Conway Arkansas

I went for a ride yesterday. It was sixty degrees and sunny. A rare nice day in Arkansas so far. I still didn't ride too far though. It is, like most places this time of year, brown and drab even on a sunny day. I usually need a destination or reason to ride this time of year. I'm hoping to go to Hot Springs next weekend to check it out. When I found out I was going to Arkansas I brought Hot Springs by Stephen Hunter with me. I've been a fan of Stephen Hunter for a while now. One of my favorite books is Dirty White Boys. It takes place in and around Lawton Oklahoma where I've spent a lot of time working at Ft Sill. Hot Springs takes place in the forties and a lot of the old gambling halls mentioned in the book are historical landmarks now. It should be fun to match fiction against fact.

If there is one thing about my job I feel blessed about it's the travelling. It's more than just what a vacation might offer. A lot of times you get to really know a place like you can't staying in an RV for a week. Several of the guys I work with feel we should work six or seven days a week and as much over-time as we can get. Their belief is if they have to be on the road they would rather be earning money. That line of thought has always bugged the hell out of me. It seems to be the prevailing opinion though. Of my friends that don't feel that way most of those have a motorcycle. I don't think it's a coincidence. I don't like to be one of those guys that claims his pastime/profession or what have you is the best and only worthy pursuit. But I have a t-shirt that says "You never see a motorcycle parked outside a psychiatrist's office" and I'd have to say that's about the wisest t-shirt I've ever owned. I'm very rarely bored when I have a map and the bike with me.