The Path is the Dest The newest Arkansas Monument Trail opens on Mount Nebo Story by ALEXA KNOX | Photos by LIZ CHRISMAN
Back in 1953, before he became a sociology professor at the University of California Davis, John Finley Scott built a bicycle that could withstand his off-roading adventures. It featured multiple gears specifically configured for off-road cycling and was shod with burly, knob-studded tires. Scott called his creation the “Woodsie.” Even with his state of the art design (for back then), cycling over rough terrain didn’t gain much traction until the early 1970s when a growing group of enthusiasts helped spark the hobby of mountain biking. But its utilitarian roots could never have anticipated the emergence of “dirt-church” on Sundays and post-work group rides. The passion for recreation geared toward physical challenges and fitness along with an explorer’s spirit is what led to the boom of mountain biking as a hobby throughout the nation. “No matter how many times you’ve ridden, there’s always something you hadn’t seen before,” says Logan Felder, a River Valley trail cyclist. That passion also led to the creation of the Monument Trails in Arkansas.
8
ABOUT the RIVER VALLEY ~
JUNE 2020
