The Pig Trail

Ever since I started telling people I was coming to Arkansas, everyone’s been telling me I have to go ride the Pig Trail, a 19-mile section of Route 23 winding through the Ozark and Boston Mountains. A last-minute change of plans left us with a few free hours this morning, so we braved some chilly temperatures (ok, I braved them — Melissa likes the cold) and rode it.

The Pig Trail has a little of everything. It’s not an adrenaline rush like a race track or the Tail of the Dragon. It’s not a long series of winding sweepers like the Cherohala Skyway. It’s more like the Back of the Dragon, with a few 10 mph switchbacks thrown in to keep it interesting. There are also some open, straight sections to kick back and relax. The road condition is excellent. The only issue was that road crews were actively working on sections, shrinking them down to one lane and causing traffic to pile up at the temporary stop lights. A couple of times, I pulled over for a few minutes to allow a slow-moving semi to gain a lot of distance on me so that I could not only go my own pace but also see the road ahead instead of staring at the back of a trailer.

We pulled over for the obligatory photo opportunity at the Pig Trail sign on the south end. The northern sign is in the middle of one of these construction zones, so we couldn’t stop.

I followed the sign’s instructions at the Turner Bend Store, where I picked up a couple of stickers to commemorate the occasion and a six-pack of local beer that looked interesting (Love Honey Bock by Lost Forty Brewing). I’ll have to report back on how it tastes.

I also found my friend Wind Road Therapy‘s sticker on the ice chest. Somehow, I did not have any of my own stickers on the bike. I’ll have to load some up and make my own mark when I come back this way.

It was a fun couple of hours, a beautiful day, and an enjoyable ride. I’d like to do some other routes in the area that repeat at least part of the Pig Trail, and that’s fine by me. This was pretty much my last hurrah for a few days as I’m about to dive deep into editing The Motorcycle Camp Cookbook. Amanda has met her stretch goal of funding her trip to Alaska next year entirely from book sales rather than relying on sponsors to foot part of the bill, which is amazing! My job will be to cross the Ts, dot the Is, and make sure everything reads perfectly before it’s released to the world. I’ve already read a preview copy and reviewed it for ADVRider, and I genuinely enjoyed it. The only thing it could use is another editing pass to clean up typos and such, so that’s my task for the rest of this week.