Day Sixteen Statistics:

  • Elapsed Time (ET): 9:30:00
  • Distance (DST): 122.3 Miles
  • Average Speed (AVG): 13.9 MPH
  • Riding Time (RT): 8:47:19
  • Maximum Speed (MAX): 30.7 MPH
  • Odometer (ODO): 23,380.2 Miles
  • Temperature (Fahrenheit): 78-94
  • Wind Direction and Speed: South 0-20

    • Route: US 59/71, US 71

    Cities Traveled Through: Lockesburg, Falls Chapel, Wilton, Ashdown, Ogden, Texarkana, TX; Texarkana, AR; Mount Pleasant, Fouke, Doddridge, Ida, LA; Mira, Hosston, Gilliam, Belcher, Shreveport

    Motel: Howard Johnson ($43.00)

    Comments: I woke up several times during the night since I didn't have an alarm. I went to bed before 8 PM, so I did have a good sleep. I left while it was still fairly dark outside and I headed down US 71. The shoulder was perfect, which I was thankful for. It was around 78 degrees when I left. I wasn't exactly sure how far I wanted to go. I knew that Texarkana would have motels, but that was only 55 miles away. I got there around 9 AM. I only had $12 left, so I needed to find an ATM machine quickly. I went into a gas station with a machine, but it said that it didn't accept my card! I was hoping this wouldn't be a trend in this area. Luckily, it wasn't as I found another ATM machine that worked at another gas station. I didn't think I would be in Texas today, but I guess the portion of Texarkana I was in was partially in Texas. Actually, I was on State Line Avenue. On that road, the border of Texas-Arkansas is straight down the center of the road! Those heading south are on the Texas side and those heading north are in Arkansas! So, if I drove on the wrong side of the road, I still wouldn't have been in Texas yet. I wasn't sure if it was just cloudy today or a combination of clouds and haze. All the smoke from the Mexican fires have headed up here thanks to the south winds. There have been some health warnings issued. It seemed to make riding a little more difficult. As I crossed into Louisiana, the shoulder disappeared! I have no idea why the shoulder always disappears either when entering a large city or crossing a state line. It also did that in Kansas. Luckily, the shoulder was there again a few miles down the road, but went away a few miles before Shreveport. I was totally burnt again as I arrived in Shreveport. The heat index was 106 with a temperature of 94. I thought about staying at a hotel I noticed earlier in Hosston, but decided just to keep going. The last miles were very difficult as south winds picked up again. I also thought that Ida was a bigger city and had a hotel, but there was practically nothing there.

    Photos

    Louisiana border

     

     

    Back