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SPRING 2017 ISSUE 01 / VOL. 02
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Eons ago, the Ozark Mountains were sculpted by the weathering of an uplifted plateau. The newer Ouachitas, on the other hand, were formed by earth plates moving toward each other. The Ozarks tend to be more rugged, with undulating plateaulike tops; the Ouachitas can be steep, but have gently rounded tops. Both have distinct personalities and riding paradigms.
Each also has a dominate peak with outstanding views. Mount Magazine is the highest point in Arkansas at 2,753 feet. It’ s often misidentified as the tallest peak between the Smokies and the Rockies, but that’ s not accurate. Mount Magazine is the highest prominence between the Smokies and Rockies, towering 2,372 feet above the 381-foot Petit Jean River Valley far below.
In a close second place, at 2,681 feet, is the Ouachitas’ Rich Mountain, near Mena, Arkansas, adjacent to the Oklahoma border. Both Rich Mountain and Mount Magazine are part of a ride I call the peak-to-peak run. Both
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Wildflowers dot the landscape along State Route 309.