Day Fourteen Statistics:

  • Elapsed Time (ET): 7:00:00
  • Distance (DST): 82.9 Miles
  • Average Speed (AVG): 12.7 MPH
  • Riding Time (RT): 6:30:25
  • Maximum Speed (MAX): 35.1 MPH
  • Odometer (ODO): 23,131.8 Miles
  • Temperature (Fahrenheit): 73-92
  • Wind Direction and Speed: SW 5-15

    • Cities Traveled Through: Watts, OK; Ballard, Westville, Summers, AR; Dutch Mills, Evansville, Natural Dam, Cedarville, Figure Five, Van Buren, Fort Smith

    Motel: Magnolia Inn ($27.95)

    Comments: I didn't have an alarm so I was concerned that I may sleep in which would be a very bad occurence considering the heat I would have to endure. I woke up once and thought I slept in, but glanced at the time to notice it was only 4 AM, so I still had some time left. I got on the road about 5:55 AM. The days get shorter the farther you go south. The morning temperatures were nice, but I was nervous as soon as the sun came up that it was going to get really hot, so I went as fast as I could. Although it was slightly longer, I took a different, longer route through Westville, OK to make sure there was a place where I could get something more to drink. Once I got going, I noticed that the forest (Ozarks) helped keep me a little cooler until the sun was midway across the sky. The scenery was great. Once again I didn't take too many pictures since I was so concerned about going as far as I could before the heat set in. Most of the road in the Ozarks had a good shoulder today, which is important since it's easy to miss vehicles with all the turns in the road. Also, I was suprised to see more gas stations in the smaller populated areas. Once again I spent tons of money on pop, candy, and ice cream stuff. Finally, I got to Van Buren and then eventually Fort Smith. It took me a long time to get through this area and with all the stopping and going. My average speed decreased about 1.5 MPH here. There were many areas with no shoulder or sidewalk so I had to be extremely careful. Due to the high heat, I quit at 1 PM. The heat index right now (5 PM) is 108 degrees here. My bike speedometer's thermometer said 104 when I came to the hotel. The actual temperature was something like 92 at 1 PM. Also, it is interesting to see all the squashed armadilloes along the road. Check out the picure below! (I stole it from http://mark.dpmicro.com/bruce). Tomorrow will probably be another short day with the forecast calling for the same conditions. In Arkansas, many of the roads curve back and forth so you have to go more miles to cover the same distance. I can't believe only 4/14 days have had favorable wind conditions so far for me!

    Photos

    Many of these critters can be seen as the victim of modern transportation.

    Westville, Oklahoma

    Fort Smith hotel

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