Revisiting The Log Cabin

One of my favorite Central Arkansas road rides is what I refer to as "The Log Cabin Ride". I've written about this ride before and, though I didn't plot it and I didn't name it, I'll share it.
The route is about a 40 mile round trip from the BDB and starts with a climb of River Mountain Road, followed by a trip through Pleasant Valley and a climb up Pebble Beach en route to a climb up Rahling Road. From there, things mellow out for the trip out Denny Road and Kanis to Burlingame Road. The destination is Ferncrest Road, which climbs sharply from Burlingame before passing by the namesake "Log Cabin, a 14,000 square foot home overlooking a small lake, which is in no way reminiscent of Abe Lincoln's point of origin. Follow the link above for a map.

Here's a view of the route starting and finishing from our home on North Little Rock. It's a 60 mile ride from Park Hill.

Here's a Google Earth view of the Log Cabin. It is mostly obscured from view by evergreens along Ferncrest Road, but it's worth taking a peak through a gap in the trees.

After climbing the initial pitch on Ferncrest, riders get a little downhill followed by a couple of more climbs, then a sweet mostly downhill ride across the ridge that runs between Burlingame Road and Colonel Glenn. The return includes another great descent on Ferndale Road to Pfieffer camp before rejoining Denny Road and backtracking to the BDB. In between are several more sharp little climbs. 

Here are the stats from our ride:

Ride Time: 3:52:22

Stopped Time: 37:20

Distance: 59.25 miles

Average Speed: 15.30 mph

Fastest Speed: 46.24 mph

Ascent: 2081 feet

Descent: 2145 feet

This is a very good mid-distance ride, has little in the way of traffic,  and covers a wide range of scenery and terrain. We did it as a two-up conversational ride, but I have been broken by the Ferncrest climb on a couple of occasions when I was not at my best and/or in over my head. Go give it a try.

Ferndale Grocery: Reports of its demise are greatly exaggerated.

Several months ago, it was widely reported that the Ferndale Grocery at the Kanis and Ferndale 4-way stop had closed. Bridge construction on Ferndale had cut off the store from much of its customer base and local news outlets carried the sad news that the business had shut its doors. What they failed to report is that a buyer came along and the store stayed open. We were pleased to see the doors open and the shelves stocked, as this is a oft used stop for road cyclists.

My ride partner Sam got to do the honors of buying.

One thing that disturbed me has to do with cyclists patronage of the store. I made a slightly smart-Alec comment that "We may not buy much, but we won't be a burden". The clerk then told Sam, "We get a lot of cyclists in here who don't buy anything, use the bathroom, and leave us to clean up after them." So much for a positive image. Folks, if you stop in a little market or gas station, keep in mind that many of them struggle to make ends meet. This isn't Wal-Mart and it is often the owner working long hours and mopping the floors after hours. Be friendly, buy something and say, "Thank-you."

Let's ride.