 

Hello Arkansas!

Day 16

Monday, September 26, 2011
McAlester, Oklahoma to Queen Wilhelmina Lodge, Arkansas
100 miles
7,549 ft. of climbing

These past few days, I learned a couple of things about Oklahoma that contradict my prior assumptions: Oklahoma is neither flat nor boring.  Not even close.  In fact, Oklahoma is quite mountainous and scenic, and today's ride proved it.  I consider today's ride a great accomplishment; we biked the Talimena Scenic Drive - a 50-mile national scenic byway that stretches from Oklahoma to Arkansas, and consists of significant, steep climbing.    (Hint:  Anytime the word "scenic" is used to describe a road, that road is sure to be extremely hilly.)  Ever since Day 1 of the tour, there had been much chatter in our group about the "Talimena" day; that it would be the most difficult day of the tour.  (I will admit it was a difficult day of riding due to the degree of climbing and the many sections with steep grades.  But, in my opinion, the first day of riding through the desert was far more difficult.)  The first 50 miles of today's ride (before we hit the Talimena) consisted of big sweeping rollers - long, but not all that steep.  It was a good way to wake up our legs for what was ahead of us in the 2nd half of the ride.  We gained a few thousand feet of elevation before we made the turn-off to the Talimena at mile 58.  From there, the road immediately climbed steadily and steeply for several miles, reaching grades of 10 to 13%.  There were places where the road leveled off, which allowed for some rest for the legs.  The scenery was absolutely spectacular.  There were many marked vistas just off the road to pull into and take pictures or just take in the scenery (and rest your legs).  The traffic was very light - maybe a car or a motorcycle now and then, but for the most part, we had the road to ourselves as we climbed.  By the time we reached our lunch stop at mile 70, we had climbed 4,400 feet and still had quite a bit to go.  I've noticed I go through the same routine when when the road folds up into a 10% or higher grade and it feels like, all of the sudden, someone has just hitched a trailer to my bike.  First, I desperately look down at my rear cassette with faint but fruitless hope that maybe, just maybe, I still have a gear or two that I haven't used yet.  Regardless, I just keep the pedals going around, and eventually, I make it up and over that steep section, and I amaze myself.   As a reward, I take a bite out of the granola bar I have in my jersey pocket.  I repeated this routine numerous times today. : ) 
We ceremoniously crossed the border into Arkansas at mile 93.  (By "ceremonious," I mean I took a picture of the sign that said "Welcome to Arkansas.")  Our destination hotel was the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge in the Queen Wilhelmina State Park - a gorgeous lodge located right in the midst of the beautiful views of the Talimena.  We all had dinner together in the Lodge's dining room - an "all you can eat buffet" for $10, which included a dessert table.  I don't think the Lodge knew what it was getting into when it offered that deal to our group.  I believe we did as much damage to their revenue margin as we did to the dessert table.  We had another great day.  Today's ride was a beautiful ride - one that I will always remember for its majestic views and challenging climbs.

The steep and twisty Talimena Scenic Drive

Art helping me fix my dropped chain, which I somehow managed to jam between my cassette and frame.

Me & Art - all smiles, just a few miles from the end of the day's ride.

Still Rollin' OK in Oklahoma

Day 15

Sunday, September 25, 2011
Purcell, Oklahoma to McAlester, Oklahoma
111 miles
3,743 ft. of climbing

Today was a repeat of yesterday's rollers, only less of them.  It was another picture-perfect weather day.  Although it was cool and slightly overcast when we started riding in the morning, it soon turned bright and sunny and the temp never got much higher than the mid-70's. We had a strong crosswind for most of the day as we headed east.  After lunch, the crosswind became a headwind as our route curved to the northeast.  The good thing is that we all seem to be feeling stronger.  Our route brought us through several small towns and rural residential areas . . . with dogs . . . that like to chase bicycles.  This one dog & I were having a very nice conversation while he was chasing me, until Art yelled at him to leave us alone.  Based on my dog observations of the past few days, I've concluded that the smaller the dog, the more aggressive the chase.  To wit, a chihuahua will chase and bark up to 57% longer than a typical mixed-breed medium-sized canine.  Ergo, a really big dog, such as New Foundland, will just stand there and stare at you as you ride by.  So, there you have it.  Moving on . . . The local people we encountered were very nice - many would asked us about our ride.  There were numerous motorcycles on the road.  Many motorcyclists do not wear helmets here (its not required).  It seems so odd to see a person riding a motorcycle without a helmet.  I wouldn't dare get on my bicycle without a helmet, let alone my motorcycle - for the simple reason that your head is the one part of your body you'd miss the most.  Be that as it may, we had a nice early 3:40 p.m. arrival at our destination hotel in McAlester.  Even had time to do our laundry.  After dinner, we took a good walk to an ice cream shop.  What a great day.  : )

Charley & Art

Me - rollin' along

Art in Konawa, OK

More big rollers today

           

