The TAT (Arkansas)

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Thursday:

Early breakfast in a diner in Fort Smith. Definitely a part of the bible belt. Got talking to a group of guys who were having a “prayer breakfast” and noticed other diners saying grace before they started their food.

Keith got talking to a cop who was getting a coffee. He told a bit of the history behind the town which prompted my interest and thanks to google, found that Fort Smith was established as a military outpost to patrol the neighbouring Indian Territory in 1817 and was named after General Thomas Smith. The fort was abandoned seven years later in 1824, but by that time a town founded by John Rogers, formed alongside the fort. The fort was re-occupied and expanded in 1838. The Cop told Keith that the town was a seriously wild place back in the day. It was a trading post for the fur trade and judging by some of the grand old architecture (a lot still standing & refurbished), there was some serious money made here.

After negotiating some suburban streets (read getting slightly lost) we left town and travelled around 50kms on an expressway before turning East through a small village called Mountainburg. This lead us onto the Tat proper via a winding gravel road. Turning off this onto a “road” signed impassable we headed up into the Ozarks. This was not impassable, but a steep, rough, rocky unmaintained track. The first part was the most challenging - a steep gnarly uphill with water ruts and large rocks. The scene for our first “off” for the trip. No names but the photo tells the story. Fortunately no injuries or bike damage.

After this testing uphill, we experienced mainly nice gravel roads winding through the Ozark Forest. After around 100miles of this we stopped at the Oark Store (I haven't left the z out – this is the correct name – perhaps a cheaper deal from the sign writer with one less letter on the signboard ?) A few miles before arriving at the store, I got stung on the neck by a hornet or some other nasty. I tried to buy some anti-sting cream but the store owner said he was out of stock but he would do a good neighbourly act. He returned a few minutes later with some cream from his home medicine cabinet. He gave me a liberal squeeze of cream FOC. Real back country American friendliness. They appreciate your visiting, and can’t do enough to help. During the day, after a great lunch at the store, we saw white tail deer (1 with 2 fawns) & 1 that sprinted across the road in front of me and Ian experienced the same. We also saw dead Armadillos on the road and some spectacular scenery from an altitude of around 800m in the Ozarks. At one intersection with a main road, we came across three motorcyclists doing the Tat in the opposite direction - East to West. One of them had just finished a puncture repair. Two of the guys were from Hawaii on Yamaha 700 Teneres who had shipped their bikes over to LA & then trucked them East to start the Tat. The third was English riding BMW F800 who had met and joined up with the others on the trail.

Our only real weird, slightly scary moment was when we followed an F150 pickup truck on a narrow gravel road for probably 20kms, the driver deliberately wouldn’t let us pass. This female hillbilly driver toothlessly screamed obscenities at us when we eventually passed her after she overshot her turnoff and did a u-turn to retrace her steps. She headed back up the narrow gravel road trying to run Ian off the road in the process. We could only assume she was feeling no pain in a drug induced state as she disappeared in a cloud of obscenity laden dust!

We arrived at Clinton Arkansas. Our first day on the TAT. Only real tricky bit was near the start and the rest of the day was enjoyable gravel roads through the Ozarks. 350kms travelled and not so hot today with maximum in the high 20s

Tomorrow Eastwards on the TAT.

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Comments

[Kate]

Sounds like a good start!
Minus the hornet and the hillbilly driver!!

[Bill]

Trip
Hi guys great to hear from you I guess Ian was blowing her kisses and she took exception