Nomad Life - Day 57

Despite my busy and active day yesterday, I was awake (without my alarm) by 0500 and teleworking very soon afterwards.  Since I had a project that kept me busy for a few hours, I didn't take any breaks until nearly 0900, when I went upstairs to get some breakfast (muffin, tea).  Returning to my pleasant working environment (in John and Laura's "guest floor"), I kept my nose to the grindstone until 1030, when John offered to drive me to see the Walmart Campus in Bentonville - I'd been hearing about this for the entire visit and I was glad to have a chance to see it!  As we got in John's car for the tour, I was pleased to see that we had beautiful day (mid 70s and clear).  Hoping to get some more birding observations in another new state, I asked John to take me about three miles north so we could cross the border into Missouri (near the town of Jane) - he agreed and we soon arrived at the location I'd seen on Google Maps on the Little Sugar River.  There was supposed to be a canoe/kayak launch there but someone had blocked the road.  Fortunately, we did find a heron, red-shouldered hawk and some crows during our five minute visit.  After that, we headed south on US-71 drove through Bella Vista and entered Bentonville.  Following some of the same roads we'd seen the previous evening, we reached an area of town where we started to see a series of huge buildings: three different denominations of churches, a brand new (Walton Family funded) hospital, an art museum and some youth and family centers for the town.  Beyond that, our visit to the Walmart Campus was amazing - everything looked very new and there were SO many new and fancy buildings. Along with many huge structure dedicated to managing the world's largest retail business, there were parking garages with over 1000 vacant spots, a canteen and a special store for employees.  John told me that most of what we'd seen had been built during the previous two or three years - amazing!  On the way back to John and Laura's, we stopped (1200) to pick up some lunch at a Chicago style pizzeria (Gusano's).  It ended up taking almost 30 minutes for our takeout and we barely made it back to the house in time for my scheduled call with my cousin, Jerry C (1230).  While talking to him, I ate my lunch (buffalo chicken wrap) and then resumed working.  At 1515, John suggested that we take another tour of Bella Vista so he could show me two different waterfalls that were located near his house.  Our first stop was at a cascade that flowed out of Lake Windsor (Reservoir) - while there, we walked on the Tanyard Creek Nature Trail and got plenty of pretty views.  We also nearly got hit by a golf ball from the nearby driving range!  Next, we toured some other bike trail areas that John told me he uses nearby every day, visited the wonderful Veterans Memorial, toured Blowing Springs Park and stopped to see a second waterfall at the Lake Ann (Reservoir).  Even though all of these things were very nice, the biggest highlight of the tour was visiting the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel.  The church, which was an amazing building that appeared to be built out of very narrow pieces of wood and had huge glass windows, was the quintessential wedding venue and, in fact, we couldn't go inside because someone was using it for wedding photos.  Instead, we walked on some trails nearby and then headed back to the house (arrived at 1615).  I wrapped up my telework day (finished at 1700) while John started preparing his truck and several bikes for our planned mountain bike outing.  Laura wasn't finished with her telework - I was willing to wait until she was ready but she kept suggesting we depart without her.  During this time, I watched John working on his bikes and learned about his extensive collection.  He had chosen a wonderful bike for me to use and I was eager to get on the trail as soon as we could.  By 1730, Laura informed us that she was ready to join us - John had, by then, packed and repacked the car with three, then two, then three bikes.  All of this effort was worthwhile because I'd really hoped we'd all get to ride together and that was then possible.  From their home, John drove Laura and me south on US-71.  We parked near a restaurant in (North) Bentonville called The Bend.  From this location, we were able to get on the Razorback Greenway and head south (1745).  I should note that all of the trails that we planned to ride were clearly marked on Google Maps, making for an amazing evening of exploring without any worries of getting lost.  While I mainly rode on the paved or gravel trails, John and Laura would zip off to access dirt or gravel tracks that had jumps and other obstacles.  It was very clear they were comfortable on two wheels! After taking a fork onto the North Bentonville Trail, we stopped at the North Skills Park (it had jumps and hills and ramps) and watched Laura riding on an *real* obstacle course - she was amazing!  Meanwhile, I experimented with my own bike, an amazingly advanced and rider friendly model.  I started to feel comfortable with all the wonderful features (shocks, adjustable seat, great big wheels, etc.) and this allowed John and Laura to coax me into trying some "off road" mountain biking.  After checking out a few of the easier tracks and following Medieval Trail, we ended up near a place called the Oz Castle.  The coolest thing about that location was that riders who reached the top were able to choose from about six different trails (of varying difficulty) for their descent.  John and Laura told me it might not be fun but encouraged me to try to climb the hill.  Reluctantly, at first, I gave it a shot.  It took a lot of balance and pedaling on the Lombard Trail but I ultimately made it!  John and Laura said they were surprised I'd been able to get there and that praise felt good.  While I was catching my breath, John and Laura each chose a trail and raced to the bottom of the hill - they then rode back up to the top for more tries. After some photos (and a bit of walking to reach an area where I thought I could ride safely), I made way downhill without fanfare (or jumps/obstacles) on the Firnas Trail.  I only lost my balance once!  Laura continued to pile on the kudos and I thanked both of my friends for encouraging me to try the challenging ride.  We next followed a bike trail that paralleled NE A Street and later transitioned to the Crystal Bridges Trail.  visited a few more places (including saying "hi" to Sassy the Sasquatch) and found a few more obstacles.  The most impressive of the latter locations was "The Masterpiece", which John and Laura ran repeatedly (while I watched and filmed).  It would have been great to visit Crystal Bridges because there was a Frank Lloyd Wright home there but, by then, it was getting dark.  As we backtracked towards our car (using the same route as before), we took one detour on the All American Trail, which proceeded deep into the woods.  Along the way, we visited a steep hill and trail called the "Bush Push", which former President G. W. Bush apparently climbed (unassisted) in 2010.  Laura made it to the top (she had some e-assist) but John and I just watched in awe.  After we returned (through the woods) to the Greenway, John and Laura spent more playing on the parallel tracks as we headed north.  Their skills were very impressive!  Meanwhile, I checked out the speed qualities of my borrowed mountain bike and enjoyed the cool breeze blowing on my face.  Back at the truck (1930), we stowed our bikes and then ordered dinner at The Bend, which turned out to be a mini-bar that had its own food truck.  I got a something called the (Ozarker Dagwood) sandwich and tried a local beer (all good).  Our conversation went pretty well until we were interrupted by movie night at the restaurant ("Jurassic Park") - then it got loud.  Meanwhile, the temps started dropping (almost jacket weather!).  At 2045, we departed for home and, after arriving, I spent over 30 minutes looking through my bags for Notre Dame apparel (in preparation for the football game in the morning).  I also played with the dogs a bit and then said goodnight to my friends.  For the rest of the evening, I worked on my travel blog, finally wrapping up my interesting day in Northwest Arkansas at 2300 (bedtime).  Can't beat the biking in the "Mountain Biking Capital of the World"!