Big Dippers in Oklahoma

Day 14

Saturday, September 24, 2011
Weatherford, Oklahoma to Purcell, Oklahoma
112 miles
5,000 ft. of climbing

Today was a day of ups and downs . . . in terms of terrain.  Our route to Purcell consisted of many big, deep rollers.  They were actually fun - you get going fast down the downhill part of one and then pedal like heck to see how far the momentum would carry you up the corresponding uphill part.  Most had grades of 5 to 6%, only a few had some steeper sections.  The morning temp was a mild 59 degrees - and then warmed up to the high 80's, with lots of sunshine.  Perfect biking weather.  Although there was a lot of climbing to get up and over those rollers, it was an awesome ride.  Oklahoma has some very beautiful sights, with its rural landscapes and farms.  We saw many windmills and oil wells.  Got chased by a few dogs again today, but all of the dogs that chased us today were really small.  One particular dog that chased me bore a striking resemblance to a dust mop.  In another incident, three chihuahuas came tearing toward us, bloodthirsty and ready to attack.  I acted scared just so they wouldn't feel bad.  Saw a deceased armadillo on the side of the road.  Art & I had a frank discussion about all the reasons why we do not want to ride a tandem.  In all, it was a great day.  Got to ride in small groups for much of the ride, which is always fun.

Nice, quiet roads to ride on in Oklahoma

One of many windmills we saw

Art & I with Allan and Charley - two PAC Tour friends who drove from Kansas to meet our group and visit & ride with us  for a couple of days. 

Hello Oklahoma!

Day 13

Friday, September 23, 2011
Shamrock, Texas to Weatherford, Oklahoma
104 miles
2,500 feet of climbing

Today is a notable day - we entered our fifth state -Oklahoma - and we also crossed the Southern Transcontinental half-way point at mile 68!  It was another crisp, cool and sunny morning.  The forecast called for clear weather all day - no need to carry rain gear.  The temperature reached a comfortable 85 degrees in the afternoon.  Because it was such a cool morning, I started out wearing my jacket, but I was warmed up by the time I reached our first rest stop at mile 27.  The route consisted mostly of big rollers, with some flats.  We again rode most of the day on Old Route 66, much of which was on the concrete slab highway from the late 1920's and 1930's.  Old Route 66 is a great road for biking because it's quiet, there's little to no traffic, and the sights are interesting, historical and  . . . well, peculiar.  For example, when we entered Oklahoma at mile 14 at the border town of Texola, there was a big sign there that said:

There's no place 

like this place 

anywhere near this place 

so this must be the place

Got chased by a few farm dogs along the way today.  They weren't all that ferocious, just barked and ran at us.  I think they were just excited and/or surprised to see someone on a bicycle.  We had time to stop and visit two Route 66 museums today - one was a national Route 66 museum, and the other was dedicated to Oklahoma Route 66 history.  Although the theme of both museums was Route 66, the displays reflected the history of the U.S. throughout the decades:  music, cars, businesses, development of industry, old gas pumps. I found it fascinating.  At our lunch stop, we had a little "half-way point" celebration.  Also, later in the evening, after dinner, we had an ice cream social to further celebrate the milestone of our journey.  It was a banner day of cycling - wonderful roads to travel on, great sights, and a really fun ride.  

Me, Art & Tracey on Old Route 66

"Hey!  Stop!  I just wanna talk to ya!"

More than half way!

 

A Swell Ride to Shamrock

Day 12

Thursday, September 22, 2011
Amarillo, Texas to Shamrock, Texas
92 miles
850 ft. climbing

Started the day with a treat - the crew made us French toast for breakfast.  It was a chilly morning - about 50 degrees and overcast.  We’re now in the central time zone, so the mornings are still darkish when we wake up and have breakfast, but light enough for us to start riding at 7:30.  It was a good recovery ride - mostly flat; just a little climbing.  It rained for part of the morning, but we had all our rain gear on, so it wasn’t an issue.  Our entire route was on historic Old Route 66.  Notable sights:  the largest cross in the western hemisphere (in Groom, TX); the leaning water tower (also in Groom); and the Devil‘s Rope and Route 66 museums (in McLean, TX).  The weather became bright and sunny in the late morning and stayed sunny and pleasantly cool for the rest of the day.  It was an exceptional day - even with the rain, we had a great ride.  Because it was such a short day, we arrived at our destination - the Western Hotel in Shamrock - before 2:30.  We had plenty of time to relax after cleaning and maintaining our bikes and settling into our rooms.  For dinner, about 15 of us walked over to a small pizza place (the only pizza place in town) about a block away from our hotel.  We took over the entire tiny eating area - rearranging the furniture so that we could all sit together.  The people running the place couldn’t have been nicer.  We probably cleaned them out of all their food!

The largest cross in the western hemisphere

The leaning water tower

Not caring that my rain hat does not match my rain jacket

Well, there goes our restrooms!