Day 18. Ft. Smith to Conway, AR. 125 miles. With a day off in Ft. Smith and a restful night's sleep, the team was ready for a beautiful ride to Conway, AR. The morning temps were in the mid-50s and the sky was crystal clear. We launched from the Aspen Hotel at 7:00 am and after about 3 turns, we headed down Highway 22 for about 100 miles. The roads were surprisingly smooth and the shoulder was wide and clean most of the way. I rode with Terry, Martin and Steve for about 120 of the 125 miles, sharing the lead as we glided with a steady tailwind and only undulating roads, instead of the long climbs and descents we'd seen in previous days. I was smiling most of the ride as I saw the "Go Hogs Go" and "Go Razorbacks" everywhere I looked. I have great memories of being an Arkansan and cheering the Hogs for years, and now I was in the middle of Razorback land again. We had our first "real" encounter with a dog today, as that hound made a bee line for the middle of our four-ship of cyclists. Unfortunately, Mr. Hound was too slow for the lead 2-ship and Martin and I slowed and turned away from him before he could react. Score after one inning: Cyclists 1, Mr. Hound 0. A little later, I had my first encounter with a bird. I noticed that Terry, Steve and Martin had ridden past a bird sitting on the highway enjoying the remnants of a road kill. I figured that Mr. Bird would respond in kind as I whizzed by. However, Mr. Bird decided to takeoff and fly directly into my shin bone instead of continuing his super-sized meal. I'm not sure of Mr. Bird's condition, but my shin experienced no leaks, drips or runs. This was definitely the easiest 100 plus mile ride thus far. The temps, road conditions and even the drivers all made this a pleasant, comfortable ride. The last 20, 30 or 40 miles after the last rest stop are normally the toughest part of the ride. Today, however, the last 20 miles were rolling and rollicking as we each shared about a one mile "pull". We rolled into the Holiday Inn Express about 2:15 pm after averaging 21.3 mph, and immediately headed to Burger King for a refreshing milk shake. When the luggage arrived, I cleaned up and then met my Mom and Step-Dad in the lobby. It was really great to have them share in this great adventure. We drove to a nearby Italian restaurant, Russo's, where we had a superb meal and some fantastic conversation. Our waitress was very interested in our bike trip and promised to see us off tomorrow morning. We returned to the hotel for a round of photos taken graciously by the hotel staff (see below!) Tomorrow looks like a great day to head east to Brinkley, AR, as we march toward the great Mississippi River. Stay healthy, Steve