Arkansas Y’all!

Discussion in 'Free Zone' started by Mikie, Jun 8, 2021.


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  1. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Went for a small putt on our County Roads this morning with CJ (Miss Cathy :inlove:).
    Here’s a fact, there ain’t no level or straight roads in Madison County! We only did about 8 miles and got over 1100 feet of climbing!
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    ~JB~, Stkx66, herzalot and 14 others like this.
  2. Dirtrider....

    Dirtrider.... Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Mission Viejo, CA
    Name:
    Paul
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley V4
    My uncle is from NWA... Rogers to be exact. I spent many summers back there... fishing, hiking around, bb guns wars and settin off bottle rockets from the back of pickups as we drove down back roads. lol My uncles sister in-law worked for Daisey Gun company so she supplied us with our ammo and Red Riders... fun times.

    Fishing at Beaver Lake with trout lines in the channels with Sun Perch was awesome... except waking up at 5am to go check the lines. However, when they hauled in an over 50 pound flathead catfish that was almost as tall me was a magical day. Never seen a fish "skinned" before. That was a new experience. The fish fry was amazing!
     
    OTHRider, ~JB~, Danimal and 8 others like this.
  3. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Mike, bout ran myself off the road so many times now amazed how beautiful it is here. Driving up to Bentonville just to check it out today. Going back to work is getting really really hard!
     
    ~JB~, herzalot, mike and 7 others like this.
  4. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Man! Them are good memories! Rogers is less than an hour away. You have a new place to hang out now, anytime. Always welcome.
     
  5. Dirtrider....

    Dirtrider.... Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Mission Viejo, CA
    Name:
    Paul
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley V4
    I rode Prescott back in April... when i rode Spence Basin, i met two riders from So Cal who had retired there... love that area.
     
    Danmtchl, Bluesrider, mtbMike and 2 others like this.
  6. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Some Arkansas observations:
    For no apparent reason, I keep singing in my head Sweet Home Alabama... I don’t know why...:rolleyes:o_O

    Met some more neighbors. Good folks! The Rosetta Stone software package I bought to learn the native tongue is working some... :p

    So it turns out according to the locals we live on Buzzard Mountain, as well we unofficially live in Booger County.o_O Nobody can seem to tell us the origination of Madison County being called Booger County but there you have it. One explanation was a Moonshiner who ran moonshine on the back county roads was nicknamed Booger.

    Also thought things would slow down. Instead of people doing 105 mph weaving through 4 lanes of Interstate 5 like in California, now they just do 85 on single lane twisty thick forest blind mountain roads!:eek:

    Armadillos are like rabbits in Arkansas, meaning I have seen more dead Armadillos on the road than anything else, skunks come in second place.

    So some of the words I have learned through immersion.

    Y’all = You all

    Ain’t = Is not

    Taint neether = Is not either

    Rat now = Right now

    If’n = no exact translation but to use it in a sentence: “If’n you are going to town, could you pick me up some Dairy Queen?”

    “I’ll tell you what!” = It means you just did, not exactly sure how that works out yet.

    Swate = Sweet

    Scole = School

    Taar = Tire

    Mah = My

    Yellah = Yellow

    Ray-Ed = Red

    So that’s what I got so far. Cathy, now CJ and I practice every night.
     
    OTHRider, H2oChick, buggravy and 16 others like this.
  7. DangerDirtyD

    DangerDirtyD iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    Chicken Nugget
    Current Bike:
    2018 Guerrilla Gravity SMASH
    My taint neether needs the occasional butter for the saddle/chamois interface.
     
    Oaken, Stkx66, Cyclotourist and 5 others like this.
  8. BonsaiNut

    BonsaiNut iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Troutman, NC
    Name:
    Greg P
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Hightower CC XX1
    Well, he's still west of the Mississippi, so I consider him a left-coaster :)

    Singin' Sweet Home Alabama all summer long...

     
  9. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Nope! Just the first trucker load. That big ugly cargo trailer I bought in SLC Utah had most of our stored households in it so we combined a vacation and trip one moving into one! Wouldn’t do that to you Sir!
     
    ~JB~, Cyclotourist, Danmtchl and 4 others like this.
  10. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    Yeah, @mtnbikej … We’ll know he’s gone for good when he pulls the plug on this place and the lights go out. :Roflmao
     
  11. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    Trot-line. Trout line, usually on a rod & reel but sumtimes jest tied to yer big toe.

