Rocketbunny Sweats in Arkansas – Day 2

August 21, 2014 – Arkadelphia, AR to Mountain Home, AR – 308 miles

Mmmmmmmmm. Yummy. Days like today are why I ride.

I had intended to start off this morning with 5 miles of slabbing down I-30 to get to scenic AR-8, but the gps got confused out of the parking lot and sent me up AR-7 toward Hot Springs. Baaaaad GPS.

But then it redirected me onto AR-84, a road I had never even noticed on the maps. Hmmm. Goooooood GPS.

I finally connected with AR-8 at Amity. This road was enjoyable, but a little busy for real fun.

At Norman, I turned off onto AR-27 and headed north.

Just a few miles before hitting I-40, I saw my first “crooked and steep” sign of the day.

I used I-40 to reposition myself at the southern end of the legendary AR-123 and stopped for lunch in Clarksville. Yelp pointed me towards another courthouse square BBQ place, Fat Dawgs. Much better than yesterday’s.

When I got back on the road at 1pm, the day’s heat had kicked in. I barely noticed, focusing instead on the twists and turns of the Arkansas Dragon.

I crossed a one-lane bridge.

This sign usually means good things ahead…

Scenic Views…

and, oooh! Switchbacks!

Just past Mt Judea I zigged west on AR-374. In Jasper I zagged back east on AR-74, ending up back on AR-123 only a few miles away from where I’d left it, but having enjoyed many more curves.

I was just south of Harrison, AR around 4pm. It may not have been quite as bad as a Houston rush hour, but there was a lot of traffic on US-62 toward Mountain Home, AR. I took a quick detour up AR-178 to see the Bull Shoals Dam, and then found my hotel.