The dark mutterings of a former mild-mannered reporter for a large metropolitan daily newspaper, now living in obscurity in central Indiana.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Hey, a Scenic Byway in our backyard
Since we live on Crowley's Ridge, I decided to explore some of it on my bike this afternoon.
I rode west on Pine Log Road (CR 762) to Ark. 351 and north to Ark. 358, then west to Ark. 141 where I rode north, branching to the right on Ark. 168 to follow a couple of motorcycles until they pulled off at Crowley's Ridge State Park. I followed the Crowley's Ridge Parkway signs through Paragould on U.S. 412, turning north on 7th Street and following it until I decided I'd lost the route. Turns out I didn't, but it's not well-marked.
Crowley's Ridge Parkway was designated Arkansas's first National Scenic Byway in 1998. According to the Delta Byways website and it follows the backbone of Crowley's Ridge, "a narrow strip of land rising out of the Arkansas Delta from Clay County to Phillips County, is the only geological formation of its kind in the United States... Named for the first documented white settler to this region, the highways that make up the scenic byway take you by sights that include museums, Native American sites, and historic districts and cemeteries.
"Along the way are Civil War battlefields, African-American heritage sites, galleries, cultural centers and festivals. There are scenic vistas, wild flowers, forests and farms, plus old-fashioned country stores, antique shops and stands for homegrown fruits and vegetables.
"Recreational opportunities along the route include four state parks, a national forest, and wildlife management areas--offering everything from fishing, boating, swimming, picnicking, hiking, wildlife and bird watching, to tennis, photography, hunting, camping and golf."
It's also a damned fine motorcycle road in a part of Arkansas that is mostly flat and dull. The part I rode today (not counting Paragould) rivals Ind. 135 south of Nashville, Ind. The Parkway is about 200 miles long, with lots of interesting branches, so it looks like I've found some interesting roads to ride this spring and also to share with any motorcycle friends who drop in.
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