"Well behaved women rarely make history."
~Eleanor Roosevelt~
I forgot to mention that I stopped and picked up an inflatable twin mattress yesterday before getting to the park. Thinking only of saving money, I bought a cheap bed and no pump. I figured I had my bike pump. After pumping for what felt like half an hour, I sat down and started blowing the damn thing up myself. A couple walked by and laughed as they saw me perched there blowing up a freakin twin size mattress by mouth. Obviously they were smart enough to invest in the electric pump.
My first night camping was hot. Last night it was cold, and damned if I didn't bring any warm clothes with me.
I woke at 5:55 am! Woo hoo! I did it! haha! But the park I'm at had no bike trails, so I headed out hoping to find one that did by a decent hour. I didn't peruse any maps though, so I ended up deciding I would have to ride in the evening again after more stops and planning along the way.
I meant to bring my camera with me on this trip, but I forgot. I picked up a new one at Target earlier in my travels, but I've been hopeless at remembering to use it. Ah well, I have the memories! I stop in Conway, AR on my way to a bluegrass festival. I want to snap a photo with my friend from the Relient K concert. The weather is getting nasty, so I forgo bluegrass and ask my friend if he wants to hang out another night. He's working until 8 pm or so, so I head to a tattoo parlor to check on the price for the tattoo I want.
Damn! My last tattoo was 12 years ago, and a tattoo artist friend did it for $40, so I was shocked when they quoted me $200 and told me that was discounted because the artist thought it was a cool tat and he really wanted to do it. I still wanted to do it until I found out you can't swim for a month after getting a new tattoo. Come on now, I just bought 4 new swimsuits before this trip (ridiculous, I know), and I want to wear them before the summer's end.
I grab a bit to eat and set out for Pinnacle State Park just outside of Little Rock. The skies are still brewing, so it's getting dark early. 2nd day in a row I have pulled up to bike anxious and short on time. So, for the 2nd day in a row I make sure the coast is clear, decide the park restrooms are a waste of time, and change into bike gear right there standing next to my car. Yes! I can't do that at home!
I have trouble finding a bike trail again, even though the brochure clearly pictured the Jackfork trail right here at Pinnacle State Park. I finally found a trail called Rabbit Ridge mountain biking trail and raced on eagerly. Every trail here is different from the last. This one has been inlaid with various rocks to mark the trail. The trail is literally comprised of rocks of all shapes and size that have been set into the earth in a winding path through narrow gaps in trees.
This was definitely going to be a new experience. Just into my ride, still unsure about the unfamiliar terrain, twice my front tire catches on a large rock, and as my handle bars are rocked to the side, I come within inches of side-swiping a tree. Call me crazy, but what a rush! Haha! For the first time I feel like I would be wise to start wearing a helmet when I ride.
I get the hang of the trails quickly, and start winding through the trees with more speed. Soon I found myself deep in the woods, not on a trail, and completely unsure of my whereabouts. The sky is looking worse, it's getting dark, and I'm thinking, "Shit. One of these days when my eagerness and determination override logic, I might find myself in a real predicament."
Persistence says, not today! I finally figure out there are yellow marker posts with numbers every so often to keep you on course. When I find myself at the entrance I think, "I've got this down." So I took the trail around again, this time counting numbers on posts. And once again knowing that I am pushing the limits of daylight. When I come riding out of the trail I'm shocked when I don't see my car. My heart drops as I realize there must be another entrance to the trail. Then I laugh at myself when I remember that I parked over at the Arboretum and rode the backroads until I found this bike trail. Haha.
On the drive back to Conway I'm still in my bike gear and I keep having the sensation that my feet are clipped to the pedals in my car. Strange, very strange. I pull up to my friend's house just before he gets home from work. We stayed up laughing together for hours. It was a blast! I read him the stories of my travels from my blog. He critiqued. I must say, he had some great ideas though! I'll definitely have to go back and elaborate more on my travels. In the midst of conversation and laughter he would randomly shout out, "There's some more blog material for you. Boom!" Dear Lord, now someone's helping me write my blog! He also informed me that I should refer to him in my blog by a name, just to add some color and character to the story. I have permission to call him Tyler. Tyler Lee. <-- That one's for you buddy! ;)
I've never seen anyone eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich the way he does. Peanut butter on both slices of bread with jelly piled thickly in between. The heavenly moans he emitted while eating told me I really need to try it when I get home. Either that or he just had a ravenous appetite for some reason. When he soon informed me that the chicken he was cooking would be done in 11 minutes and 26 seconds, I knew it was the latter. We played a game of playing each other our favorite songs or videos on the computer. "Tyler Lee" taught me the special handshake he reserves for times when he's been really impressed. We finally call it a night, and I fall asleep saying prayers of thanks for friends and a roof over my head as the weather storms outside the open window.
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