Ozarks- Day One

Today was our first of two days riding in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas.  These roads are fabled twisties and it was both KC and my first attempt at them.  Our destination was Eureka Springs, a town both of us had heard about, but really knew nothing.  Our route took us north on Hwy 21 through Ozone, AR to Berryville, AR.  The weather conditions were perfect- 55-75F and blue skies, the roads were in excellent condition- smooth pavement and lots of turns and changes of elevation and traffic was very light.  Berryville posed a navigational challenge for me and we had to make several mid course corrections, but eventually found the road I was looking for- Hwy 221 to Eureka Springs.  Once inside the city limits of Eureka Springs, we were confronted with heavy traffic and a ton of motorcyclists...no BMW's in sight. 

So, how to describe Eureka Springs?   Not my kind of town.  Not KC's kind of town.  Its a really precious place.  Really heavy tourist oriented.  Tons of B&B's, cute shops, windy streets, old, historic buildings....and CRAWLING with cars, bikes and people.  Sherry and Karen would devour the place.  Me?  KC?  Not so much.  So, we've been there, done that.  Moving on.

Following a quick lunch we headed out of town on Hwy 23 South (AKA the "Pig Trail") and we took this through Huntsville, AR and eventually traveled along side the White River and the Mulberry River which were an odd shade of green due to the magnesium, sulfur and iron found in the water. 

We noticed that all of the rivers in this area were very low on water, if not totally dry.  Hwy 23S gave us a very different experience than Hwy 21N...a bit more traffic, but better roads, more views, better views.  If 21 was good, 23 was excellent.

From Hwy 23 we went east on Hwy 215, then south on Hwy 103 which brought us back to the Hampton Inn.  Within minutes of getting to my room, KC alerted me that Jim Dennis was here, so we both went down to greet Jim and learned that he'd had a good ride here. 

We'll fully catch up over dinner...Mexican if I get a vote!