    Ole. That stuff ya burn in your en-jine when the rings are shot.

    Catfish: It's what's fer dinner.

    EDIT:

    Balin' wahr: It can fix anything, along with spit.

    Jined: Joined, as in "I jined the Boy Scouts t'day, and if'n I don' get my merit badges there'll be hell t'pay.
     
  12. mtbMike

    mtbMike iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    PRESCOTT!!!
    Name:
    Mike
    Current Bike:
    Ibis HD5, Ripley & Mojo 4
    I joined up with a local group I met thru FB. The leader and a couple others are from the Chicago area but 90% are from CA. The craziest thing is one married couple lived a few miles from me in Oceanside for 20 years and our paths never crossed. They generally did either endurance stuff or XC while I was always looking for tech. Now I've introduced them to double blacks at Sedona and while they walk many of the features, it's opening up a whole new world for them. They went to Hurricane with us and now we're going to check out Ely.
     
    H2oChick, ~JB~, Cyclotourist and 7 others like this.
  13. da big hills

    da big hills iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    pearl harbor
    Name:
    cagey
    Current Bike:
    enduro 29
    wow I read the thread and answered my question : are you retired? moving on my pal in Arlington Tejas said it is not hot yet at all, he said it has been raining non-stop. now since you are close it is time to learn what shape your county is. Also the adjacent ones. you will be seeing color coded maps in the corner of TV shows. It is telling you tornado watch and warning depending upon the color. Something a so cal dweeb had to learn back there. Also when tooling along the divided highway and you see emergency vehicles sitting in under passes, that is a signal to you. Finally two questions: what are fuel prices? can I register my vehicles with you?
     
    ~JB~, herzalot, Mikie and 4 others like this.
  14. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Fueling up at the local Walmart, we struck out for Bentonville after a morning putt on the bikes.
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    T’aint a straight OR easy way to Bentonville from Boogah County. Once you drop off the AR212 Hwy heading Northwest, you then need to serpentine through Rogers to Bentonville.
    The center of town is embellished with amazing Victorian / Craftsmen abodes with meticulously maintained landscaping…

    Phat Tire has a couple locations, this one in Bentonville and another in Rogers.
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    After blowing some dinero at the bike store, we grabbed some grub at Smokin Joe’s RibHouse.
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    Notice the invasive 2nd Fork in the upper right. Have to say the Arkansan Cole Slaw and Potato Salad is the best I have ever had.
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    Get your eyes on your OWN plate woman!
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    At the end of today…
    We walked down to our neighbors Marty's place who has a 1 acre organic garden so he can take us on a tour…

    With the distant sound of thunder echoing across the countryside… CJ and I walked back to the ranch.
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    Kicking it on the back porch listening to the critters begin their symphony of sounds, hoping the Fireflies finally arrive, CJ is margariting it and I’m finishing off a couple Shocktops. A2892663-654F-4F1C-8EB3-C2CB54A9CD00.jpeg
     
  15. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    I see some Ozarks looking lands there.
     
    herzalot and Mikie like this.
  16. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Not retired but prepping. Everyone in NWA is sick and tired of the extended rainy season. Our neighbors are telling us that the humidity is higher than normal and more like Southern Arkansas! If that’s the case, I got that part of living here already whooped! It has not been as bad for us as expected.

    Although the percentage of tornadoes here is much higher than the US. I have been told by locals they have never had to shelter for an impending tornado. But never say never.

    Now when you say fuel, I think diesel, not gas. Gas prices have been running around $2.65 a gallon. Diesel is $2.89 a gallon.
     
    ~JB~, herzalot, Old&InTheWay and 4 others like this.
  17. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    It's looking like a nice adventure out there, @Mikie! Good on you two for making it happen!
     
    Mikie and mtnbikej like this.
  18. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    I hate you.

