DAY 1 - BENTONVILLE, AR TO CASSVILLE, MO

Mileage: 38.4 - Total Mileage: 38.4

Margarita Count - 4

We stayed in a cute "cottage" at the Bike Inn last night where we will leave the truck for the week we are gone. As you can tell by the name, it is a place that caters to cyclists and has some neat touches. Each room has a rack for two bikes, there's a couple of bike repair stands outside, a bike wash and outdoor shower, and a great outdoor communal space with tables and chairs for people to gather. 

The cottage was small - more like "glamping" than a hotel - but it had a bed and was easy since we are leaving the truck there. 

We rolled out about 9am and I promptly missed the first turn. In my defense, it didn't have a street sign. Between Dave and I we managed to get out of Bentonville without much more trouble. We had a nice stretch of quiet gravel roads for about 3 miles, and the first "real" climb of the trip hit us 9 miles into the ride during the gravel section. From then on, there were repeats of the hills throughout the day. 

The valley and hills in the distance along the gravel road. 

We stopped in Pea Ridge for food and Dave was looking for something at Wal-Mart when we saw this big platform even with the roof of the store out back. We went back to see what it was and it was a "Zipline". But not the kind you are thinking of!  They are testing out drone delivery of small packages from that store. A lady on break told us they have a range of about 50 miles. Pretty cool!

I'm not sure what the deal is with abandoned/wrecked house boats along this stretch of Arkansas, but I saw two within about 10 miles. One sitting in the middle of a field,  and one roght next to the highway. Weird!

The motto we learned today was "Don't be a dick!"  This was rule #1 of the house rules at the Bike Inn, and we just think it applies to almost any situation in life. 

We crossed the Missouri state line today - we didnt waste any time getting a border crossing on this trip! I'm not very good at selfies, but I'll work on it this week. 

We weren't in a rush today - we took our time and had several stops to get snacks and food. There weren't any restaurants near the state park where we are camped, so we stopped at the last convenience store before the park. As we rolled in we saw three bikes leaned against the wall with some minimal bikepacking gear. I went in and found three women who were on their way home from an overnight trip. Two of the women had never done a trip like that, and were tired but very happy with their adventure. I love to see other people out on adventures!

We stocked up on dinner items and snacks, and found convenience stores in Missouri can sell liquor. Missouri rocks! I found some individual bottles of ChiChi's margaritas. Unfortunately, they were pinapple margaritas. Oh well, there's always going to be a little suffering on a tour. I'm drinking them now and they are doing their job loosening the muscles. They are just a little too sweet. I told you I was suffering! 

Camp is set, we're both showered, laundry is done, dinner has been eaten, and finally we are relaxing. There's a lot to do in the evening! I foresee an early bedtime - especially since it is already dark at 7:30 - and both of us sleeping really well!

Until tomorrow...