When I made my first trip to New Orleans back in 1979, it was love at first bite. Oyster Po-Boys, shrimp etouffee, crawfish, but the crown jewel of the Cajun food pyramid for me is gumbo. It doesn’t matter whether it’s chicken-, sausage-, or seafood-based, just serve it up in a steaming bowl of fresh white rice and you have a glimpse of what heaven on earth is like.

Perhaps Jimmy Buffet put it best in his song “I Will Play for Gumbo”:

A piece of French bread with which to wipe my bowl

Good for the body, good for the soul

It’s a little like religion and a lot like sex

You should never know when you’re gonna get it next

So dear reader, imagine my delight when in the mail the other week, postmarked Breaux Bridge, came a spice packet with instructions for preparing what I am told is the absolute best Gumbo recipe in the state of Louisiana. The source of this mail-order happiness? My new friend Tammy, who considers herself one of the best cooks in Breaux Bridge. Chalk it up to another good day walking the Bentonville trail system.

This column isn’t really about the obvious charms of the Big Easy, but letting you in on the best thing to happen to our city since the first Starbucks opened: the Bentonville trail system.

Most people assume if you are out walking or biking on the extensive trails, your main goal is exercise. But not for me. This is where Tammy comes in.

Every weekend my wife and I will take our two small Yorkshire terriers out on one of the walking trails for a brisk walk. On one recent outing around Lake Bella Vista, we were stopped by a fellow Yorky lover named Tammy, who after discovering my passion for Cajun cooking, offered to send me the aforementioned spice mix when she returned home to Louisiana.

One of the main pleasures of walking the trails is not only the interesting people you meet, but the invaluable information you can glean.

My wife had been interested in starting a weekly run but wasn’t sure exactly how to go about it in a safe but efficient way. We tried using the computer to find information but much of it was either confusing or contradictory. Undeterred, my wife prodded me to go with her to the track out on Tiger Boulevard.

It was there that I instantly ran into Gordon Haller. Although we had never met, we quickly learned that Gordon was the winner of the very first Ironman Triathlon in 1979 in California. Looking 10 years younger than his age, Gordon cheerfully answered all our running questions about getting started. I am proud to say that, besides making a new friend, two weeks later my wife ran her first 3-mile distance.

When out walking, I have come to recognize the three most typical signals fellow walkers send out while on the trail that would be important for you to memorize.

The first is the no-eye contact walker: These are people who clearly take their time out alone as precious and do not want to be disturbed. This group, about 20 percent of the walkers, has the “I’m not looking at you” gaze, originally perfected on the streets of New York City.

The next group, also around 20 percent, is the cellphone addict who sees a nature walk as not an excuse to stay off their phone.

But it is the remaining 60 percent who make it all worthwhile. These are the folks out with their dogs, kids, spouses, or by themselves, enjoying the beautiful surroundings. Sometimes a sweatshirt with an unusual college name on it, a friendly dog on a leash, or even a smiling hello will spark a conversation and even a new gumbo recipe.

Once when walking at the dog park on North Walton, a man waved at me as he approached but as we got closer, he stopped and said, “I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else.” I smiled and said, “I am.” Ten minutes later, I had the name of a brick specialist I had been searching for to do some repair work at my house.

Sorry, but I have to sign off now, time to check the gumbo cooking on the stove.

SEY YOUNG IS A LOCALBUSINESSMAN, HUSBAND, FATHER AND LONGTIME RESIDENT OF BENTONVILLE.