Day 21: Talimena Parkway to Arkadelphia

The Ride: 101 miles, 3,900 ft climbing...Mostly as you will see on quiet roads with little traffic and lots of trees.

OH MAH GAWD......We have officially arrived in the HOT, STICKY, STEAMY SOUTH.

We dropped down in altitude off of the parkway hills into amazing humidity.  98% humidity, 95 degrees.  When we would stop to take a picture in the morning....our glasses would fog up and water beaded up on our skin.  WOW.

The humidity means it is wet here. The vegetation is thick.  The air is filled with the loud steady hum of the cicadas, crickets and who knows what else coming from the woods all around us.  Today was a nice spin out from yesterdays climbing and we stopped a lot to visit little stores in tiny little towns along the way and sip a soda out on a stool in front of a store.  It is actually better to be riding than standing still in this humidity because then you at least have a slight breeze.  It does make you feel pretty sluggish though.

These guys ran the little store in the town of Big Fork.  I told them I needed a picture to make my husband jealous.  Sweet...            .Willy?  Worried?

I took this sitting outside a store in Norman.  Greg's hair is getting so long it is popping out the top of his helmet.

Plants are growing and taking over this dilapidated building.

This is Doug standing in front of the great BBQ place we went to dinner tonight. 

We all have these wonderful tan lines....I think they will be with us for life!

 

Tomorrow is another easy day....I think the heat and humidity will be with us for the rest of the trip.  On our day of a million rollers...Tom said to me when I was sighing and looking ahead a bunch more hills to climb  that I should   "Just submit to it".  That's how I feel about the humidity and heat.  I ride a little slower and sweat a little more but hey...its great to be riding my bike!

Later,

Lori

---