Nomad Day - Day 56

This morning, I was awake (with alarm) by 0500 and started teleworking from the living space at John and Laura's house.  This area (located in the basement) was huge and included two large bedrooms (and a smaller one under the stairs, ala "Harry Potter").  There were snacks, a mini fridge, microwave and lots of tea/coffee - everything was very nice.  A few hours into my work day, I took a short break for breakfast (muffins, tea) and visited with John and Laura (they were working remotely too).  Back on my computer, I participated in meetings for most of the day but was able to spend time playing with each of the dogs.  Coco and Evie were little fuzzballs and quite friendly to me - Lizzie, on the other hand, was very rowdy (she was still a puppy).  All three dogs had special needs but I was most impressed by Coco, who was completely blind yet was able to find her way around the house easily (Laura said she thought the dog had "mapped" the home and used some kind of echo-location to find ranges).  At lunch time, we all had Caesar salad and biscuits and then I resumed teleworking until 1415.  One of the things I hoped to do while in Northwest Arkansas was to visit the Pea Ridge National Military Park, site of an 1862 Civil War battle which basically ensured that Missouri wouldn't secede from the Union.  John drove me over to the park - it was only about a 30 minute drive - and we passed LOTS of construction along the way.  Like Bentonville and Bella Vista, Pea Ridge was growing rapidly!  The weather (temps in the mid 70s, clear) was awesome again and, after we arrived at the Visitor Center , we knew we couldn't pass up a chance to hike.  Before that, though, we watched an informative movie about the battle, visited the small museum and then drove around the circuit road, stopping often to read the interpretive signs and marvel at the cannons.  Eventually, we stopped at the parking lot for the Elkhorn Tavern and followed a local ranger's advice about hiking the Old Telegraph Road (a track through the woods).  Starting at about 1600, we logged four miles on several well-marked routes (including a ravine trail) to the Tanyard and Military Hospital.  Along the way, we encountered huge flies, crickets (or grasshoppers) and LOTS of mosquitos.  At one point, I tried to fan away the latter insects and could feel them moving "by the handful"!  We also so deer and a fearless armadillo (within about five feet of us!).  The walk was enjoyable and John and I were able to keep catching up on our mutual Navy friends.  We were finished with our hike by 1730 and then drove back to Bella Vista.  At John and Laura's again, we all cleaned up for dinner.  Before everyone else was ready, I spent some time sitting outside on their wonderful deck - the hummingbirds buzzed around nearby and the green trees provided a pleasant shade in the warm afternoon air.  By 1800, we drove (in John's car) to eat dinner in Bentonville.  John took us through several neighborhoods, pointing out the many bike paths that covered nearly every acre in the town.  We passed lots of nice old homes but the word of the day, like in Pea Ridge, was more construction of very kind.  There is a definite boom going on in Benton County and it was clear that everyone was happy to join in the fun.  We soon arrived in the old downtown and parked very close to the site of the original store that was owned by Sam Walton (in the 1940s) before he founded Walmart.  Unlike many other "down town" areas across the USA, Bentonville had a very vibrant feel, including all kinds of outdoor stores, boutiques and restaurants.  We walked around a bit in the town square and enjoyed the "Hallmark Movie Town" ambiance.  Our dinner destination was a place called Table Mesa (Mexican fare) and we were quickly seated inside the restaurant. However, the ambiance was very loud (there were too large work parties) and I asked if we could move outdoors.  The pleasant evening air was the perfect setting for our meal.  I ordered a special brisket enchiladas with sides of esquites (corn) and coconut rice.  I tried a couple of good local beers and enjoyed the good conversation with my friends.  Meanwhile, the restaurant was very busy and it was clear that our server was overwhelmed with impatient customers and a slow kitchen.  We tried to be nice and she apparently felt very supported - at the end of the meeting, she rewarded us with some free (tres leche) chocolate cake!  Afterwards (2100), we spent more time exploring the town square and stopped pay homage to Sam Walton's "5 and 10" store.  There was a museum located inside but it had just closed.  (I learned later that the first Walmart was opened in in 1962 in the nearby town of Rogers.)  I'd never expected to visit this town but I wouldn't have wanted to miss the famous landmark!  The night was wonderful and many other people must have agreed - there were so many walking around, riding bikes, etc. in the dark. After our fill of Bentonville by night, we headed back to Bella Vista (arrived at about 2130) and I said goodnight to my friends.  Back in my basement hideaway, I got ready for bed quickly and then tried to do a bit of reading - this ended up being difficult because I kept falling asleep.  I turned the lights out by 2215 and called it a day.  Very enjoyable evening in the town that the Walton's built!