Where do You Want to Retire... and Why?

Looks great and congratulations. Hope you don't encounter any of those "bikes" you hate. Don't know how many others have a similar situation which is one box to click "where do my kids and grandkids reside" = socal, so that's where we're staying, and glad it's almost perfect.

 

Ughh....
Littlerock Cycling is all Specialized...
But I'm not being judgemental...

 

That drive on the 40 between Fort Smith and Little Rock, along the Arkansas River, is some of the most beautiful countryside I have seen on three separate cross-country drives.

My folks bought property in Arkansas years ago when they were planning on retiring from the Chicago area. In the end it came down to a coin toss between Arkansas and eastern Tennessee. Tennessee (south of Knoxville) won out, but Arkansas was for them a very close second.

The crazy thing about the east is how distances compress. Took us two days to drive from the OC to just past Fort Smith. The last day we drove through Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and Asheville... and stopped just outside of Charlotte That's a sneaky way of saying - you'll only be one day away!!

 

Howdy neighbor!
I like the way you think!

 

I'm heading up to Idaho to check it out, and will hook up with Maddog and Josh for a tour, the great thing about the next chapter is traveling all around to ride with buddies.

 

What city are they in, Doug?

 

Retire: does not compute

 

That's the way it's done! Note that the name of this site is not imtbsocaltrails.com

 

Congratulations, @Mikie, on moving ahead with plans. Exciting stuff! Every place has its jewels. You’re adaptable with the right attitude. A country boy will survive.

@hill^billy, you got the idea, cast a wider net. The west is big...

 

I spent many summers in Rogers Arkansas. Never experienced the winters there. Loved fishing, setting off fireworks out of a moving pickup truck as we rode in the back and bb gun wars. My cousin's aunt worked for Daisy there in Rogers. we always had the ammo hookup...lol

my dad lives in Missouri for the past 15 years. he loves it... not sure i'm ready to trust Arkansas or Missouri health care systems yet. Definitely low cost of living areas.

I'm ready to move out of Cali...

 

Guilty over here. We are optimistic that we can find an acceptable location within an hour of a decent airport and simply fly in as needed. I'd like to remain an 8 - 10 hour drive away just in case. We've been doing long hauls (NorCal & Spokane) for over ten years so I'm not spooked about driving.

My in-laws were fantastic about hauling their RV or trailer into town and setting up camp for a week or three visit. They got to retire to the camper at night and we got the benefit of extra hands on deck during the day to help out. Lots of options and no real rush right now as I still have one knee to fix.

 

I think @Maddog is in Eagle and @j-chap is in Boise.

 

Congratulations Mikie, great choice! Certainly the place to be for affordable property with nearly-four-season MTB. I’ve seen my coworker’s photos of his property on Beaver Lake, seems like a neat spot.

I’ve been trying to learn lessons from the experiences of the guys at work. One just came back from his first stay in his new Idaho house kind of ambivalent—he likes his neighbors, and his frontage on the Snake River, but is thinking he might not be as cut out for the rural thing as he thought. I resonate with that. A two hour drive to eat out somewhere besides the Walmart McDonald’s gets old...

We’ve had a lot of folks retiring the past couple years at work. Most of them stay in town, usually for family and friends. One is thinking of moving back to his family in Pagosa Springs.

I’ve also got friends building a multigenerational family compound on ~40 acres of lakefront in Indiana, of all places. Sharing a farm with your father in law and brothers in law seems like a bad idea to me, but to each their own.

 

Congrats @Mikie I dunno what else to say. People are moving away. We are getting older. I am getting lonelier as the trails get more crowded.

I guess I can always snuggle with @DangerDirtyD on a midnight ride.

Seriously though Mikie, sounds like a good choice that checks all the boxes for you.

 

@hill^billy, you got the idea, cast a wider net. The west is

Yes Ed, Mikie is correct, these two cities are close to each other, so I hope to ride with both of them.

 

Let’s do it! We won’t have to go to the massage parlor after the ride if we have each other.

 

@Mikie, that looks like a beautiful part of the country to live in. I've stayed at a family house at Lake of the Ozarks which is North into central Missouri. My Uncle lives in Branson which is on the Eastern end of Table Rock Lake just into Missouri from AR. An added bonus is that the Walmart Super Center is not far away and you can work as door greeter, should you feel the urge to be super social.

 

Hey All, I really appreciate the "well wishing" and encouragement! Seriously.
A positive environment is the goal here and you guys really set me up with some good vibes.

I'll be honest. It is REALLY tough to leave here. The mountain biking is diverse and premium. From riding the Fullerton Loop to hitting Cedar Canyon in Kernville, California has it all.

The one thing that is NOT changing is the mountain biker connections thanks to the World Wide Web.

Here is a link to the property listing while it stays on Realtor.com
For those seeking affordable, if this goes through and I currently do not see how it could not...
The building is 4,000 square feet with 2080 sq ft living space and 2000 sq ft attached garage on 15 acres of white and red oak forest... for $300k. Crazy!

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/488-Madison-2349_Huntsville_AR_72740_M84565-92101

 

Good luck closing the deal! I am really happy for you.

 

Crazy what can be had elsewhere! Congrates!

 

Thats amazing... on 15 acres you can definitely create a mountain bike specific Harvest Host or AirBnB environment...

Is there a place i can park my RV??!! that would be a fun destination trip.

 

That appears to be an awesome deal and a great looking property for sure. We’ve got a couple guys on an MTB FB group I follow that have moved there. One is always posting photos and video of new stuff he’s learning about weekly. A quote from him “I swear new stuff pops up overnight”. The one issue he’s had is weather....humidity in the Summer (he says you have to start at 6 am to get in a 45 minute ride) and then a few weeks ago he couldn’t go to work because his car was ICED shut and his driveway was a sheet of ice.
Team AARP will be headed in that direction come October. Go find some quality sketch so you can show us around (no gap jumps).

 

If that property were in NC, there'd be a NASCAR car in the garage

 

Wow Mikie!! There's gonna be a new sheriff in town in Arkansas! Those folks have no idea what they're getting into letting in a man like you over there, good things of course!!

I'm stoked for your new adventure and very happy for you if it works out which looks like it will. Just remember when you leave Cali that good Mexican food is hard to come by, so there's that! My in laws are based in Kansas City and when we got out there we usually stay a couple days in Branson, so maybe I can hit you up and we can go hit some Bentonville trails!

 

Trust me, once you get there and get settled in, it's EEEEEEEEEEEAZY. You'll miss your friends, especially @Voodoo Tom and the bond you guys have, but once you get out on all new stuff to you and soaking it all in, you'll wish you didn't have to wait so long. As you know, collectively, mountain bikers are a very welcoming tribe and you'll quickly meet like minded riders and start riding with them. It will be almost seamless once you get in the groove. I have 3 separate ride options for tomorrow with different groups. Then since you're moving to a "destination" spot with a barndeminium big enough for 30 sets of bunk beds, you'll have people popping in on a regular basis.

 

Hey you are going to be my sisters neighbour, she lives just north of you in Mo. But shops in Berryville. I and going to visit her soon, and bringing my bike.
Congrats on finding a place, I have watched your hunt. I did like that Utah choice too
But as I said earlier about my sis, you will be Arkansas rich in Huntsville. And those climbs are just as steep, with rocks and roots. Both get slippery when wet, something I do not understand
Best to you Cagey

 

Tablerock lake is very nice and the river drains into Arkansas

 

All I can say is I'm glad Bozeman, MT and anywhere ID has taken fire for the retirees, because I don't want them all crowding my choice of places.

 

Absolutely. That’s the plan amigo!