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Day 4 saw us leave Tennessee and the roads becoming almost all dirt.
With the sun beating down the roads were in excellent condition and
we were having an absolute ball when we encountered another "Road
Closed" sign. This one also warned us that the bridge was out 10
miles further along the trail, but we ignored that too. Now they say
that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'm going to recount
this story using more pictures than normal. Those of you who are
impatient will have already scrolled down and seen what happened, but
for those who like a good story, read slowly and avoid looking at the
pictures until you've read the words...
After about 10 miles further on the
trail passed the "Road Closed - Bridge Out 10 Miles Ahead"
sign, we encountered this...
But just because it says the bridge is
out doesn't mean there isn't a way across, so we parked the bikes and
went for a look around, and this is what we found...
Harold ventured into the creek and
thought he could spot a way out..
Then his wife called (I kid you
not!)...
Aaron, ever the fearless one when it
comes to tackling the obstacles we face, rode the first part without
any problems...
He then rode down the steep embankment
through the bushes, across the creek and up the other side. Only he
didn't quite make it...
Unperturbed, we righted his bike,
removed the panniers so they wouldn't catch on the banking and pushed
the bike back into the creek so he could get a run-up and try again.
Only when he tried, this was the result...
The creek bottom was soft sand and the
bike just sank whenever we tried to move it. With the temperature at
34 degrees C it was hot work, but eventually we used our initiative
and a plank of wood and got the bike unstuck...
By using the plank and a few lumps of
the broken bridge we eventually got it back to where it had been when
Aaron rode it through the first of the roadworks. We had abandoned
all hope of getting the bikes to the other side of the missing
bridge. All that was left was for Aaron to ride back out the way he'd
come in, only he didn't quite appreciate just how dusty and slippery
the concrete slab was...
Luckily he was unhurt and we were on
our way again, riding a detour round the missing bridge. Later in the
day we encountered another "Road Closed" sign, but as with the
one yesterday, we found our way round it without any problem. But
we'll be more circumspect when we see a "Bridge Out" sign...
During the day we rode across
Mississippi and then across the Mississippi river into Arkansas
(which I've discovered is actually Arkensaw but they can't spell over
here). We had dinner (another Mexican, we seem to be alternating
Chinese and Mexican) and then met up with Aaron's Uncle Kenny who was
to join us for the rest of the ride. Kenny was with us on the
Trans-Americas ride in 2009 and the last time I'd seen him was as he
rode home from Tucson (he was only able to join us for the US and
Canada sections). It was great to see him again, straddling his huge
1150GS and making it look like a toy - he's a big fella, is Kenny!
That night we had a lot of rain. It was
thundering and lightning all night, but by morning the rain had
stopped, although it had left the trails very wet and muddy. Just 17
miles into the day's ride, with Aaron leading Harold, me then Kenny,
I noticed that I couldn't see Kenny's distinctive lights behind me. I
wasn't worried, because Kenny's a great rider - he taught Aaron to
ride - but after a minute or so with still no sign I thought he
must have had a problem or stopped for some reason, so I turned round
and went to see. What I found was shocking. Kenny was lying on his
back across the trail with his bike on its side and his luggage
scattered about. He had taken his helmet off and gave me the
"thumbs-up" as I got off my bike but it was clear he was hurting.
I checked him over and we both agreed that it was likely he'd cracked
a rib or two, having landed heavily on his side with his arm
underneath him. He was short of breath and in some pain. Aaron and
Harold arrived and we sorted out Kenny's bike whilst he got his
breath back and slowly got to his feet. He was clearly suffering...
Aaron rode Kenny's bike to the next
junction and onto a tarmac rode whilst Kenny walked slowly off the
trail. The decision was made for Aaron to ride with Kenny across the
state to his home and then to ride up to Clinton, where he will meet
up with Harold and me. We'll continue on the trail, riding even more
cautiously now...
But the conditions were bad, and caught
Harold out, although he was travelling very slowly and wasn't hurt at
all... well, except his pride, perhaps!
Later that morning we were treated to
another of those warning signs that perhaps we need to pay attention
to...
But despite the warnings we ploughed
on, and actually enjoyed playing in the puddles (and yes, that is me)!
We were also engulfed in another
torrential downpour, had to contend with some very tricky thick sand
(the "Road Closed" sign on this occasion was at the end of the
road, after we had come through the sand!), and generally had a
blast. There were no more drops and we were glad when we finally
arrived in Clinton and checked into the motel. Only then did we
discover that Clinton is a dry county, and therefore there was no
beer to be had. Now Harold and I had ridden the hardest day of the
trip so far and weren't going to be put off so easily. We dropped the
bags off in the room and rode the 36-mile round trip to a liqour
store in the next county, where we got a 6-pack each, knowing that we
could order a steak dinner to be delivered to our rooms when we got
back.
Whilst we waited for Aaron to arrive we
checked over the bikes and I ditched the roadbook holder from my
handlebars as we've not used it and it's getting in the way. Harold
then noticed that he had a leaking fork seal, a problem he will need
to get fixed before we go much further. Aaron arrived at 9pm, having
seen Kenny safely home and caught up with his folks. The news was as
we thought, Kenny is going to be pretty sore for a while with a
cracked rib or two...
Today's ride across Arkansas started with the mother and father of all
thunderstorms this morning, that saw us stay in our rooms laughing at
the absurdity of trying to ride in such conditions. Until we packed
up and set off, that is. Despite the heavy rain it has been a
beautiful day. Fantastic riding along forest tracks winding their way
up into the mountains. We have seen numerous deer, as we have on
previous days, standing by the roadside up ahead trying to work out
what we are, then running away as soon as we get close.
High up in the hills the views were
stunning, miles and miles and miles of forest as far as the eye can
see, covering the hillsides in a deep green blanket, the mist from
the storm which had, for now, moved away.
We had to leave the trail and ride
nearly 20 miles to the nearest town for lunch, where Harold managed
to get hold of the BMW dealer and arrange to get his seal fixed that
afternoon. That left Aaron and me to continue on the trail, in
improving conditions as the sun came out. The riding was some of the
best I've ever done, twisty trails running deep into the forest and
up into the mountains. At one point we came across a tree that had
been knocked down by the storm and lay across the road, but it was
only small and we were able to move it to the side. Then we
encountered a "Road Closed" sign on the route with a lot of trees
piled up barricading the road. We started on a detour to avoid
retracing our steps and encountered this...
It was wedged into the trees on the far
side of the road and was too big to move, but we weren't to be denied
the joy of riding this forest. We moved a couple of branches and then
managed to get our bikes up and over the tree trunk. Aaron left his video running so
you can see how we got the bikes across it...
The final stretch of the journey into
the town of Fayetteville was all tarmac, but with the sun shining we
dried out from the morning's soaking just as we arrived on the
outskirts of town. And into yet another thunderstorm which soaked us
in seconds. So now I'm in my motel room trying to get everything dry
before Harold arrives!