Friday, November 27, 2009 - Rogers AR
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I'm outa here!, Salem City Park, Salem AR, November 27, 2009
Bleak Friday
This can't be happening - I'm dreaming, right? It's 4:00AM and the Walmart parking lot here in Poplar Bluff is already half full and filling fast. I gotta get outa here - it won't be long before I'm blocked in.
By the time I finally pried my eyes off this amazing sight and got my act together it was 5:00AM cars were circling like vultures over road kill. Whoever dreamed up this Black Friday thing must be grinning from ear to ear.
It's a bleak Friday indeed!
Friday in the Ozarks
It took me all day, even with the 5:00AM start, to cross northern Arkansas on US 62. The Ozarks may be attractive in some seasons, but not this one. What a dull dreary day's ride it was. Bleak. The trees in this area are mostly a scrubby oak, broken down by an ice storm a few years back. The economy is pretty bleak too - there's some serious poverty along this route.
An observation on tires and tire pressure
The guys at Paducah Tire Service set the tire pressure in the new front tires they mounted for me Wednesday at the full rated 80psi rather than the door jamb recommended 65psi front and 60 psi rear I had been running. On a whim, to see what they would do and to test the result, I had them adjust the rears, without specifying a number. They set those at 80psi as well.
Today's run through the Ozarks on US 62 was a good test and I like the results. The rig is much more stable and responsive to steering inputs and less likely to sway and toss my stuff on the floor on a rough road than I've been accustomed to. A down side is the ride is a little harsh on expansion joints but I can live with that - the handling stability is worth exchanging a soft ride for. I'm going to keep them set at the 80psi and watch tire wear for signs of overinflation. My guess is these tires are loaded heavily enough that overinflation won't be a problem. We'll see.
In Wally's world
By day's end I emerged into Bentonville AR, home of Wally's world - to be welcomed at the big Supercenter across from headquarters by a nice clean No Overnight Parking sign. This area is pretty highly and newly developed - I wasn't surprised.
Night camp
Wal-Mart Supercenter in Rogers AR
Wal-Mart Supercenter Store #5260, 4208 Pleasant Crossing Blvd, Rogers, AR 72758 - (479) 621-9769
- This Walmart Supercenter is at Exit 81 east of I-540 in Rogers AR.
- Good level parking
- Verizon cell phone service - very good signal
- Verizon EVDO service - very good signal
- Locate this Walmart on my Night Camps map
- Find other Wal-Marts in the area
- Check the weather here
Heliograph route between Fort Cummings NM and Tubac, AZ
1886 heliograph transmissions between Tubac near Nogales Arizona/Mexico, and Fort Cummings New Mexico: Joe Marques (Flagstaff) was doing some research in old Flagstaff newspapers and found something that might interest. In the Arizona Weekly Champion, Saturday August 7, 1886, page 2 column 1, it says: "A message was recently sent by the government heliograph (signalling by sunlight flashes) from Fort Cummings, N.M. to Tubac, Ariz., a distance of 400 miles, and an answer received in four hours." What a great [research] find! This was during the Geronimo Campaign of 1886, and the heliograph system at that time did indeed extend between the two stations. From Tubac, the most westerly terminus, the intermediate stations were Baldy Peak or possibly Josephine Peak just a little south of Baldy), Fort Huachuca, Antelope Spring, Emma Monk, White's Ranch, Bowie Peak (or Helen's Dome), Steins Peak, and Camp Henely (east of Fort Cummings). This means the message would have been relayed seven times, one way. It most likely was a test message, and relatively short, but I would love to know what it and the reply really said. The 1886 "airline" distance between Tubac and Fort Cummings; and of course on to Fort Cummings. I calculate the one-way distance between the two extremes as being 241 miles, with round trip of course being 482 miles.