We arrived at our campground near Little Rock with an hour to spare before a storm dropped some delightful rain, and we enjoyed it as we sat outside under our trailer canopy. On Sunday morning, we saddled up at our campsite and rode our bikes a mile to the start of the Arkansas River Trail.
There was blessedly no wind which was a welcome change. This paved trail meanders on both sides of the river and is by far our most beautiful bike ride of this trip. We started at Cook’s Landing Park, by the dam, which took us through the beautiful 1,700 acres of Burns Park and golf course, then to a view of downtown Little Rock from across the river.
We crossed the pedestrian bridge next to the Clinton Presidential Library, visited downtown, then rode back on the west side of the river, stopping at Riverfront Park.
Next we rode to the state capitol building with its marvelous statues honoring the Little Rock Nine – the brave students who first integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957.
We rode past lovely Rabsamen park and golf course, then settled down for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich picnic lunch at Murray Park. Near the end of our ride it was fun to bike across the Big Dam Bridge, which rises 90 feet above the Arkansas River. Spanning 4,226 feet, it is the longest pedestrian bridge in North America that has not been previously used by trains or motor vehicles.
Back at the trailer we were able to watch game one of the Warriors-Grizzlies playoff. Afterwards, we had a fun and long conversation with George and Peter (from Colorado), our neighboring campers, for over an hour. Conversations like this are some of the best parts of travel.
As we packed up to move-on Monday morning, it rained with thunder and lightning that punctuated the sky. It feels like a good bookend to our wonderful time in Arkansas. We are glad our day of riding was clear, and we are grateful for it all.
Here is Sue’s ReLive video of our Little Rock adventure:
Today, Ted also did a video from his iPhone, so here’s a different view of our cycle ride in Little Rock on the Arkansas River Trail. It is a three-minutes video capturing many of the highlights of our ride.
https://youtu.be/soj8Jo9_Us4
On to Mississippi!