Day 32, 0/work day, De Queen, AR
Day 31, 87 miles, Hot Springs to De Queen, AR
Day 30, 61 miles, Little Rock to Hot Springs, AR
Day 29, 72 miles, Brinkley to Little Rock, AR
Total miles to date: ~1,610
If ever there were an activity designed to underscore the importance of family and friends, it has to be spending a couple months biking across the country solo.
It’s lonely at times. The remoter it gets, the more acute the loneliness digs. Here in southwestern Arkansas on Day 31 of my 70-day xUS bike tour, it’s getting pretty remote. A stone’s throw from Oklahoma, I’m starting to see a lot of cows, at least I have them to keep me company.
Like many people in youth, I used to issue grand proclamations, like “I’ll never go to that place again,” and “I’ll never use that product again,” etc.
I swore at one point I would never enter a Walmart again in my life. So much for that. As any AT thru-hiker (or, as it were, x-country bike tourist) will tell you: Walmart happens to be one of the best and most convenient resources for resupplying on the trail/road. So I’m reluctantly appreciating the chain’s ubiquity out here when I need a fresh supply of road snacks.
Same goes for fast food joints and convenience/gas stores. I’ve long eschewed these unhealthy venues. But when a quaint cafe offering hardy breakfast sandwiches cannot be found, McDonalds and Dunkin’s breakfast concoctions fill in admirably. And convenience stores are just a reality on this road, where frequent Gatorade stops are a necessity.
Finally, I once swore off Facebook and other social media. The Luddite in me would like to not need them. But if it weren’t for these online people-connectors (and dividers?), I wouldn’t have the virtual company of you and so many others that sustain my need for contact.
I also wouldn’t have met my cousin, Andy Weld, and his wife Jena, and son Drew, in Blytheville, Arkansas, were it not for Facebook. 
Out here, far away from family and friends for an extended period, the solace and comfort of a family connection was essential, and I am forever grateful for the wonderful stay with Andy and Jena. It was amazing to get to know my first cousin, whom, we determined, I haven’t seen since I was about 10 and he was a baby who – according to my single memory of the incident – inexplicably handed me his shoe.
I also wouldn’t have met my first cousin once removed (I think that’s right?), Andy’s daughter, Katie Weld (and boyfriend Kinzie), who is entering a physical therapy graduate program near Little Rock. 
By the way, Little Rock is a very attractive city with its bike and pedestrian pathways along the Arkansas River.
Examples abound of times I’ve said “never” only to eventually end up in a position of eating those words at a later stage. My takeaway lesson is to remain open, don’t close off future possibilities and necessities, and appreciate it all: Walmart. Convenience stores and fast food joints when necessary. Social media, in moderation.
And most definitely, family and friends.