I apologize in advance that there are no photos....and I have some fabulous photos that would so enhance the story....but the Internet connection is spotty at best. I would go nuts if I explained the horrible phone situation.
We left Fayetteville, and our MOST favorite Inn, around 7 am. The breakfast was one of our best. They had FRESH FRUIT!!!!!! Blackberries, strawberries, grapes, and the BEST Watermelon...EVER. Watermelon is a big deal around these parts, they even had a big festival this weekend. We are so spoiled in CA with all our fresh produce.....NOT the case around here. All we see is iceberg lettuce.
The weather is breaking, finally, just as we're finishing up our adventure. The ride to Eureka Springs was FABULOUS....because the weather wasn't life sucking HOT. Oh, and the roads were great too :) We road along the infamous "Pig Trail". There were plenty of sweeping curves (and hairpin S curves too), tree lined stretches, and overall good scenery. I have wonderful photos and videos. There was one patch with a bit too many tar snakes, but the guys adjusted.
This was a really short ride, even though we stretched it out to ride the Pig Trail, and we arrived in town around 11. The first not so good event happened as we arrived at the Arsenic & Lace Inn. The road is very steep and there's a sharp turn in to the Inn.....treacherous on a motorcycle. I'm sorry to report that Scott & Margaret took a tumble. I did not take photos of them lying on the ground, see how compassionate I am? But I did think about it :) Everyone is fine, but it really shakes you up. This is the only place that has a no refund policy and Margaret wanted to bail. The Inn is too far from the action to walk (although they do have a trolley system here because things are stretched out, there is little parking, and there are no sidewalks) and I'm sure she wasn't looking forward to dealing with the treacherous location...it is confidence shattering when you go down. We decided to grab a bite and fill her with Margaritas before we bolted.
We ended up way down the road at a little center with the Harley Davidson dealer. There's a cafe called the Rockin' Pig, which was okay. I say okay since I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich which was WAY too healthy. The others were very happy, Dave had a huge hamburger, and Margaret had two Margaritas. We're staying at the Inn. So now the real adventures begin....
The HD in Eureka Springs is a satellite of the Rogers location, and had a poor selection of T's. Plus Scotty wanted to find a new clutch lever to replace the broken one (remember the spill?). And now I'm really pumped because there's a HOBBY LOBBY in Rogers!!! We weren't really sure of the location so we pulled in to a gas station where we could fill up, use the facilities, get a drink and check the maps. This would prove to be a poor choice.
The HD dealer had tents set up to park your bike. We thought, Great Shade. We found great T's (another addition to Ezra's wardrobe) and Scotty purchased his part. By the time he and Dave went out to install the new thing, the skies were black...except for the lightening that lit the whole sky, and the thunder was deafening. Buckets of rain were falling from the sky and the wind was whipping around. This is when photos would be great. Those tents helped to keep the bikes dry. And we sat in the loft with a TV, Pool Table, computer, fantastic WiFi, and big comfy sofas.
The rain stopped and we got on the bikes....only Dave's wouldn't start. It finally started for a nanosecond with a huge puff of gray smoke and then died. So Bret, have you figured out the problem? If you're going to have a problem, the parking lot of a huge dealership is where you want to be. The bike got rolled in and they started checking things out. When it was apparent this was not going to be a quick fix, I began to panic....no Hobby Lobby? So I went to several of the employees asking for a ride. I finally worked my way up to the Manager. He hesitated, I looked so sad and desperate that he caved.....Margaret and I got a ride to Hobby Lobby! Again, the photo would have greatly enhanced this story.
I was not disappointed! In fact, I may be despondent the next time I slum it at JoAnn's....even a Super JoAnn's. This place is huge. It has home decor as well as crafts. There's a HUGE selection, good quality, great prices, and vendors that I have never seen before. If Dave ever drags me to live here, this would be my only consolation.
So still no bike repair. We really can't buy anything since we have NO room on the bikes, even though there is a UPS store in this pathetic abandoned mall. We decide to find a coffee shop. Okay, that's not happening in this barren mall. The place has been largely vacated for the new mall on the outside of town. We ended up at the only place, a BBQ joint where we bought ice tea, unsweetened. Once again, we met the best people. The husband and wife that own and operate the place shared stories of their lives...how they ended up there, in this business which they started only a year ago. Can I say that we have met several people that have successfully opened up businesses in the last couple of years, not for the faint of heart. He even gave us a piece of his Cajun cake, for free. We were later joined by a geeky scooter rider that was also friendly and interesting. But the biggest shock was the family that walked in. Again, the photos would GREATLY enhance the story. They husband and wife (I'm assuming) walked hand in hand with the youngest of the MANY children. The rest walked in single file, like ducks. They were dressed in home made clothing...modest....long dresses for the girls...it was almost Amish like. The children were VERY close in age. We asked out new friends if it was a cult or something, they said they didn't have any particulars, just they came in frequently to Hobby Lobby (no jokes, I LOVE that place) and were very well behaved. They said the Dugar family (the one with 19 or whatever it is now) live nearby and they see them too.
The guys finally arrived when the bike was fixed.....bad gas. And Scott's bike was fine. Go figure. No charge to us. They said they have never had a request for a ride to Hobby Lobby. Yeah, that was it :)
GREAT ride back to the Inn, parked without a fall, checked in and got ready for dinner. We rode to the main drag and had a delicious dinner (which was great since our disaster last night and we found out Scott and Margaret had a gourmet dinner so it was especially sad that we missed out) with great service and met some lovely young family with two boys (4 & 2) and a brand new baby girl (6 weeks). The weather is great so we were dining outside...even when it poured down rain we just lifted the big umbrella...we moved inside when lightening began to strike and we couldn't count one second between the strike and the thunder.
Love the shower here (two shower heads) but not a huge fan of the bed, probably because last nights was so wonderful.
So sad, our adventure is almost over.
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