Soft and steamy
Time to pack up and get moving south for the Ouachita Challenge.
I think the word "challenge" may be an especially appropriate choice of words for the Ouachita Challenge this year. If the trails get rain the next couple of days it will really soften things up. Pedaling through molasses. They make molasses in Arkansas, don't they? Combine that with sunshine and warmth on race day and we'll have the makings of a true epic.
Going dark for the next few days unless there's Internet somewhere down there near the Ouachita Challenge trail head. Arkansas is, if you'll recall, former President Clinton's home state. Clinton's vice president was... that's right. Al Gore, the self-proclaimed father of the Internet. So it will just seem sort of natural when I power on my laptop and find a number of free wireless hot spots.
Yeah, OK. We'll see.
I have my digital camera all charged up, and I finally cleared all the Fourth of July and Christmas photos off the memory card. Unless I fall off a mountain and break the camera I should have plenty of good photos of the back end of the race to share when I return.
Stomp a mud hole in your butt!
Ever hear the term, "I will stomp a mud hole in your ass and walk it dry"? Well, it is fitting for this endeavor. The challenge will stomp your ass, but what I am referring to is the fortunate reality that we will be setting a pace that is likely behind over a hundred riders. With any luck they will be riding the trail dry (trails tend to dry up and become dusty towards the end of races due to heavy traffic).
OTOH, there may be nothing but dusty dry ruts when we get there...that might pose a new level of "challenge".