For the 4th of July weekend, we needed a getaway. The stress of the plague has been really hard on all of us, so the beautiful Mrs K planned an awesome weekend for us in Bentonville. We brought along Eli and his friend John, and a handful of bikes to enjoy it all. First stop somewhere in southwest Missouri was...Kum & Go. Hey, I didn't make up the name. But it did become our go-to quick stop all weekend!
Upon arriving at our AirB&B, we realized just how great of a job Mrs K did for us. Not only was the house gorgeous, but it was situated on a street at the top of the Red Barn Trail! That meant that we could do all of our activities from the house via bike. Spectacular situation!
Garage? Why yes. A big ol' garage with plenty of room for our bikes, along with a work stand. And a TV, too. Didn't use the TV.
A quick run to our go-to snack place and the first thing John got for himself was a commemorative t-shirt. I ate the honey buns.
It poured rain half the night, so we were not too jazzed on what we would find on the trails. A little soft, for sure. But the Leopard Loop surprised us because the short downhill run was paved. Yes, paved. And it was killer fun. John was the first and only casualty, sliding out on his first run down. Mrs K patched him up and we rode for a while longer.
We were very pleased to find a bike wash at the top of the Leopard Loop. It was the only time we'd need it, as the trails dried so crazy fast. But we did put the bikes away for a while to wait for the drying to commence.
Now THIS is a July 4th lunch. Check out those patriotic brownies.
Walmart Museum was closed in Downtown Bentonville, but it's such a quaint little town that we walked around a while. It was pleasantly cool all weekend, quite a bit cooler than St. Louis from the reports that we heard.
You see the wildest works of art in Bentonville.
After sight seeing, I hit the Back 40 and the rest of the fam did some more riding, too. The Back 40 was incredibly dry. I was blown away by it. We all met up back at the house, ate some dinner, and drove across town to watch the official fireworks display. Here we are laying on a blanket with a really good view of the show.
Eli and John were going to watch it all from the back of the car, but...
....eventually they sat with us. Great show, and a great finale.
Sunday was lake day. We drove over to Beaver Lake and rented some paddle boards. Now, most of you know that water is not my thing. But I did have a good time, and only fell into the water on accident one time. It was a pretty good yard sale, though.
Eli is like a fish. He loves anything water related.
The beautiful Mrs K wanted to show Hanna her paddle board planks. I counted off a minute for her. We stayed out on the lake just long enough to get pruned, but not so long as to be sunburned. After that, we rested a bit and hit the Slaughter Pen trails again.
I swore I was done riding but Monday morning I met up with my friend Steve. He was my trail guide for Tunnel Vision, a 24-ish mile ribbon of single track that was a lot of fun. The visual highlight came about 4 miles in, where this killer water fall was located.
Steve tricked me into posing for a photo just a few miles from the finish. He knows I am not a fan, he gets the laugh on this one. The trail was a blast, however, and I was so toasted when I finished. But I did use a dropper post in earnest and I did hit more berms in one day that I have in any one month. 3000-ish feet of elevation, too. Bentonville trails never disappoint!
Meanwhile, I had the keys to the car. The fam was locked out until I got back. They were troopers about it and didn't hate me. I hosed off at the Red Barn bike wash and we drove home, only stopping at one more Kum & Go along the way. John will miss that place.
And the topper of the weekend?? Getting back to this dude, who spent the entire time at Grandma's doggy spa. We all swear he grew while we were gone.
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