    Okay, not really. Maybe it's more an envy-type thing. But either way, I hate you. :whistling::facepalm::gag::laugh::laugh::laugh:

    And the Phat Tire has a better tire selection than the Path.
     
    mike, herzalot, Old&InTheWay and 2 others like this.
  19. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    That's cause the riders there haven't gotten on the DHF/DHR works for everything bandwagon.
     
    mike, Mikie, Cyclotourist and 2 others like this.
  20. da big hills

    da big hills iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    pearl harbor
    Name:
    cagey
    Current Bike:
    enduro 29
    tornados do strike but very isolated and hardly hit anything. They say you are safe if there are no mobile homes nearby. In Bama there is always a trailer nearby. I used to ride my mtn bike to work. One day it was a little scary. Red sky (from their red soil) lightning, high headwind. rain drops larger than your thumbnail coming in horizontal passing around the glasses. They say if there is a tornado lie on the shoulder of the road, back there the shoulder always has stinky water and mud. So I sprinted for about ten miles, finally got to the interstate over pass, it was filled with fire and ambulances. Hard way to learn about that. But just a dumb Coon-ass So Cal boy, what do you expect? They love me in Bama, when the mechanics call you Coon-Ass you know you are one of the boys.
     
    ~JB~, herzalot and Mikie like this.
  21. da big hills

    da big hills iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    pearl harbor
    Name:
    cagey
    Current Bike:
    enduro 29
    oh yea, 4.30. 4.50, 4.70 a gal for ethanol, diesel is about 4.60, miss us yet?
     
    Mikie likes this.
  22. da big hills

    da big hills iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    pearl harbor
    Name:
    cagey
    Current Bike:
    enduro 29
    those are lightning bugs, So Cal boy
     
    herzalot and Mikie like this.
  23. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    We saw a bunch of those tonight...
    We just sat on the back porch and had a down pour thunderstorm as well.
     
    ~JB~, da big hills and herzalot like this.
  24. Stkx66

    Stkx66 iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Southern California
    Name:
    Steve
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Hightower 27+/ 29r
    Hey Mikie, all you need is a refrigerator set out at the edge of the tree line to shoot at. Perfect! :D Congrats to you and Cathy.
     
    ~JB~, kingaucho, Mikie and 2 others like this.
  25. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    I know.
     
    Runs with Scissors likes this.
  26. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    What makes you think I ain’t already got one. (It’s a washing machine…;))
     
    da big hills and Stkx66 like this.
  27. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    Or have it loaded with beer so that he can grab a frosty one after every lap. It would probably require one hell of a long extension cord, though.
     
    Stkx66 and Mikie like this.
  28. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    So now that NWA even admits the humidity is unusually high, I felt much better! Today we were going to hit up Eureka Springs and check out their trail network.

    But instead we headed to Ponca that’s 30 minutes from our doorstep, where there is both a Kayak drop on the Buffalo National River, as well as some singletrack.

    We took the bikes, just in case, and after checking out the River and talking with the Adventure Company about their Kayak shuttle service, and… even though the temps were high and the humidity even higher, I was very proud of CJ for throwing on a jersey and giving Ponca’s little trail system a try!

    It starts with a singletrack connector that takes you to an access road. The road is a brutal but short climb. I was concerned with the downpour last night the trails would be off limits. I was amazed how dry they were! Let’s call them damp with some small puddles on occasion. Once off the access road back on to the trail it levels then drops with rollercoaster jumps and engineered switchbacks. One mile of this trail equals two miles in effort. Lots of wet slippery rock, the trail is 90 percent under a canopy of trees. Even though the humidity was high, the sweat, the slight breeze, and the shade made it very tolerable.
    Not knowing we were actually going to ride we had not eaten yet that day. Getting loopy from the damp, and heat, and minor technical trail we only went out a couple miles then turned around. Coming back had some climbs but it was all worth it. Going back to finish up!
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    Trail to the right, small waterfall to the left.
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    There’s that confounded bridge!
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    The Buffalo National River. A kayakers paradise! Thee perfect place to hang out after a hot humid mtb ride!
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    Nose to nose… toes to toes…
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    Searching for the perfect rocks on a feeder stream...
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    HBkites, ~JB~, BonsaiNut and 18 others like this.
  29. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    THOSE GLOVES! THOSE GLOVES! :eek:
     
    herzalot, Cyclotourist and Mikie like this.
  30. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    After all that beauty and awesomness ... THAT.... is what you point out!?!? o_O:rolleyes::p
     
    ~JB~, herzalot, mtnbikej and 2 others like this.


As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?