Arkansas
Arkansas? Why is it Spelled that way?
Tuesday, September 18th, 2007
Ever wonder why it’s spelled that was but pronounced Arkan-SAW?
As we traverse the US and see towns like Peculiar, Missouri and pass the historic Route 66, you learn to appreciate things and not ask too many questions. I love the interesting names along the way. Today, I rode over the Big Dam Bridge. It is the largest pedestrian and bicycle bridge in the world. It crosses the Arkansas river with magnificent views of the city and mountains in the distance. There are miles and miles of paths leading up to this beautiful span. It is truly unique. The city of Little Rock was also a nice change of pace from some of the more land locked states. We saw the town right on the water and it has some very nice buildings. I rode through a good part of it on today’s ride. It was actually nice to sit in traffic for a few minutes….. did I really say that?
The ride was good, except the route was hard to follow as it wasn’t marked. So when I got 50 miles out, to a town called England, I made the decision to make this a point to point ride and make our next drive shorter. It did in fact do that. The 5 hour drive became a 3.5 hour drive. These drives can be wearing on both Scot and I, especially after riding 100 miles cramped up in aero bars and in the dropouts on my handlebars. I got some sleep in the back while we drove and then we had a quick bite to eat at Wendy’s on the way. Thanks to the healthy choices and the manager donating we were very fortunate again.
So then it was on to Louisiana and to Mississippi for the next ride. We were in 3 states in one day. It started out a bit frustrating with a later start than usual, a little more heat, and a lot more confusion on the route than desired. These mixed up turns make rides take more time and in the heat every minute gets hotter on the road. It was over 100 degrees on the road today. It’s hard to believe we were in 30 degree weather just 3 days ago. My body is still adjusting. It’s amazing what the body can do.
The highlight of today was going into Orbea bicycles to start the ride. The irony was that all my rides are being done on a LeMond. Orbea does make some great bikes and they were very helpful. It just felt kind of funny. Almost like bringing a Subway Sandwich into a Whole Foods to eat it. They didn't seem to care because they were all cyclists who enjoyed cycling on any bikes....it was evident from the museum of bikes they had in their building.
Thanks for all the hospitality at the Marriott Courtyard Downtown. We had a great stay in Arkansas and Little Rock is a beautiful city. Your Staff was awesome!!!
Out for ride 32-
Gary G