Saturday, April 8 - Bentonville, Arkansas

 We got in the night before, and were welcomed by the CUTEST Airbnb ever.  Some people really put effort into their rentals.  Bentonville is becoming known as the mountain bike capital of the USA.  This cute rental even had a place inside to park your bike when not it use.  So clever.  Bentonville is also where Walmart began and the Walton family has put in A LOT of money to build up this little town.  Great restaurants, bike trails, and just a fabulous family environment.

Adventure Time

On Saturday we split up and enjoyed separate adventures.  Brian rented a bike and spent many hours on the Pen Slaughter Trail.  Since he was alone, he didn't get many pictures of his time.  He did say he could see going for a week and never being bored.  No HUGE epic downhill rides, but great trails to experience any sort of ride.  He wished his boys were there to ride with.

I went my own way driving around the town to get a feel for this size and what it was like.  I really like it there.  I found the temple that will be opened later this year.

Then I headed to the Crystal Bridges Museum for some hiking.  This is a place that the Walton family spared no cost in creating.  Over 120 acres of Ozark land.  As you hike the trails, there is art all around to enjoy.  

Such a happy surprise to see art displays from my favorite glass artist, Dale Chihuly.
"Fiori Boat"

Another display of glass art from Dale Chihuly.
"Sol d'Oro" (Golden Sun)

Later in the day, Brian and I met up for a late lunch and then a return trip to the temple so he could see it as well.

Then after cleaning up, we returned to the Crystal Bridges museum to check out the inside art.  This museum is all free!  There were a couple of exhibits that had a fee, but the museum is big enough we didn't even get through the free stuff so we didn't bother looking at the paid portion.  

There was more Chihuly inside the museum.  :)

This is made from thousands of ordinary shirt buttons glued together.  This piece is called "Bluffs".

We attended Easter Sunday church in a Bentonville ward and got to see our brother in law's brother.  It was nice to see a familiar face.  

Places to Eat:

    *   Simple Simon's.  Brian got the calzone and it was huge!  I don't usually tolerate pizza well, but this was soooo worth it.

    *  Yeyo's Mexican.  Cool vibe and great options. 

    *  Markham & Fitz Chocolate Makers.   This place was right next to Yeyo's so we stopped in for a treat to take home to our Airbnb.  The chocolate is fabulous, yes, but the highlight is the ice cream.  Brian got the chocolate fudge.  Oh. My. Days!  That is hands down my favorite ice cream of all time now.  So deep, rich, and fabulous!