No Chain: Little Rock, Arkansas

"Ah Home, Let me go home,

Home is wherever I'm with you..."

- Lyric by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

As predicted by the local television station and the riders as we rode through thick muggy air on the way out of Hot Springs the sky was about to explode, luckily we made it into town before the real action started. As we peddled out of the church we had stayed in the night before a quick downpour got us presoaked for the 52 mile ride that laid before us. Riding with the humidity so high sort of felt like pushing through a headwind as it was difficult to maintain the speeds we had grown accustomed the past few days. Intermittent showers kept us wet throughout the morning. The roads were beautiful once again as we continued to pass through heavily forested areas and up and down rolling hills. With the short mileage we hit town right around noon which was perfect timing as the rest of my family arrived at the same time! With the day off on Sunday they though it would be a great time to come and see me as Little Rock is the closet we get to home for me along the trip. My mom and dad drove the 11 hours down from Iowa and my brother and his wife drove 6 hours over from Kansas City just to see me. I love all the other riders on the trip but sometimes with the amount of time we spend together in close quarters it's great to get away with your family, especially since I don't get to see them together very often at all. We spent the afternoon touring downtown Little Rock including a trolly tour before heading to dinner at a real authentic hole in the wall barbeque joint. That's where the real fun with the weather began, torrential downpours, high speed straight-line winds and some hail combined to make for an interesting night. A town not far from Little Rock recorded 10 inches overnight and flooding is a major issue in the area right now. Hopefully when we hit the road tomorrow there wont be any major detours as the ride is already scheduled for 100+ miles on our way to Marvell, Arkansas. On Sunday we headed as a family for Pinnacle Mountain State Park, located just outside of the metro area to spend some time together before my brother and sister had to head home. My mom and dad are spending one more night with me in Little Rock before we all head out in the morning. My legs appreciated the break but the closer we get to Columbus the more I want to just keep riding. Can't wait to get back at it in the morning, No Chain!