2019 Arkansas motorcycle trip
Day 8
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May 30
Today is our last day on Holiday Island. It's been such a pleasant and restful vacation. It's coming to an end too soon.
 The plan today is to visit a mansion and go to more antique stores in Bentonville. The weather today is beautiful after yesterday's storms. The temperature is cooler, also. Donna is sporting a long-sleeve shirt.
 We pulled over in Beaver so John could check out his bike. His air system kept pumping by itself. He fiddled with it and it seemed to correct itself. John spilled some coffee on his controls yesterday and he thought that might have caused the problem.
 Westbound on US62. The clouds are thick in spots and there is evidence of rain on the roads, but not where we are at. We'll be rain-free the entire day.
 Garfield, AR. 9:00, mileage 100,942 - Fuel stop. I had a breakfast sandwich. Tasty. There was a biker apparel/leather store attached to the convenience store that has been closed every time we were here. On the way thru Rogers we saw a train engine. Later we noticed the tank cars pictured earlier had been repositioned.
 Our first stop is the Samuel Peel Mansion in Bentonville. The Walmart influence is everywhere here. We passed a gym for Walmart employees.
 We found several things in the gift shop to buy. The trunk is getting full and we haven't been to any antique stores yet.
 The Peel Mansion was beautifully restored and they allow non-flash photography. I like going to old mansions. You take away a little of the vibe from the past.
 After our mansion visit it was time for some antiquing. Last night I researched a couple of the larger antique places in the area and put them in the GPS as waypoints. The nearest one to the Peel Mansion was the Homestead Antique Mall. Donna is always on the prowl for Pyrex, quilts, and old books. She found several smaller items. I even bought something here...an old block & tackle set for my garage. Donna likes it when I find something, too.
 We got out of the antique store after 1pm, so it was time for lunch. We all quickly agreed on Mexican. There was a restaurant on the way to our next store. Convenient. Donna and I both got a sampler platter.
 With full stomachs and leftovers we headed to Rose Antiques. Donna found a few more things here. The bike was getting full.
 On the way back to Eureka Springs we stopped at the antique stores that were closed the other day.
 The view from the second floor of the antique store was beautiful. So much to see. We just rode across the bridge in the distance. Donna got a Bible from the 1800's here for $3. The trip back to Eureka Springs was a little tedious as we got behind a couple stereotypical Harleys. Riding 10mph below the speed limit. Poking through the curves. Loud pipes. Reving often. It was nice when they kept going at our turnoff.
 On the way through Eureka Springs we took the high road. Literally. We drove the loop that runs through the upper part of Eureka Springs. There were a bunch more shops and old houses that we'll have to visit another time. The loop was curvy as hell and came back out on US62. It would be a nice loop to walk.
 Holiday Island, AR. 16:25, mileage 101,018 - We topped off our fuel and got drinks and chips for supper tonight.
A helmetless cruise back to the house.
 The marina on Holiday Island. We wanted to explore there but never got around to it. The locals said the river was about five feet higher than normal, and this was flushing out the water moccasins. Not an encouraging thing to hear.
 Offloading our goodies for the day. Afterwards we moved the trailers around for easier loading. Sigh....
We have an uninvited guest.
Chef Mike puts the heat to some hamburgers.
 Our last supper. So good! We also warmed up all our leftovers. A smorgasboard of deliciousness. That evening we slowly morphed from vacationers to travelers. Trailers were loaded. Bikes inspected. The house picked up. Patrick is going to leave around 4:30am in hopes of being home before noon. We could easily spend another week here but it is time to go.
96 miles. Click here for the next day's adventure.
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