day 5, part II -- lake pointsett to mt magazine

fortified with the vitamin c the peach farmer promised, I headed away from the tar-and-chips hazard and back to arkansas SR1. that gave me an idea for a themed journey (since I now need an excuse to take this sort of adventure whenever possible)...follow all of the SR1s throughout the country. in most cases there's something special about the route given that auspicious number. except in indiana, where it is utterly forgettable. followed a broad arc south of little rock toward the next finance-related stop, a US bank in sheridan where I could deposit the settlement check. more endless bottom and blazing cement, broken only by a magical winding bridge over the white river estuary just west of clarendon. the high bridge over the river (matched downstream by rusted railroad bridge that in its heyday featured a central section that climbed supports accommodate river traffic, complete with a little house for the operator) dropped into a narrow walled bridge through a wide bayou. striking how the bridge wound its way through the mangrove just a few feet above the water. would have made for great photos except for the complete lack of a shoulder. back into the paddies and into the rice capital of arkansas, stuttgart. home to riceland corp, the road into the town was lined with sprawling silo complexes and railyards that I couldn't capture with the lens. the town was a little less impressive despite snappy banners along the main street. I miscalculated on a place to eat, skipping a bustling diner on one end for the surprisingly empty 'chicken country' on the other, though the fried chicken and okra was just fine. on to and around pinebluff, then sheridan. found the cute ice cream cafe I was waiting to visit for an afternoon cool-off...just after it closed at 2pm. dodged a sudden cloudburst that a passerby assured me wasn't even 'on the radar.' hot springs and the first nat'l park on the itinerary, a row of spring-fed bathhouses in a town that's a now a cross between asheville and gatlinburg. grand old hotels that looked all the more towering for steep slopes behind, gleaming white bath-houses, and now ice-cream shops, a wax museum, 'gangster'-themed shops, and the like. the hot-springs-for-healing history was a testament to the enduring american addiction to snake oil and quick cures. it was all startlingly busy after so many empty towns, so I hustled on into the mountains. stopped briefly to post some ramblings in an odd coffee shop outside the closed community of hot springs village and listened to some old guy rant about sharia law and east africans in columbus. and then all ouachita NF...gorgeous winding roads, vaguely smokey-like except for scrub(by) oak and pine. practiced curve-handling and climbed into the petit jean valley (french names for topography here, english for towns) in ola heading west on SR10. and there I felt that I had reached the west for the first time. wide shallow valley, hundreds of grazing steer in scrappy pasture, long long driveways behind ranch-named gates, and sprawling low towns (danville, havana, magazine) with storefronts also set far back from the main drag. and the big sky...I missed a spectacular shot of clouds and sun since there was no place to pull off easily. and then SR 309 climbing and winding up to mt magazine state park and the highest point in arkansas (2957 ft)...absolutely stunning drive just before dusk, views back over the valley, rich piney smells, a blacksnake that looked dead (I was assuming that sunning on asphalt is generally hazardous to a snake's health) but reared and soared back out of my way as I approached. motorcycle training guides often give advice about dogs (slow down, then speed up to throw off their timing), but not snakes. ended up in the state park campground under the high point with rather more company this time, so camper air conditioners and phil collins and barking dogs competed with the cicadas this time. up in the morning for a long trail run in new vibram five-finger slippers and spectacular sunrise views (not included here.)