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Tennessee and Arkansas west pt2

Would love to see this peak season if there is one

Tennessee has always grabbed my attention while driving through in the past, but I’d never really stopped there much other than a nice ride around the Chattanooga area with pal Gaston Farmer. While passing through the western corner of the state this time form Kentucky, i found a bunch of heat on strava within my self imposed 10 min detour radius, on what looked to be some smooth red clay roads according to my satellite maps (what a world we live in!). .

Weird stuff off this exit

i parked at an intersection and chamoised up and rolled out, on dirt immediately. A dog barks in the distance and I startle, still shaken from being perceived as a rolling chuck wagon for the dogs of Kentucky a day earlier.

Not the best framing, but it will do for a selfie — nice road though

this riding was choice. Red dirt, with plenty of nice tack. Boy would it have been a wheel full in the rain though. This loop would have been 43 miles, but i am a real quitter when i ride by myself. I think i ended up with 18 or so. Only chased by 1 dog the whole ride though!

A dinner of beans and greens and I’m back on the road headed towards Arkansas.

last time i was in Arkansas it was on the way back from mid south last year. We stopped for a few days in Bentonville, and while impressed with the glitz and glam — it was not my favorite. This time through, however, I found a really nice stretched out and scenic flowy but not overly groomed XC single stack stack, again, only 10 min off the exit in Arkadelphia. What a fun name, the town, not the trails. Iron mountain trails are the name of the trails. The trails sure are fun though.

I will admit this one took too many takes for just a “meh”

i did a few self timers at the top of the track before getting too deep into the flow. I kept counting wrong and missing the shot an embarrassing amount of times. Whatever i was about to drop into the most premium dirt ribbons of my year. I barely stopped for the next hour, just ripping through the woods. Those trials had so much flow, and such scenic views of the reservoir they were built around — i had the feeling

1 take here. I’m a blogger

the temps were radiant and i was brimming.

my bike of choice was perfect for this kinda track, and my tires were grabbing every corner they way my brain had anticipated. A fine afternoon out in the woods and a feel of being very far away from the highway. Wont be my last time here.

had a great parking spot for the night off an offroad in the park. First night of the trip sleeping with the door open listening to spring sounds from the nearby swamp. I wondered how buggy this place would be in a few weeks.

8 responses to “Tennessee and Arkansas west pt2”

  1. ericmarth Avatar
    ericmarth

    Always tricky to frame with the tree-as-tripod, I get frustrated looking for the right trees and all the time it takes off the bike, just to pretend to be riding by to then jump off, grab the camera, and carry on. This is the definition of Movie Magic, folks.

    Like

  2.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Them dogs just trying to get a look at that hot new bike

    Like

  3. salad Avatar

    very nice ronald. I am forever dog-traumatized especially for solo rides – you are brave. will you teach me how to make one of these blog things?

    salad

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    1. coolultraromance1598 Avatar

      Oh sally ain’t it the truth. Shrink yer dog already! It’s not the Middle Ages!

      Like

  4. Dan Scheie Avatar
    Dan Scheie

    I think an old friend of mine owned that Haunted House, or it was one just like it. Search for “Funtown Mountain” if you have a few minutes to kill. Wild story!

    Like

  5. Jaybird Avatar
    Jaybird

    Very cool. Looks like a good spot for sure. Both places have I retested me and while I did hangout in TN for a bit Arkansas escaped me. Stay cool out on the trail.

    Like

  6. Joe RedBeard Avatar

    A few years back I spent a day ripping around some dark trails in the Hot Springs area. I should try to remember the name of said area sometime, as they were premium ATB rambling and a bit much for the Cross Check I had strapped to my van at the time. Love reading these little updates NOT on Insta. Much better for the brain. Ride and drive safe bud!

    Like

    1. Ronnie R. Avatar
      Ronnie R.

      Tidings Joe —- thanks for liking! And yes, noticed some good trails north of hot springs that i nearly went for …. It’s a cool zone for sure!

      Like

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