Fort Smith, Arkansas

We started the day taking the road less traveled. Jake, our route guru for the day, let some of the group take a more scenic yet more confusing route through the Ozark National Forest. We were on our own if we got lost or hit gravel roads with the van going along the normal route. We knew it would be worth it but did not realize it would be that amazing!

After the 20 mile mark, we hit our first gravel of the day and it lasted for 2 miles until we came to a fork with one of the directions having pavement. We looked on the I PHONE and realized that the pavement would be a little more miles but easier on our bikes. In less than a mile we found one of the best swimming spots around. There was a dock man made with concrete and rocks that led to a small 8 feet tower. The water was high enough that you could easily dive or flip without a concern of the depth.

It was a grand time and we were loving it! Eventually a Christian Youth Group came down to meet us, and they were a little unhappy with how some of us were not dressed in the water. It was a funny situation, one you will remember for your lifetime. They didn't call the cops on us and we did not tell them we were part of any organization.

On the way out, the volunteer ranger gave us a new route to take us into Fort Smith that involved less gravel and beautiful views. So we took it for 10 miles and then the majority of the group stopped for lunch. Another biker and I wanted to wait until we hit the 50 mile mark, so that we could have more under our belt when we stopped. So we broke off, continued and talked to some locals while biking.

We were continuously warned about the upcoming steepness of the road but we realized that none of them were bikers. Our general rule is that when an actual bike shop or biker warns you of a road than you should start listening. Does not work in all cases but in this case it did. We hit four good accents but nothing was a back breaker. We enjoyed the views that these accents gave us, and were just glad we stayed on the road.

As we made our way into Fort Smith, the roads got a little more occupied and we started to see the military planes flying over us. We realized we took the less traveled route and our bets had worked out for the day. We ended up putting in an extra 8 miles to make it a 94 mile day but got in well before dinner at 5 PM. The group that broke of for an earlier lunch was slow the whole day as the last one of them arrived at 7 PM. Great day with great people!