Day 19 – Conway AR to Brinkley AR

Today was an easy ride, 100 miles and less than 2000 feet of climbing. This may seem like a long ride, but as the trip has progressed I have become stronger and provided I have 6 hours to spare and the winds are not in my face all day, it not a big deal. Today there was only one 10 mile stretch were he had real head winds so the winds were not that bad. One of the less attractive parts of today’s ride wais the flat terrain. This means that your butt should be glued to your seat. On roads where the surface is rough, this can be a big problem. Road surfaces vary among different roads with highly traveled roads and more recently paved roads generally having smoother surfaces. In Arkansas another factor is which county you are in. You can ride on a state highway that crosses several county lines, and the surest way to tell that you are in a new county is to notice the change in the surface of the pavement. Each county seems to have different specifications for their roads, some are very good and some from the prospective of cyclists are very bad, se la vie. In Oklahoma road surfaces varied from county to county, but there must be an election for local officials fairly soon, because each county would have two people running for county sheriff, and at each county line the names of the individuals on the lawn signs would change.

Our route took us around Little Rock through some nice country and on a few very pleasant rural roads. It also involved some urban riding that was not all that pleasant. The last 30 miles were dead flat and a long part was on a levee with water on both sides. It was strange to look out on both sides and see water for mile after mile after mile. We are now in the land of cotton. The fields are just now being planted. There are some very large farms with nice homes but there are also very poor people.

Today’s ride ended in Brinkley AK. Brinkley is a small rural town with a lot of motels and fast food places because it is also on I40. Today my first stop was at a McDonalds, where I ordered a big chocolate milk shake. Then since the roads were wet from rains early in the morning my next stop was the bike washing stand to clean the road grime from my bike. Then I got my room key and found my room. My bags were in the room because Norman, my roommate, had bought them to the room. We have an arrangement were the first person to see the bags, brings them to the room. Norm is usually the first rider to finish, however as he always beats the sag vehicle with the luggage, he may be in the room when I and the luggage arrive. So far he has brought my bags to the room more often than I his, but it is not all that one sided. Once in the room I took a shower and called Karen to let her know that I was safe. Then I set clothes out for tomorrow, have dinner, write my blog and go to sleep by 9 PM. 5 AM comes very early each morning. With the exception of cleaning my bike, occasionally having the mechanic fix something and the order of showering and calling Karen, this is my post ride evening routine.