We needed something to jump-start our excitement for traveling again, so we left Baton Rouge for Arkansas via the Natchez Trace (Highway 61) through Mississippi. Whew - that was a mouthful! Read it again if that didn't make any sense - we had to.
We stopped at a mom and pop cafe to grab a sandwich to go, then drove down to the Mighty Mississippi River's edge for a picnic.
It was a warm day - at least 98 degrees with 80% humidity - but we stuck it out. The view was incredible and there was even a nice breeze.
As we entered Arkansas, we made a pit stop at the Arkansas Welcome Center in Lake Chicot. It was recently rebuilt and still surrounded by construction debris - but Dorothy's kindness made up for the mess. She immediately directed us to the bathrooms and I laughed with her about her efficiency in recognizing desperate "I have got to pee!" face. She sees them all the time as the welcome center greeter.
We originally planned on camping at Lake Chicot State Park (Arkansas), but agreed we could handle another 3 hours on the road. This put us arriving at Lake Catherine State Park (about a half hour southeast of Hot Springs, Arkansas) right at sunset. While we had nice, comfortable air conditioned accommodations in Louisiana over the past 4 weeks, we were looking forward to sleeping in our tent again - our "Home Sweet Home."
It was miserable.
We were laying in the tent with the "doors" open - hoping for a breeze. Richie thought taking a shower might provide some relief, but that only made us stickier. The air was thick with humidity. Nothing provided relief.
Sleep was intermittent.
Finally, I just couldn't take it anymore and grabbed my sleeping pad and pillow and slept on the picnic table. (Yes, we have sleeping pads and pillows. Gotta have some comfort if we are going to be out for a year sleeping in a tent most nights!)
There was an occasional breeze and I zoned in and out of sleep for the rest of the night - only to wake up to over 20 bug bites in places I didn't think you could get bitten. Richie got at least 15.
Needless to say - our humidity and heat tolerance did not increase during our stay in Louisiana.
We normally don't stop for breakfast, but Hot Springs had some cute restaurants boasting yummy food - and after the night we had there was a dire need for some coffee. The Pancake Shop it was... a lovely family-owned restaurant from the 1940's.
There was Grandpa Joe (not his real name) at the register - deftly (and deafly) completing cash transactions for customers while his daughter and granddaughter served customers and bussed tables. The noses gave them all away. It was a nice place. The only problem we had was that we struggled to pick up our coffee mugs. Either the handles on the coffee mugs were too low on the mug OR the saucer was too big for the mug. We can't decide.
Hot Springs was a nice place - it even had a Gangster Museum (the beginning of a relentless sequence of events that ended with us watching the Godfather trilogy again. As Richie said, paraphrasing a comedian who we wish we could remember so he could get the credit for it, "The Godfather movies are like boobs. Two are just right, but three is too many.")
and Wonderfully restored buildings from the late 1800's, early 1900's.
The plaque at Bathhouse Row reads:
Bathhouse Row is the historic heart of an American spa. Since the 1830's the city of Hot Springs has channeled much of its energy into becoming a national health resort. The Federal Government made "taking the waters" available to all by providing baths and health services to veterans and the poor; and the National Park landscaped many of the exercise paths that were considered essential to good health.
The current buildings on Bathhouse Row date from 1911-1939, known as the Golden Age of Bathing.
Many of the buildings are empty, probably waiting for local businesses to lease them.
We were able to tour the Fordyce Bathhouse, which operated from 1915-1962. It now serves as the park visitor center.
We were fascinated with the wooden stalls in the men and women's dressing rooms, the hydro and electrotherapy rooms, and mostly the Hubbard Tub Room.
The plaque read:
"It is our wish to install one of these Hubbard tubs so that underwater treatments can be given in our Bath Houses, and to locate this tub somewhere that it will be available to both men and women." - John R. Fordyce (owner 1930s)
The Hubbard Tub was installed in 1939 in the room formerly used to administer mercury rubs - once a standard treatment for syphilis.
Mercury Rubs!!!!
The only facility still open for traditional bathing is The Buckstaff.
The Lamar Bathhouse was completed in 1923. It boasted "a tub for every-sized person."
And this large structure is the Hot Springs Rehabilitation Center (HSRC), built in 1933 for about 1.5 million dollars.
It has a phenomenal history. Read more about it here.
And I was fascinated by this large hand grenade sculpture in front of the Ozark Baths building. Unfortunately, there were no plaques describing its origin or reason for being front-and-center.
But I recently read that the Museum of Contemporary Art of Hot Springs is interested in leasing the building. The grenade now makes sense!
To read more about Hot Springs National Park and the history of Bathhouse Row, click here.
And no visit to Hot Springs, Arkansas is complete without actually drinking the water.
There are several thermal fountains around town. WARNING: This water is HOT - I know, I know - that's why they call it Hot Springs, right?!?!?
There were locals with multiple 5-gallon jugs replenishing their home supply, as well as visitors filling gallon jugs (Gift shops in Hot Springs make a killing on selling 1-gallon milk jugs. Tourists arrive wanting fresh spring water, but don't have containers. We saw them for sale - empty - for $2 each!)
On our way north on Arkansas Highway 7, we stopped at Nimrod Dam (you can imagine all the jokes that surfaced with a name like nimrod dam). It was completed in 1942 for flood control; stands 97-feet tall and stretches 1,012 feet across. There were signs everywhere not to take a picture of the structure, but I managed to snap a few from afar. Don't tell anyone, okay...
Ah, yes... Richie likes this women's bathroom sign because the lady has her hands on her hips.
We wanted to visit Arkansas' highest point, and after our recent heat and bug-infested night, we thought we'd treat ourselves to a room at The Lodge in Mount Magazine State Park. (This is a picturesque lodge. We highly recommend it!)
2,753 feet above sea level
From The Lodge, it was a .6 mile trail to Arkansas' highest point, so we were able to see it before dinner. We even signed the register!
These 3 lines pictured below indicate (from left to right) Grid North, True North, and Magnetic North.
After a cool and restful night sleep, we continued north on Arkansas Highway 7. We found another dam with a less comical name - Lake Dardanelle Dam. Our byways book said it was "a worthwhile 1.5-mile digression that leads to excellent views of the Mighty Arkansas River." It was peaceful and impressive.
Our next stop: Blanchard Springs Caverns to take the hour long, 0.4-mile Dripstone National Recreation Trail. We had 20 minutes to spare before the guided tour began, so we sat through a video (highly recommended before the tour) and then happily watched the humming birds.
It was 100% humidity in the cave, which we were used to by now... but around 58 degrees - - Brrrrr!
Our guide was knowledgeable with a great sense of humor. The group had to take an elevator down 200 feet to the "Upper Level" (I know - why are we going down to the upper level?).
As we were stepping out of the elevator, our guide reminded us of the "no touching" rule and the importance of not leaving trash in the caves. He also gave us this lengthy description on not tracking outside debris into the caves - and, using fancy lingo, instructed us to scrape our shoes on this special flooring. Needless to say, it was all a joke.
Haha... funny.
We were in awe at the colorful and delicate formations throughout the limestone caves. I won't bore you with definitions of stalagmites or stalactites, but this park is a best-kept secret of Arkansas.
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