There will be no PMS (Parked Motorcycle Syndrome) this weekend. Instead, we will listen to the recognizable rumble of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, the liquid roar of Honda sport bikes and the impatient screams of Suzuki power bikes. These sounds are mingling in the air and reverberating across the hills of northwest Arkansas this weekend as the Fifteenth Annual Bikes, Blues and BBQ rally has arrived in town for another year. This annual event features music at numerous stages across the region, lots of stunningly good food and the beautiful fall weather for taking long, pleasant rides over roads that snake and meander through the Ozark hills.
Now don’t get me wrong. I won’t be rollin’ down those highways, nor will I be working my way through all the downtown clubs and outdoor stages to listen to the loud, thunderous music. Not me.
When I do venture out (going to the grocery store or to pick up my mail), I’ll be thinking of alternate routes in order to avoid the roads clogged by thousands of bikers. With as many as 500,000 visitors in town for the event, the city and county streets are pretty much overwhelmed. As luck would have it, I must venture downtown tomorrow afternoon; I’m dreading that trip and will probably have to leave home early in order to reach my meeting on time.