As I returned to my room last night around midnight a family of four were packing up and getting into their car complaining loudly about bed-bugs, I was not troubled, well perhaps a little by the prospect but not at all by the critters.
The morning and the outlook on the weather radar was ominous and made me glad I’d come further west. I delayed my departure in the hope that would help, perhaps it did.
The rain, never a downpour, persisted as an annoying sprinkling nearly all the way to Little Rock. Along the road I stopped for coffee and a mature doughnut, whilst trying to enjoy them a SUV pulled up, not level with the bike but slightly behind, the window cracked open and a phone peaked out to take a picture of my bike from behind. Not her best side but it made more sense when an apparently off-duty cop stepped out with his daughter, not in uniform but with a Police Department T-Shirt to give the game away. He didn’t return my greeting, rare in these parts, I can only assume that he was upset by my UK number plate or unimpressed by my luggage. Either way nothing happened except my paranoid flashback to all the dystopian future novels that I’ve enjoyed.
Little Rock looked cool but I only stopped for long enough to stretch my legs and lungs. Still on a mission to reclaim some of the ‘lost’ time I passed amazing sights and, like a fool, kept going torn between turning back and progress the regret growing as distance passed. I’ve now resolved to stop more and miss less.
McAlester was my destination by when 17:30 rolled around and I was still 2 hours away I drew the ‘A & A Motel’ at Clayton (south of Sardis Lake) from the meagre fistful of straws that fate offered me. On the way south I so very nearly ran over a snake, about 3′ long and black, that was basking on the hot bitumen. The Ouachita National Forest was spectacular, rolling hills and bends that went on for ever. Ozark country, the Motel was brimming with high power fishing boats on trailers and fishermen there for a contest, the boys that I spoke to, after a very long wait for all you can eat catfish in the only restaurant in town, were aiming for black bass which must be a very fast fish.
The dark side of the moon is not realy dark at all it just has no cell coverage, like this corner of the world, apologies for the lack of pictures and the lateness of the hour. I’ve updated later.
Le Mans man 