Womble

The rains have arrived, and it looks like they are here to stay...at least for the next 7 days. They also brought 40 degree temps. Looks like most of the south will be affected, so there is no running either. So I guess we need to cowboy up and...go to Waffle House. Mmm, waffle, eggs, sausage, toast and jam, coffee. As breakfast settles, we head out of Hot Springs to the Hwy 298 trailhead of the Womble trail in the Ouchita State Forest.

Sitting in the car as the cold rain comes down, it is hard to change and head out for a ride, but I guess it helps when that is the whole point of the trip. So, I put on a wicking long sleeve tee and my Mountain Hardwear shell, and of course it is time to bust out the coldweather tights. We start on a 4x4 trail and eventually question if we are on the right path since it was described as all singletrack. We turn around and then see the trail entering the woods across the street...that's more like it. The trail starts out pretty easy; sort of like a bike path with more rocks and slight elevation changes. Eventually we start crossing over little bridges (pretty wide and simple) and the terrain gets more interesting with a bit more flow.

We soon encountered a creek with no bridge and plenty of water. Probably 10 feet wide and quite a current. We could see fairly flat rocks 6-12 inches under the stream, so it looked like we could ride across if we choose the right line. Brian stepped up and crossed first. We tossed the packs across, which I almost didn't make across since they were full of water. Brian then captured me crossing. No issues...cool!

Parts of the trail have been controlled burned, so there is a cool black forest floor with red pine needles highlighting the trail. The last several miles get really fun. A lot more climbs and descents, lots of bench cut trail with steep shoulders winding along the various hill outlets. One section rides along the mountain ridge with a sheer dropoff a few feet away that drops a couple hundred feet to the river below. Very scenic, but definitely wouldn't want to get off balance here.

Some very fun downhills as we approach Hwy 27 trailhead; however, I found myself thinking about how the river was now by our side and how far above it we were just moments before - that will be a bugger of a climb on the way back. We went to a trailer park and fishing place across Hwy 27. The store wasn't open, but we pulled up a chair anyway. Hoped my feet would thaw, since I lost feeling a while back from the cold creek crossing water and general cold temps. No luck, but I put on the rest of my clothes anyway. Not sure if putting on the ice cold water-soaked arm "warmers" helped, but I layered up anyway. I guess the camelback was soaked through now from all the creek crossings and tire splatter.

After resting a bit, we turn around to head back on the same route. I guess you can arrange for a shuttle, but that must be during normal season and we probably wouldn't have done it anyway. The climbs were all that I imagined...granny gear and legs burning, but didn't stop or put a foot down - just climb! Eventually we made it back to the ridgeline overlook...forgot about the climbs that followed - how far down did we go?? Then we got the reward, gradual downhill bench cut trail with good flow - just don't go off the side!

Eventually we came back to the big stream with underwater rock path. This direction looks a bit trickier since roots force an angled approach and the line seems to require a bit more navigation once in the water. Brian almost made it, but then went off and cleaned his leg in the stream. I followed and got mid-way when I realized I was b-line right off a rock and needed to turn right. Wasn't going to happen, so I just jumped off it and figured I would land on the bottom of the stream even though I coudln't see it) and try to power out. Yah, right. I basically pushed out of the stream with my left leg under water. At least we weren't too far from the car now.

With probably a mile or two to go, my tire felt a bit sloppy. I thought it might be a little low, but didn't look too bad. Should have trusted my instincts, since I went flat a bit later. Didn't totally burst, so we decided to just fill it up and ride out the rest of the trail. Made it back to the car.

In the lot a FexEx truck was sitting there with a case of beer on the ground by it. Strange since we were in the middle of nowhere. Oh well, time for some Endurox and to strip down. I also faced the road, but didn't much care at this point and during summer I seem to change more in the car than at home...just a part of biking I guess.

We decided to get a nice hotel, so we stayed at America's Best Value Inn. Not bad. Working toilet, clean, breakfast and laundry facilities; still just $60 + tax. Then we headed to Capone's Ohio Club for some food. Had a 1557 beer; not bad. I guess the club was used by Capone and is quite history. It was nice, the food was good, and the people were friendly. Then we checked out Sonic for a banana split, but I wouldn't do that again...just didn't sit right. Sleep will be welcomed again...I like sleep.