Monday, March 14, 2011

Somethingclassicin... Arkansas

'The Natural State'

That's Arkansas. I was in Arkansas over the weekend. Eureka Springs, AR to be exact. The Street Urchin and i did 3 day's of Mountain Biking at Lake Leatherwood. This place is the bomb and everyone should to go.

One neat thing about the trails down there is that they don't seem to get muddy. I guess the ground is more rock than dirt, so while farming sucks, trail riding is awesome. That's nice considering the trails in kc have been muddy and basically s*it for the past 3 months. These trails are dry... and hilly. With lot's of switchbacks. They're not technical but they're not completely smooth either. And i'll again emphasize that they're hilly. Arkansas is full of hills, you can't escaping them. Urchin's Garmin said something like 32% on one hill. I rode it in the big ring, backwards, while doing the New York Times crossword.

I bet a fast guy could do the whole network in 1.5 to 2 hours.

I specifically recommend the descent of the 'Lost Ridge' trail.

The town of Eureka Springs is also worth a visit. I've never been anyplace quite like it. Picture a Picturesque and sleepy hippy town perched on a few steep hills. It's a fairy tale world with stone and victorian houses sprinkled along fun windy streets. Riding your bike around town is almost as much fun as riding the trails.

The Natural State.

I really do love it down there.


6 comments:

  1. Arkansas deserves that many photos, nice post sir.

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  2. Lev's parents have a house down there. I would pick someplace close to downtown, soak up the vibe. This place is right in the middle of everything and has a great restaurant / balcony.

    http://www.basinpark.com/

    Lev, you got any recommendations on where to stay?

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  3. Most places downtown are pretty pricey. There are cheaper hotels on the highway. Still only a 5 minute ride to town. It's all gravy once you're there.

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  4. I love Eureka Springs! We have stayed at the Crescent a couple of times and the view from there is awesome. We also stayed in the woods in a cabin closer to Beaver dam. A must do is to go to the Pink Tea house downtown and have their award winning chicken cakes, they are to die for.

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  5. I was just curious. We stay in Branson since we have a boat on bull shoals lake. I've been to eureka springs a few times, but never ridden. Now I'll have to go.

    -Nate

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