6 Nov 2011 Ride: To Catch a Train

I have often mentioned that I am not a speedster and that I'm actually quite far from one.  I was eager to take part in the Fayetteville Tri-Sport bike ride down to Van Buren which culminated in taking the scenic train ride back up to Fayetteville.  There were two bicycle departure times from Fayetteville, 7:10AM and 8:10AM.  If I left at the earlier start time I might be able to just make it for the 1:00 departure time.  But, given that there would be a 15-20 mph headwind, I knew that there would be no way I could get down in time.  So, with the clocks set back last night, that enabled me to make my own 6:10 departure time.

City Sunrise

I took off from Wilson Park just as light was breaking and, with the streets basically empty, I felt safe with blinkers going front and rear. As always, it's a joy riding in the early morning.  My new understanding with the wind was working well and, as I look back on the day, I don't even recall riding in the wind; there was just riding.

I was glad that I left early as the miles were indeed going by slowly because of the wind.  I was having fun speculating when other bicyclists would start overtaking me.

I reached the top of Mt. Gaylor and still no other bicyclists.  I was beginning to wonder if perhaps rain had developed in the Van Buren area and the ride had been canceled.  Even if that were the case, I decided to head down the mountain to Mountainburg and, if worse came to worse, I would ride back.  But shortly after Mountainburg, two cyclists passed me and a few miles later Keith caught up with me and we rode together for several miles.

And Keith caught a great shot of me on the bike Dorothy can't believe that I ride, insisting that I need a much lighter one.

I don't know, I like traveling in a touring mentality mode. 

Before we knew it, we were in Van Buren and I couldn't believe that I was there by 11:30 leaving plenty of time to actually go the restaurant across from the train station and have a sit down meal.

Lots of pictures from the train trip.  Some are a bit fuzzy due to the motion of the train but I wanted to include them anyway.

I have enjoyed taking black and white pictures lately and given that the train car we were riding in was built in 1927, black and white photographs seemed most appropriate.

At one point, our train had to back up onto a sidetrack so that a freight train could pass.  That added about 15 minutes to our trip.

"Where is the train?"

On the move again.

Our bikes had their very own car.  Unchaperoned.

 We had another unscheduled stop, or perhaps better described as a crawl where we moved along at literally one or two miles an hour for about a half hour.  "A slight problem," is the only explanation our conductor would give us.

A group of photographers from the Photographic Society  of Northwest Arkansas had taken the train down and were riding back up with us as well.  Joining them were two models who were frequently changing outfits and posing in different situations.  While we were stopped, one of the models posed between the two cars and I couldn't resist taking this parting shot that I glimpsed from our side of the train door car.

A great ride down and a great time riding back up on the train with the folks.

Today's Ride:  5hrs 22mins  60.75 miles  57°-65°   15-20mph  Miles YTD:  8,517.15

Number of miles per day needed to reach 10,000 miles by the end of the year:  26.96

Donations for Biking for Food, which support the Community Meals at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, AR, can be sent to:  Biking for Food,  St Paul’s Episcopal Church,   224 N. East Ave.,   Fayetteville, AR  72701

Or, make a pledge per bike miles ridden at  www.stpaulsfay.org/bikingforfood.html.

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