Prairie States Trip -- Day 1 & 2
Today begins a multi-day biking trip through Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa. The first official stop is Arkansas, but as I am driving right by the Katy Trail, I stop for a quickie to stretch my legs. I have just enough time to park at the Busch Greenway Trail Head, ride to the I-40 Bridge and then west to MM 58 and back (20 miles).
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| Closed access to the Katy Trail |
Some anti-biking bureaucrat has closed access to the Katy Trail just because some of the bridge's spans were washed out in a flood. What nonsense! I never respect such closures as officials are too motivated to close bikes trails at the slightest hint of risk. Furthermore, they'll barricade a mile of trail, when the washout is only ten feet wide. 99% of the time an able-bodied biker is able to easily navigate the short disruption and continue on their way. The hardest obstacle of today's disruption is climbing the barrier. The washed out span barely required a dismount.
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| I-40 Bridge over Missouri River |
My destination is the mountain biking trails of the Upper Buffalo Wilderness. Designated an "Epic Ride" by the International Mountain Bikers Association (IMBA), I am really jacked to test myself on these trails.
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| Arkansas Dawn |
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| The Buffalo River is also a popular canoeing river |
After wandering around local roads, I park at the Dahl Memorial Trailhead in the wilderness on head out on a forest road towards the mountain bike trails.
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| Forest Road 1463 |
I link up with the Knucklehead Trail (near Nuckles Creek) and start climbing into the Ozark mountains. The trail is not exactly what I was expecting for an IMBA Epic Ride. It's obvious this bit of trail is rarely ridden as it's overgrown, littered with small branches and blocked by larger tree limbs.
Not only am I slowed by the frequent blow downs, but I am distracted by the frequent spider webs hanging across the trail -- they are quite big and sticky. As most hikers know, the first person blazing a trail each day will have the pleasure of breaking through a few webs. These aren't errant threads though, but full webs centered eye-level in the middle of the trail with a large Arkansas spider sitting dead-center. I'm finding it hard to ride the trail, peel the web off my sunglasses while wondering where the hell that pissed-off spider ended up.
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| Spiders waiting for their prey -- me! |
I have to give credit to the local club for posting maps at trail intersections, but I get lost anyway, climbing up a one-way downhill run. I get my ass kicked.
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| Trail-side map -- the butterfly is pointing to my current location (not) |
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By the time I reach the fire tower, my legs are cramping and my brakes are shot. Chagrined, I ride the forest road back (aka a green trail) to my van.
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| Arkansas hardwood forest (Dahl Memorial Trailhead) |
On the way I meet some locals out for an after-church Sunday drive. The road is so rugged I easily keep up with their four-wheel drive pickup. Arkansas forest roads are not for the faint of heart.
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| Upper Buffalo Wilderness Route |
Next stop is Oklahoma!
| State: | Arkansas |
| Date: | 2016-08-28 |
| Route: | Upper Buffalo MTB Trails and forest roads, Dahl Memorial Trailhead to Fire tower |
| Distance: | 20 miles, 1,900 ft +/- |
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