So, instead of daily updates this time around, I waited till the kind of middle of the trip. It has been a very
nice trip so far. I had no plans overall, but I have had a really good time. I did end up in Arkansas. I decided to do a
bit of scouting for a trip that The Kel and I are thinking about in a couple years.
First off, I think I actually might have blown this cute little redneck mind. I was sitting next to my bike,
looking at a good old fashioned paper map, and he walks up and asks if I am lost. I respond, no....I know where I am, I
just don't know where I am going.......he looks at me and says "well, you are in Dardenelle..." I thank him and continue
looking at my map. He then asks me where I think I might be going. I respond "I have no idea, but I have 4 more days to
get there". He stares blankly at his feet for about a minute. Then he looks at me and asks if I have been to hot springs
yet. I answer that I have a hotel room there. He says "Well, Hot Springs is right down that highway about 80 miles or so"
and walks quietly to his truck and drives away. I really wanted to laugh, but then it dawned on me that there are so few
people in the world that are just so inherently nice that they feel bad if they can't be helpful and I could possibly have
just ruined his day.
I have also managed to put my finger on the difference between the R1150 and the R90. While I was going up Mt
Magazine today, with all of those really tight and fast curves, I noticed that there is a small delay between steering
input and steering action. I really didn't notice it exactly before, but I had been on the R90 for a couple weeks, and
then jumped on the 1150 and took off. It is really only noticable in real tight twisties but it was odd.