Day 8: El Dorado to Texarkana
What a difference it has seemed to make having family around! I ate like a horse last night and for the first time since the tour started; I slept all night and didn't wake until 7:50. For those who know me, know I'm always up and going by 6.
It was a fun ride today with more rolling hills and a few dogs. They just wanted to run along side for a bit, not threatening types at all. The attitude of the drivers is different today. I have noticed this before on weekend rides. Folks that are normally at work are on the road. I like it better when they're at work! HA!
I did see some neat stuff today. I went through the town of Maryville. Yes, this is was all Mary's come from! Ok, maybe it's just one of the silly thoughts you have while riding.
There was a big dip in the road and a train track goes overhead and a huge sign that says not to go through when it's underwater. I thought to myself what would I had done if there was a lot of rain and it was my only way through?
Hey, just outside Magnolia there are some farms and I've gotten used to seeing cows and horses but there was something not right out of the corner of my eye. Those animals were buffalo! Big beautiful house with live buffalo yard art. Hey Terri, let's get rid of the azaleas and get some buffs for the front yard!
I went through a town called Lewisville, actually it was just before Lewisville and it was the most depressing area I've gone through. It was just sad to see a little tot in dirty clothes playing in a mud hole. But then, at that age, I would have been happy as a loon if mom let me do that! I guess sometimes as grown-ups we forget to play in mud holes every now and then.
Something I've noticed a lot of over that past several days are the yellow ribbons. Not sure if they are for a certain house or the community. What I've noticed in south Arkansas is that the ribbons are bright yellow. Most I had seen lately have been out there awhile and faded but not in south Ark. It made me wonder if a unit from that area had just been deployed. While thinking about that I also began to think about our service men and women. I thought about the little kids whose parents have gone to fight for us. Not to get political but I don't like the war, no one does, but it's a part of freedom. I thought about my daughter's friend that's with us, you know, the other Emily. Her dad was over in there for a tour and I had just met her before her dad's return. When Staff Sergeant Thomas Grizzard returned she was the happiest child in the world. I can't imagine how hard it must be to have a parent or anyone in the family for that matter over seas. To those that have been in the service: THANK YOU!
I got shuttled through Texarkana due to the high traffic and uh... Texas drivers (I bet my coworker, Julie is rolling her eyes!). We get to stay at another Hampton Inn. This one looks like the one in Fort Smith. Super staff and when we checked in we were telling him about how we have fallen in love with Hampton Inns and he discounted the rate! Su-weeeet!!! This one is a stones throw from the mall. The two Emily's are in paradise and I'm out more money.
When I got here I spazzed out! I had a flat on the bike! No big deal really because I have everything I need to fix it and I can do it in about 10 minutes. It was the front tire but when I started looking at the back, there were pieces of tire missing! How on earth did I not get a flat from that too? I have a folding tire (Thanks for the suggestion Jerry!) but since it was mid afternoon I opted for local a bike shop. I know there are some guys that ride down here so I was fixed up with new tires and tubes in minutes. I got almost 3,000 miles out of those last tires.
I'm really starting to get excited now about the last leg of the journey! Terri and I were looking at the t-shirt and when I stop tomorrow afternoon, I will be on the last column on towns on the t-shirt. It's actually one of those happy/sad feelings. You know the kind of feeling that when you are on a great vacation and you realize that it's now half over but you try and push that thought to the back of your mind? It's hard to realize too that I am only 3 days away from making the full circle around the state.
It was a fun ride today with more rolling hills and a few dogs. They just wanted to run along side for a bit, not threatening types at all. The attitude of the drivers is different today. I have noticed this before on weekend rides. Folks that are normally at work are on the road. I like it better when they're at work! HA!
I did see some neat stuff today. I went through the town of Maryville. Yes, this is was all Mary's come from! Ok, maybe it's just one of the silly thoughts you have while riding.
There was a big dip in the road and a train track goes overhead and a huge sign that says not to go through when it's underwater. I thought to myself what would I had done if there was a lot of rain and it was my only way through?
Hey, just outside Magnolia there are some farms and I've gotten used to seeing cows and horses but there was something not right out of the corner of my eye. Those animals were buffalo! Big beautiful house with live buffalo yard art. Hey Terri, let's get rid of the azaleas and get some buffs for the front yard!
I went through a town called Lewisville, actually it was just before Lewisville and it was the most depressing area I've gone through. It was just sad to see a little tot in dirty clothes playing in a mud hole. But then, at that age, I would have been happy as a loon if mom let me do that! I guess sometimes as grown-ups we forget to play in mud holes every now and then.
Something I've noticed a lot of over that past several days are the yellow ribbons. Not sure if they are for a certain house or the community. What I've noticed in south Arkansas is that the ribbons are bright yellow. Most I had seen lately have been out there awhile and faded but not in south Ark. It made me wonder if a unit from that area had just been deployed. While thinking about that I also began to think about our service men and women. I thought about the little kids whose parents have gone to fight for us. Not to get political but I don't like the war, no one does, but it's a part of freedom. I thought about my daughter's friend that's with us, you know, the other Emily. Her dad was over in there for a tour and I had just met her before her dad's return. When Staff Sergeant Thomas Grizzard returned she was the happiest child in the world. I can't imagine how hard it must be to have a parent or anyone in the family for that matter over seas. To those that have been in the service: THANK YOU!
I got shuttled through Texarkana due to the high traffic and uh... Texas drivers (I bet my coworker, Julie is rolling her eyes!). We get to stay at another Hampton Inn. This one looks like the one in Fort Smith. Super staff and when we checked in we were telling him about how we have fallen in love with Hampton Inns and he discounted the rate! Su-weeeet!!! This one is a stones throw from the mall. The two Emily's are in paradise and I'm out more money.
When I got here I spazzed out! I had a flat on the bike! No big deal really because I have everything I need to fix it and I can do it in about 10 minutes. It was the front tire but when I started looking at the back, there were pieces of tire missing! How on earth did I not get a flat from that too? I have a folding tire (Thanks for the suggestion Jerry!) but since it was mid afternoon I opted for local a bike shop. I know there are some guys that ride down here so I was fixed up with new tires and tubes in minutes. I got almost 3,000 miles out of those last tires.
I'm really starting to get excited now about the last leg of the journey! Terri and I were looking at the t-shirt and when I stop tomorrow afternoon, I will be on the last column on towns on the t-shirt. It's actually one of those happy/sad feelings. You know the kind of feeling that when you are on a great vacation and you realize that it's now half over but you try and push that thought to the back of your mind? It's hard to realize too that I am only 3 days away from making the full circle around the state.
posted by Geo at 4:31 PM
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