Our 20th Wedding Anniversary Bike Park Trip
What better way to open to the bike park season than a trip to celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary! We decided to stay localish, well within 8 hours from home, and visited Howler Bike Park and Lake Leatherwood Bike Park.
If you’re from Southern Missouri or Northern Arkansas you know it has been a wet spring so far. Last weekend was no exception, but that didn’t slow us down!
We started our trip at Howler Bike Park where we met a new furry friend!
We've never encountered a deer that behaves like a friendly dog, wanting treats and pets. This was a first for us. Deer Bob even followed us all the way to Basecamp and into the store! We looked for Deer Bob throughout the day, but eventually, he must have been sent home.
Howler’s trails were just as technical as we remembered. Kelli realized early on that she was rusty regarding her downhill skills. She made a poor choice while navigating a series of rock drops on Dirty Dancing. Although her bike successfully made it over the drop, she did not. As a result, she is now sporting a beautiful, colorful bruise on her hip from landing on the rocks. The good news is that it didn’t hurt too bad, nothing is broken, and yes, the bike is okay!
We did not take many pictures, we were too busy riding and having fun.
Next we headed to Eureka Springs, Arkansas where we stayed in a cute little cabin at Wanderoo Lodge where they have a restaurant & bar onsite and live music every night. If you are headed to Eureka Springs to ride the Passion Play Trails or Lake Leatherwood check out the cute little cabins at Wanderoo Lodge. The location was perfect and so much fun!
Friday was a rainout so we explored downtown Eureka Springs and visited the Passion Play area. This year we snuck into the play area to get a sneak peek of the set. It is extensive and beautiful! Maybe someday we will go see the play.
Saturday was spent at Lake Leatherwood Bike Park, and it was a blast! The local group was there preparing for a downhill race scheduled for Sunday. We got to ride with some of them and try out a new hand-cut line specifically made for the race. It was great!
Kelli wanted to demonstrate her skills in crashing and ended up taking a hard fall on a rock drop, where a hidden wet rock caused her front tire to lose grip. This threw her against the side of the mountain. Steve witnessed the crash but unfortunately didn't have his GoPro running. He said it looked very violent. Fortunately, Kelli was okay and walked away with just a few additional bruises. She earned the "Bad Line Choices Make Good Stories" T-shirt. LOL!
We took a few more pictures at Lake Leatherwood, but some of the video we thought we had did not record. Sounds like time for a new camera! Any suggestions?
Next up is the Bentonville Bike Fest. If you’re going, let us know! We will have stickers and koozies to hand out. Plus, we would love to ride a few trails with you!
Until next time, Feel The Fear - Send It Anyway!
Steve & Kelli
