University Ride to Eureka

November 3, 1984

At about 9 a.m., we rode out of Fayetteville on a brisk, clear November day. We were about 14 bicyclists, all members of the Outdoor Adventure Club at the university. We were heading over to Eureka Springs for the weekend. Two more members followed in a van.

Our route led out Highway 45 toward Goshen. I hung back to help a gal named Noma get used gearing down for hills. For a first-timer, she did great.

Erin and Jill on West Avenue about to turn onto Lafayette Street.

Joe and Noma lead the way along Highway 45 near Hindsville with Casie and Ron following.

Casie, Noma and Ron on Highway 12.

Erin and Tim take in the fall view.

Casie rides uphill into the city limits of Eureka Springs.

When we got to Goshen, a few of us stopped for a moment at Guinn’s Grocery.

Among our group were three guys who were fairly new to bicycling, Noma and Jill, both very new to it, and Troy and Monica, who were driving the van.

Ahead on the road were three racers. Two of them were hoping to ride both ways today. In between were four more: two guys, Ron and Joe, and two girls, Casie and Erin.

Casie was wearing Kanakuk Kamp staff shorts. As it turned out, she’ll be rooming with Susan Nunnelly next semester and the staff shorts are very likely the ones which I traded to Susan a couple of summers ago!

I didn’t really get to know Erin riding the first day. She was easily the most physically fit of the women, though.

Jill and Noma opted for the van somewhere between Goshen and Hindsville. I caught the foursome somewhere just past Mayfield and the three other guys caught us about there too.

We rode together as far as Hindsville. I began sprinting ahead to take pix and sprinting again to catch up. At Clifty, we took lunch. I got a group picture. Hope it turns out.

We picked up one of the racers just before the junction of Highways 45 and 12. He had been resting for about a half hour.

After Clifty, the route became very hilly, although the scenery picked up, too. Because of the hills, we began spreading out more.

I dropped back to encourage Casie, who was beginning to feel the mountains. She stopped frequently on hills, but she got back on every time and pushed away on those pedals. I had to admire her fortitude. We finally rolled into Eureka Springs a little after two.

After moving into the Inn of the Ozarks, we went sight-seeing in Eureka. I went by the Morrison Gallery to look at her pen and ink drawings as well as some of the other paintings.

I ate dinner with Casie, Erin and Ned. Ned was one of the two racers who had planned to go back. But he broke two spokes and figured he better stay the night with us. All three are great people. Ned, from Chicago, reminds me a lot of Mike Cass. As I said, Casie is good friends with Susan N. and is a Kappa Kappa Gamma, too. Need I say more. She’s beautiful, both physically and philosophically. Erin, from New York, is a strong-minded, strong-willed woman. She seems neat.

After dinner, we went cruising to find someplace to dance. No such luck. We did go by the Crescent ballroom for drinks. I spent a few moments out on the balcony, absorbing the stars ad the mountains, the moon, and even the Christ of the Ozarks.

A lovely evening.

We never did find a place to dance though, so we moved the partay back to the motel. Several movies and lots of yacking put me to sleep.
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This journal continues with the Return Across the Hills the next day.