The 54 mile Talimena Scenic Drive we rode yesterday (see Riding High blog) was less than half of our entire 150 route. The entire route started and ended with the top flag next to the airplane in Oklahoma. From there south to the lower leg was about 30 miles. The rest of the trip went from the flag at the lowest point (Mena) north then west again through Arkansas.
The roads on either end of the Talimena were fun to ride with plenty of nice hills and curves.
At the end of the ride in Mena we had lots of choices for lunch from national fast food chains to locally owned and operated cafes--mom and pop, coffee bar, and a couple of take-out pizza places.
We opted for the Skyline, which seemed to be the local favorite.
As we headed home after lunch, the sky, which had been been gathering clouds all day, grew ominously dark in a hurry. We were finally driven off the road into a grain elevator operation in a futile attempt to get into our rain suits before we were drenched. A guy saw our dilemma and guided us to a garage where we enjoyed a nice chat with our new friend during the brief but really heavy rain. Back on the road we rode the final 20 miles home with no further problem.
All along the whole loop, we looked for wildlife, especially along the mountain top where we hoped to see some deer or bear. The only animals we saw were one squirrel crossing the road, lots of vultures, these Brahman cattle,
horses and riders,
a single roadrunner,
and a butterfly.
Other than the rain, we enjoyed every minute of our ride.
Tomorrow, the rv park.
Louise and Duane
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