Hopes and Fears for 2012

Anyone who knows me probably recognizes that I reconfigure my life every few months. I'm constantly forming new goals, reevaluating where I am, what's most important to me, and how I need to get where I'm going.

I don't like being stagnate.

Generally, this makes New Year's resolutions a little redundant for me, so maybe this is my chance to simplify things, to slow down, to appreciate.

With that in mind, my one resolution, my word of the year, is to enjoy.

I plan to enjoy as much of my time this year as possible. This spring, after the Little Rock Half Marathon and the subsequent week(s) of guilt-free high-caloric intake, I will cycle several major scenic routes in Arkansas on my recently purchased roadbike.

I'm excited about this because I've traveled all over the state to canoe, hike, swim, run, but never to cycle. Well, that's about to change, my friend, and I think it will be a totally different experience. It's all a part of a bigger (read: far-fetched) plan to incorporate these beautiful places into my first round of training for a Century, a one-hundred mile bike ride.

There are roughly ten different areas around the state that are particularly accommodating for road cyclists.
















Trip 1 Arkansas River Trail (14 miles)
This trail, which makes use of the Big Dam Bridge, should be nice and easy 14 miles, so I'll be able to do it a couple times in a day if I choose, and visit friends and family while in Little Rock.

Trip 2 Batesville-Ozark Loop (21 miles)
Here, I'll pass a picturesque old mill and experience a nice, easy ride through beautiful rolling hills. I'm told this route has wide shoulders, so hopefully I won't have to worry about traffic nearly as much.

Trip 3 Lake Maumelle Loop (37 miles) & Scott-England Loop (35-50 miles)
Last autumn, a nicely challenging Saturday of cycling (for me) meant a good 25 mile ride, with some hills. I'm hoping to raise the bar with these two routes.

On the Lake Maumelle Loop, I will test my faith by doing the recommended "early morning" ride, where I can expect beautiful scenery... and a strenous climb up Wye Mountain.

The next day, I plan to treat myself with a smooth, flat ride through cotton fields and pecan groves on the Scott-England Loop. It happens to be a longer route, but I prefer long rides over relatively flat land to short, hilly rides. This route has an option to connect to the Arkansas River Trail, but I don't forsee having any leftover energy to take advantage of it.

Trip 4 Hot Springs Loop (51 miles)
After living in Arkadelphia for a year, I've returned to the area only once, so it'll be nice to dally through Hot Springs National Park and the Ouachita Mountains before catching up with an old friend or two.

Trip 5 Rich Mountain Ride (60 miles)
With the exception of Fayetteville, Mena is easily my favorite area of Arkansas. The Talimena Scenic Byway that winds up Rich Mountain is breathtaking. Can't wait to stop off at the Queen Wilhelmina State Park lodge, which sits on the second highest peak in Arkansas.

Trip 6 The Jasper Disaster (62 miles)
Here's my wild card. This route is closer to my homebase, but very difficult. With three very long climbs, Arkansas.com optimistically promises the opportunity to view elk in Boxley Valley.

It's been a long time since I've seen elk, moose and other animals of this size, but I don't see how encountering these humongous beasts near the end of a very long ride is supposed to encourage me. Defenses down, energy drained...I don't know, guys. Maybe this one should be left alone.

Trip 7 Paragould-Piggott Loop (89.5 miles)
This doozy, set in a part of Arkansas I'm not very familiar with, will be towards the end of my training and will give me a chance to cycle through the hills of Crowley's Ridge Parkway and stop at the Hemingway house in Piggott (this time without Mrs. P's high school English class tagging along).

Other additions to my spring cycling adventures are the Monticello to Warren Loop and Tour of Columbia County (a possible, pleasant weekend excursion) or the Mississippi River Trail (at 85 miles, I imagine it will be decided after the Paragould Trip.)

These are my hopes for 2012, happiness and adventure for me and for my friends. What are yours?

"May the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten." -Upward Over the Mountain, Iron & Wine

"If you're afraid, don't be. I have the whole thing planned. We'll start an ocean." -Pictures Benjamin Francis Leftwich