It was time for a quick little summer getaway with just the wife, me and Rudy. (Yes, Rudy, I finally gave my bike a name) I know, three is a crowd but, well, she is my wife, it would be rude to leave her home.
On this beautiful June morning our plan was to get up early load the bike with our bags and hit our favorite morning breakfast spot, The Cracker Barrel, before hitting the road to one of our favorite weekend retreats, Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Eureka Springs is an enchanting Victorian style village nestled in the Ozark Mountains that can be reached by car and the super slab in about 2 ½ hours. On the bike via the scenic back roads, which is the only way Rudy knows, it’s about 3 to 3 ½ hours.
Early is never early enough for me to go riding but this morning we got up and around an were on the road by 8:00 o’clock and in short order were seated at the Cracker Barrel perusing their breakfast menu. I don’t know why I waist my time with that menu. I have my favorite breakfast and I don’t usually stray too far from it.
After breakfast we had to make one quick trip to the local GoldWing shop to pick up a little plastic fitting that I broke the night before while checking my tires, that holds my valve stem in place on my rear wheel. The only reason I mention this at all is because the GoldWing shop is the exact opposite direction from our intended route out of town. The trip just grew 45 miles longer and an hour time wise. You wouldn’t think that would be an issue but remember… Oklahoma summertime.
We blasted off on the city expressway navigating our way through the scenic beauty of our local traffic jams, road construction and bill boards till we finally merged with our familiar back door route out to the country and off to the Ozarks.
It was warm and got warmer to say the least as we wound our way along highway 20 from Oklahoma passing into Arkansas and carved our way up into the beautiful Ozark Mountains. To call them mountains is a bit of a stretch for me, growing up in north Idaho, but they are still resplendent, cloaked in all manner of deciduous trees, the winding smooth roads, the vistas that appear between breaks in the trees. My bride of 24 years helped keep us cool by bringing along a water bottle spraying our arms and necks as we rode.
We rode back to and cruised Eureka Springs a couple times as evening drew in giving the biker wave to all the other riders in town for the weekend and just enjoyed the sights of the city. We parked back at our motel and walked across the street for dinner at a local flavor restaurant and then retired to an evening of sitcom reruns on cable TV. Just about bedtime we heard the rumblings of a fierce storm blowing up. Turning on the weather channel our suspicions were confirmed that indeed a biggie was headed toward us. I love a good thunderstorm.
An interesting and convenient feature about our room was that you enter from the front door and the parking lot where your bike can sit right under your safe and watchful eye and we could also go out the back door and sit in lawn chairs out on our balcony overlooking the pool. We went outside and did just that, watching the quiet tranquil vacant pool, the cars and bikes cruising town and yes the storm rolling in. The cool damp air felt and smelt good, the thunder was spectacular and sure enough the storm commenced.
The storm had its way all night but cleared in the early morning hours and by the time we got up and around to go to breakfast the roads held only a few puddles as evidence of the rain the night before. The greatest part about this passing storm is that it turned the tide on the killer heat wave we had been enduring and left us with bright sunshine but cool north breezes making it a perfect day for, well, anything.
Breakfast is always extra good in Mom and Pop restaurants away from home. After breakfast we began our assault on the shopping district of the tiny Ozark town. We shopped novelty shops, quilt shops, gift shops and visited the Eureka Springs Motorcycle Company where I picked up the obligatory motorcyle T-Shirt. We also strolled through some antique shops and stumbled upon a great deal on a working 1920's Franklin treadle
After a day of meandering the town and shops, having lunch at a Chicken and Dumplings and corn bread joint we took to the back roads on the bike for some sight seeing and exploring. The Ozarks are chucked full of great twisty roads snaking through the hills and valleys, flowing across the small farmlands, turning page after page of scenic beauty before our eyes at each curve in the road. We pulled over several times to take in the view and snap a few pictures.
We descended upon the Ozark town of Beaver that resides on the bank of the White River, which is actually not white at all but crystal clear spring water reflecting the green from all the trees that surround it. The one lane suspension bridge that crosses the river is worthy of some photo opp time. Highway 187 out of Beaver continues its meandrous journey through the wooded hills until finally finding its way back into the lower portion of Eureka Springs. I say lower portion because Eureka Springs is built on top and down the side of a mountain. Really, you just gotta see it!
