Hello all,
I thought I would share a bit about my most recent trip and adventure. I grew up in the wonderful state of Arkansas, and I have long been faced with the duality of both wanting to promote how great it is as a state and at the same time wanting to keep it a secret. With the explosion of mountain biking in the Bentonville area, the growth of the 4WD/Overlanding community, and let's be honest...that A-Hole, Covid-19, Arkansas is a little less of a secret than it used to be. Various groups in the state have held rallies and over land navigation challenges for years, and some of those routes have been established as pretty awesome trails/routes. What started a number of years ago as the route selected for a cross country rally for a bunch of goobers in 4WDs, has since become a bucket list adventure for residents and travelers alike through the region. The most notable of which is now known as the High Water Mark Trail. Depending on the route and time of year, it can be as long as 140 miles, and have 15+ water crossings of some significance. When the creeks are flowing some of them can be a tick treacherous, or even unpassable. Having grown up in the Ozarks, I have a real appreciation for running water and lush forests. Now being an Arizona resident for 5 years, I have an even deeper love for them. When I tell pure natives of either state that I miss water and the color green, I often get odd looks in return. The Sonoran Desert is spectacular in its own way, and I have delighted in exploring it every chance I get. That said, it has been nice to ford water once again and take refreshing, albeit frigidly cold swims in the Buffulo River, Richland Creek, and the Mulberry. Drifting off to sleep with the rustle of leaves and the patter of light rain has been a great comfort, and waking with the sun filtering through both pine and old growth forests has been soul soothing. Let get into the recap.
Day 1: I left Tucson on Black Friday heading east loaded up with gear, grub, and a tank of 87 octane. On the way out I ran across the scales to see what my gravity was. 6860lbs plus my 240lbs pounds brings me to about 100lbs under GVM on the 80. I was pretty shocked to see that my rig weighed that much, but them the facts.
After a brief stop outside Hatch, NM for some lunch in the river bed, we rolled on to Red Cloud.
I thought I would share a bit about my most recent trip and adventure. I grew up in the wonderful state of Arkansas, and I have long been faced with the duality of both wanting to promote how great it is as a state and at the same time wanting to keep it a secret. With the explosion of mountain biking in the Bentonville area, the growth of the 4WD/Overlanding community, and let's be honest...that A-Hole, Covid-19, Arkansas is a little less of a secret than it used to be. Various groups in the state have held rallies and over land navigation challenges for years, and some of those routes have been established as pretty awesome trails/routes. What started a number of years ago as the route selected for a cross country rally for a bunch of goobers in 4WDs, has since become a bucket list adventure for residents and travelers alike through the region. The most notable of which is now known as the High Water Mark Trail. Depending on the route and time of year, it can be as long as 140 miles, and have 15+ water crossings of some significance. When the creeks are flowing some of them can be a tick treacherous, or even unpassable. Having grown up in the Ozarks, I have a real appreciation for running water and lush forests. Now being an Arizona resident for 5 years, I have an even deeper love for them. When I tell pure natives of either state that I miss water and the color green, I often get odd looks in return. The Sonoran Desert is spectacular in its own way, and I have delighted in exploring it every chance I get. That said, it has been nice to ford water once again and take refreshing, albeit frigidly cold swims in the Buffulo River, Richland Creek, and the Mulberry. Drifting off to sleep with the rustle of leaves and the patter of light rain has been a great comfort, and waking with the sun filtering through both pine and old growth forests has been soul soothing. Let get into the recap.
Day 1: I left Tucson on Black Friday heading east loaded up with gear, grub, and a tank of 87 octane. On the way out I ran across the scales to see what my gravity was. 6860lbs plus my 240lbs pounds brings me to about 100lbs under GVM on the 80. I was pretty shocked to see that my rig weighed that much, but them the facts.
After a brief stop outside Hatch, NM for some lunch in the river bed, we rolled on to Red Cloud.
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