So...Fort Smith Arkansas.. (Goodbye Oklahoma) was our new destination...we left the beautiful RV park in Henryetta..they were so wonderful, all RV owners coming through this area should stay here..not only were the people polite, they were most beautiful in nature and helpful as could be..they wished us well and saw us on our way...
Fort Smith is the second largest city in Arkansas outside of Little Rock... and we were heading for it on Route 40...we had checked the weather map at the RV park to find out that for the 4th consecutive day we were heading into frontal Westerly winds...albeit lighter than the past days, the winds were not going to be any help to us...
Chris left me at the intersection to I-40...we were off..another day in front of us...as you may have noticed, I failed to post my log last night..there was a reason...the day was brutal, as soon as I finished riding, I ate and passed out with exhaustion..literally falling asleep on the sofa to the RV with a half eaten sandwhich in my mouth.
I was broken, beaten battered bruised and depressed...for eight hours I rode along the interstate going up hills, not monster hills, but just going up and up and seemingly never stopping...seeing the crest of each hill did not inspire me, because I knew coming down would only last a few moments before I ascended up the next incline...and the wind just blew in my face all day..hour after hour after hour after hour, thighs burning, triceps burning, hands aching, my backside was getting sore, this was the longest single day ride since the start of this adventure..I had become used to 5 hours and even six hours on a bike..but 7 and 8 hours was new to me, especially in these conditions...feel free to send your checks to..The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society..lol...
I could not give up, I just pressed on remembering what I was doing this for....I had in my mind all the emails I have received in the past few days from special friends and from people I hardly know...it was a big help...but I was nonetheless ready to drop off my bike ..
I kept on saying to Chris..just 5 more miles and we will check what the light is like...then again just 5 more miles...it seemed it would never get dark.....
I had passed the 100 miles almost an eternity ago, it seemed like i had ridden another 100, but the last 15 miles was just only that, fifteen miles...I had spent the last hour and half of the day virtually standing upright to take the pressure of my backside..I was geting sore..but the extra pressure on my thighs was beggining to really wear me out...it was time to quit...without realising it..I had cycled right past Fort Smith missing the exit...and we were now in Van Buren..a few miles past ...as a side note...and I am sure none of the readers knew this useless fact....but..Van Buren was the 7th president of the USA...not that that is the point, the fact that most people do not know, is that van Buren was the first President to be born an American Citizen..the previous 6 were all British...!
Well we were here...I literally had to crawl off my bike...we packed up, I was so tired we could not be bothered to find an RV park, but there was a WALMART parking lot, we drove in, and set up for the night....I quickly made something to eat..the rest was just about sleeping.... 118 miles today....1573 miles total...18 days of cycling...
We awoke early and packed up the RV, I headed to the walmart to pick up supplies, I was surprisingly refreshed with a good nights sleep, our goal today was Conway Arkansas..now getting to Conway would take us through a famous little town called Clarkesville...made famous by the Monkeys song..mickey Dolenz et al..." Take the last train to clarkesville, I will meet you at the station...etc.etc...."
We made a decision to stay off I-40 today because the long uphill sections of the road were draining me..we decided to check out State road 64...which ran for the most part next to the interstate...
When I drove out to california and I came through Arkansas, I truly believed I was going through one of the most beautiful states I had seen, now getting onto route 64, my vision had not changed, but was only reinforced..Arkansas was beautiful, lush green, lakes everywhere, glassy waters, soothing, and it was also the hottest day of the journey today...88 degree's in the sun...
The wind report was not good for the morning with gusts coming from the east again, however the wind was supposed to start blowing from the West in the afternoon...I could handle the morning , knowing it was going to ease up later....
Less than an hour into the ride, Good Lord...I figured I was in deep trouble...we had just hit the foot of the Ozark mountain range...the roads were single file, and weaving up hills that just took all your effort...up and up and around we went...not too bad though..I had more strength than I thought..I was making good time even through the inclines...it was very hot though and the sweat kept stinging my eyes...
The hills were intermittant..steep going up..but long declines the other side..this was not to bad at all...I was actually enjoying the climbs and the view was breathtaking...then it happened...an incident to totally spoil my day, my week, and the only incident to date that soured the whole journey...
