David, Mike, Larry aka Gumbo, Ron, Robert, and Me!

Day one!  513 Miles
David had mapped an exelent route through NE Texas that was truly amazing.  If you try to follow a route like that with out a GPS, i would just go mad!  every 10 miles the GPS was telling me to turn left, turn right…. Whoot!

We made a stop In Whitehouse TX, at MawMaw’s fried pies!

It was GOOD!

Then we got back on the road.  We were able to end the day by riding the 1st half of the Talimena Drive.  where we stayed at the Queen Wilhelmina State Park Lodge.  This was a great lodge right on the top of the scenic drive it self. 

Day 2: 249 Miles

We rode from Queen Wilhelmina to Eureka Springs, stopping to stay at the 1876 Inn & Resturant.  This would be our home base for the next 2 nights.  On the way we got to ride the PigTrail!

We got the the hotel with still daylight to burn, so a few of us went for a small ride.

and we found this kick ass suspension bridge! Followed by a Dam

Great way to end our 2nd day of riding!

Day 3!! 220 Miles!

As riding days go, this day was some of the best that we did, and probley some of the more challenging.  Riding arkansas “Little Dragon” (hwy 123) was a blast!  sharp unmarked hairpin turns on a steep incline… woah nelly!  And when the turn is marked 10mph, it damn well means 10 MPH!

Two of our guys earned the Arkansas Road Surfer stripes this day, and we saw some great scenic beauty, waterfalls, and overall a very good time.

Day 4.  282 Miles.

Today our group group split into two groups.  David and Ron, went south/south west heading towards Hot Spring.  Rest of us went to the Bike rally in Fayettville, we had plans to hook back up after we visited the rally.

I said farewell to Gumbo, Mike and Robert and hauled ass to catch up with David and Ron.  Caught up in time to visit a few sate parks, see a cool waterfall, and take a few more pictures!

We then hauled it to Hot Springs for the night.  the last 15 miles were done in the dark.  Longest 15 miles in my life.  Almost hit a rabbit, and an aggressive truck almost took us all out!

Had to go to Dallas yesterday, and I took the X.  Houston to Dallas, I45 is a snooze fest as far as roads go, but it did the job.  It was cool, but not too cold.  I got to Dallas with out problem, did what I had to do, and made the decision to not stay over night but head home at 4:30pm.  Had to make a detour to a walmart in Corsicana, and by time i was back on the road, it was dark.

Between the towns of Streetman and Farefield, I ran out of gas.  172 miles was to much for the X.  Ironically I was only 1/2 mile away from an exit with a Love’s, it was my plan to stop and fuel up there anyways.  I now had to hoof it the 1/2 mile to the gas station, but I could see the station through the trees in the distance.  I walk to the station, buy a 2 gallon gas can for $10, buy 1 gallon of gas, and start hoofing it back to the bike.  There was a 2 way feeder road to the west of I45, and I figured it would be safer to walk on this road than the side of I45, boy was i wrong!

As i was walking along, walking the far right side of the road between the paint line and the grass, I see headlights from behind me.  I only had enough time to notice, headlights, hear that the car is really close… then….. BAM, crash, sound of broken glass, and what is the shrill screaming like a little girl noise…

my thought process went a little like this in the next few seconds.  Adrenalin is a cool drug

• (little girl scream oh, that is me…)
• i was just hit by a car
• I am still standing!
• It hit my arm…. and brushed my leg.
• i ripped off the passenger mirror… i can still see it flying though the air…
• i hear glass breaking and hitting the ground
• my… my arm was just hit by a CAR!
• damn that car is moving really fast….
• That car is not even going to stop…
• my arm is not hurting…
• why is my arm that just got hit by a car hard enough to rip off the mirror not hurting!
• Oh god! my arm must be hurt really bad!
• it must be shock, ok, broken bone and movement test…
• everything seems ok, no major pains.  Wow, my arm… is… ok?!?!?
• car is now long gone, leaving me alone in the dark…
• Once again…. holly shit, i was just hit by a car!
• I pick up broken mirror assembly hold it up in the air and yell at the top of my lungs, “you forgot something asshole!!”
• next few min were various versions of “I was just hit by a car” and me walking in circles in the dark.

 
I was wearing my riding jacket, and i am giving credit to my lack of busted arm not even a bruise to the fact that the mirror hit the elbow armor and not me directly.

Woke up this morning, a little sore, mile + walk in my riding boots will do that.  Or maybe it was being hit by a car!

Today seems brighter some how.

Several friends have asked if i kept the mirror or called the cops to report the hit and run.  I didn’t keep the mirror or call the police.  Once i calmed down, i still had to get to my bike that was on the side of I45, and still had to get home with at least 3 hours of riding left to do.

Today has been a weird day, and i have been in a great mood all day long.  It wasn’t until today when i really started to think on the “what if’s”  .  the more i think “what if only a 3 more inches to the right” the better my mood has gotten!  Someone had my back last night!  All the normal things that happen during the day that could put you in bad mood, are nothing compared to the night that i got hit by a car that was 3 inches to the left.

One of my friends asked me if i would stop riding my bike.  I told why would i do that?  It’s the walking that almost got me killed!