THE FLIP SIDE

Mulberry River ride comes with pie

Karen Mowry crosses the Mulberry River Monday on a swinging bridge at Catalpa along Arkansas 215.
Karen Mowry crosses the Mulberry River Monday on a swinging bridge at Catalpa along Arkansas 215.

One of the prettiest fall foliage drives in Arkansas is along the Mulberry River Scenic Byway, also known as Arkansas 215. The lovely state highway is also enjoyed at a slower pace on a bicycle.

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Tom and Karen Mowry look at one of the history information signs along Arkansas 215 also called the Mulberry River Scenic Byway.

Riders can pedal a mile or more than 40 miles of this back-country route that runs east and west along the Mulberry. Much of it is in the Ozark National Forest that makes for a scenic ride any season. This is rugged and steep hill country, but the route follows the river valley for a gentle up and down ride. There are few steep hills.

Pull-off spots are located along the way to stop and enjoy views high above the Mulberry River. It's one bicycle ride that comes with pie. Cafes in the little towns of Oark and Catalpa are great lunch stops with character, and sometimes characters, to match.

One autumn at Catalpa we saw a hunter showing off a black bear. Last week when we stopped in Oark, a group of good old boys were admiring each other's coon dogs. That was just one of the sights when our Sunday morning bicycling group visited the scenic byway on Oct. 26, a sunny Monday instead of our usual Sunday.

We parked at the entrance to Redding campground along Arkansas 215 about three miles east of Arkansas 23. From here, it's a 17-mile ride to the end of the pavement at Catalpa, one the state's most remote towns. The miles flew by through the forest ablaze in autumn color. We had the highway mostly to ourselves.

Only two cars passed us in the 11 miles from Redding to Wolf Pen campground. Traffic picked up when we neared the twin cities, our affectionate name for Oark and Catalpa, which are about three miles apart.

Smooth asphalt gives way to a rougher chip and seal surface outside of Oark, but the ride is still nice. About one-half mile before Catalpa, there's a swinging foot bridge crossing the Mulberry River that's worth a stop. The bridge is made of cable and wood planks. It sways a little with every foot fall.

When we visited, some U.S. Forest Service workers were having lunch by the bridge while doing a bank stabilization project on the Mulberry River upstream from the bridge.

Back on our bikes, we pedaled to the end of the pavement at Catalpa. Not a soul was in sight, but barking dogs inside a fenced yard announced our arrival.

We enjoy stopping at the cafes in both towns. The Catalpa cafe is closed on Mondays so we headed for the good eats at the Oark Cafe, established in 1890. The place was jumping, which was no surprise once we got our food. My grilled chicken-with-mushrooms sandwich was delicious. The chocolate shake another rider sipped was thick and home-made.

All sorts of home-baked pies in the display case called our names, but we had 14 miles to ride back to Redding. We just said no to pie.

The return trip is faster because you're pedaling downstream along the Mulberry River, not up. The difference is noticeable. Either direction is pedaling paradise. Now if we can just figure out how to carry one of those pies on our bikes.

Flip Putthoff may be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAFlip

Sports on 11/03/2015

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