It Takes A Team

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Wagonteamster

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1/4/10, Humphreys, AR - It was a tough day of travel, but we met some really nice people.  The day started in the town of Slovak, where we woke to about a half inch of snow (durn near blizzard conditions in this neck of the woods).  The snow was still falling lightly by the time we drove the 2 miles back to the highway.  Traffic was light, but the shoulders were small. I used the red and blue lights to slow traffic several times, and warn them that there was an unusual situation ahead. I’m a little more conscious of traffic from behind then I used to be.  In spite of my efforts, there were a couple of near misses with cars passing me and oncoming traffic.  There’s not much I can do about the poor decision making abilities of some drivers, but I was real glad when the shoulder widened out an I could get over.  Driving a wagon down a road like this is definitely not for the faint of heart.

While Dee was cleaning up in the cabin, Clementine rode with me to keep an eye on things.

We stopped for lunch in the City of Stuttgart, where we met Guy Looper.  Guy is a Pastor and a participant in a local wagon driving club.  It’s always nice to meet fellow teamsters and swap tales of wagon travel. Guy fixed a stop for us about 10 miles down the road with a fellow teamster.

.Much of the afternoon was spent driving across the Mato Bayou, with a fairly narrow road and water on both sides. Again, I was challenged by some poor decision making on the part of a few drivers (it’s a little nerve-racking to have someone pass the wagon at 65 mph with only a foot or two separation).  Both Dee and I breathed a sigh of relief when we made it to the other side.

Tonight, we’re settled comfortably at the home of Leo Smith, a fellow teamster and trail rider. Leo and his family have gone out of the way to make us feel at home.  When my friend John McComsey stopped here on his way west with his mules, Leo helped him out and arranged a farrier to shoe one of his mules.

Just before dark, I swapped out the 120 volt inverter, as mine had failed earlier in the day, I anticipated this and had a spare. 

Tonight, the horses are comfortably settled in a paddock, munching their hay, and we are settling down for the evening.

Tomorrow, we continue on our trek towards Texarkana. Our next obstacle is the Arkansas River and the city of Pine Bluff.