Just as I was coming towards the town of Ozark.. I heard a car behind me..not paying much attention to it as cars are always overtaking me, I just rode on...this car however, was not passing me....it was following me..! I turned around, and saw it just a few feet behind me...then when it the driver saw me turn around, he just hammered his horn behind me for a full 10 seconds..it was only lucky that another driver came up behind him and he was forced to overtake me..but as he overtook me, the passenger leant out of the window and in a typical Arkansas thick accent...swore profously at me, to " Get off the **** road you stupid *****" and then proceeded to imititate shooting me...!
It just goes to show you, how sick people can be, and how dangerous idiots like this make life for everyone....my complete passion for the State of Arkansas was destroyed by two louts acting like idiots...
Despite this, I met Chris further down the road...calmed down, only my wife knows what I would have done if I had been able to pull one of the idiots out of the car..! but I did calm done, unfettered..I filled up my drink bottles with Powerade and got back onto my bike...
We were heading to Clarkesville...the 50 mile point...we made it in awesome time...it was only 15 miles away and I was getting that train ..lol....I just entered into the town limits and my complete chain fell off...just fell off, the worse thing was I was going up a steep hill..at 8 mph, changing up a gear...and completely lost my balance...I could not get my feet out of the peddle locks quickly enough..and fell completly off the bike onto my hip and elbow...I was only lucky that I was going so slow and more importantly that no car was right behind me...but I was now covered in road dirt and hurting badly...I called Chris on the phone..he was only half a mile away..he turned around to pick me up...
I was praying that there was a bike store nearby I was sure I was okay, just bruised and shaken, but I did not have a chain tool to fix the chain...the nearest store was 20 miles away...
We drove there in a hurry...the Highlander Bike store..fixed us up in no time at all...and get this..the manager had actually worked in the Bike store from Flagstaff Arizona..and had been informed by Flagstaff that we might be on our way heading east..can you believe that..what a small world...anyway .. the brief resbit did me a world of good...but it was 5 pm and I had just travelled over 50 miles...I needed to get another 50 in before it got too dark..could I do it !
The bike store manager told us to stay on route 64, it was clean flat and fast..and the winds had finally turned in our favor..I got back on and the wind took me....
I was sailing once more, 17 miles an hour, 18 miles, even at stages 20..not as fast as I had been going in the high winds, but a big difference from the past 4 days...three solid hours of riding saw me catch the last of the sun in Arkansas..I had come close to the 100 miles for the day but fell short at 95...Conway was just around the corner...1668 miles total...19 days of cycling...
There were no RV parks in the area..what a bummer..tired cranky and sore, hungry and bruised..I just wanted to eat shower and go to bed...but we had to drive another 25 miles up the interstate to find an RV park....the problem with that is tomorrow we have to start further back down the road....we skipped 20 miles to find a Bike shop and jumped 25 miles to find an RV park..so we are technically 45 miles further into Arkansas than we should be...we have to double back tomorrow 22.5 miles only to ride back to this point..lol....
Well all else is as should be.....today..Arkansas took a little bit of my blood...it could have been worse...maybe Laurie can understand why I was not in a god mood today...can someone go give her a hug for me....I do miss her so much..especially on days like today...
Love Tony
Tony,
Now that I've found your site, I will try to read it daily to keep track of your progress.
Just wanted to share a little story with you, something to think about the next time you're having a tough day.
When Caitlin was going through her treatment, we came up with the phrase, Hope for the best and deal with the rest. Well, when you're having a tough time on the road, just hope for the best and deal with the rest, which it sounds like you're doing already.
We also told her that, You don't have to like it, you just have to do it. Well, we were in our 9th month of treatment and the last couple of weeks of heavy treatment and she spikes a fever on a Saturday afternoon. Well, we knew we would be in the hospital for a couple of weeks at a minimum. Having been through so many times before, I was not happy when we left the house. Caitlin obviously picked up on this and said to me, Daddy, you don't have to like it, you just have to do it. Needless to say, I calmed down and went from frustrated to happy very quickly.
Keep peddling hard and let the winds be with you. Be safe and enjoy seeing America in a way that few others will.
Tim, Cheryl, Caitlin & Callie Cramblit
Posted by: Tim Cramblit | May 05, 2004 at 01:54 PM