The 4th of July fell on a super hot Wednesday this year.  The temperature here in Fayetteville, AR hit 98 degrees which tied record highs. Undeterred by the weather, the three amigos (I guess technically I am an amiga) set out on an early morning ride in the Ozarks. My two riding companions were Terry &  Larry and perhaps I should explain how we came to hang out at 6:00 in the morning.  I met Terry in an airport shuttle van when I noticed the gravel on the street that morning.  He put two and two together (gravel is a tad tricky on a bike), and told me he’d seen me out on my bike and wondered who I was. Larry is Terry’s neighbor and friend and they learned to ride together. The three of us have taken several rides together over the past couple of years, but it had been a while, and it was great to be reunited.

Our first stop after gassing up, was fueling ourselves.  We rode to Rogers, and stopped at a fun diner named Lucy’s, which serves breakfast all day. We had a great meal, probably too great, frankly, but hey, it was a holiday.  A guy who had been listening to our stories came over and introduced himself as a long time rider and collector of antique bikes.  He wished us a blessed day and safe ride, and with that we  paid the check and took off.

We headed north up 62 and made a left once we got to Gateway, Arkansas. This put us on Hwy 37  and in about 3 miles, into Missouri. We made a pit stop in Seligmann, Mo., at a convenience and liquor store.  I’m glad we did, because it had two things I’d never seen before.  There was large display of wine by the glass, giving new meaning to get ‘n’ go. The other was a room with two huge cigarette rolling machines.

From there we continued west on 37 past the turnoff for Roaring River State Park (a destination I highly recommend should you find yourself in that neck of the woods), to Hwy 90. This was a new ride for the three of us.  I’d discovered the route while looking for a different way home from Roaring River.  It is a lovely, low traffic road with great scenery and nice curves.  We enjoyed quite a relaxing Independence Day ride, with our American flags fluttering on the backs of our bikes. We left Hwy 90 at Hwy E, taking it South to Hwy 94 in Arkansas. This brought us in on the northern edge of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, which is famous for its military park.  We headed across Hwy 72 into Bentonville, Arkansas, home of Crystal Bridges art museum Walmart corporate headquarters.

By then, the day was reminding us that it would be a hot one, so we made a hydration stop and headed down Hwy 112 south into Fayetteville. Our early start got us home just as the day warmed up. It was the perfect start to the day, to spend time with Terry & Larry, two great guys and fun riding buddies.