Thu 2013/08/01

Daily mileage 41.05 Trip 188.7 Total 690.75

Route: Forrest City to West Memphis AR (Quality Inn).

I was fighting a fairly strong cross wind all day (8 to 10 o’clock).  I was well rested but got exhausted early for some reason.  I went about 8+ miles before my first break.  After a cloudy start, the sun came out, and I struggled the rest of the day.  I had numerous
breaks.

I missed out on breakfast, couldn’t find a restaurant or otherwise reasonable place to eat until about 13:00, when I stopped at a gas station in Shell Lake.  There were friendly people at every stop I made.  Before the gas station lunch, I stopped at a house under construction, and owners/builders gave me an iced bottle of water topped off with some nice conversation.

The lunch (I suppose it was really breakfast) rejuvenated me and I was able to make it to West Memphis without any issues.  I thought I would run into a hotel (any hotel!) before making it to town, but the nearest one was more than half way through the city at an I-55 exit.  I spent a little time trying to figure out how to get to it without interacting with freeway speed vehicles, and I made it to the Quality Inn by crossing an old overgrown parking lot.  The nearest restaurant was a Cracker Barrel that I had to get to by walking along freeway access road about a half mile.  Challenging route, good meal after a tough day.  I had some serious saddle sores in Djibouti, soothed a bit in the hotel pool.