HISTORIC HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS

Monday, June 27 – We drove 58 miles this morning to Hot Springs, AR. A beautiful drive through tree covered rolling hills (guess they call these mountains).

As we entered Hot Springs, look at what greeted us.

And right down the road it got even better. With our Kroger card we get an additional 10¢ off! We think we are going to like this place.

We are staying at the Hot Springs Elks Lodge # 380. Very nice Lodge and a pretty nice campground.

They have gravel sites with 50 amp electric and water....no sewer. We are the only RV here. Should be quite comfortable here for the next three days.

Our Site #5

Rest of the five sites.

While Marsha was taking Bella for a walk around the premises, here is what greeted them at the entrance.

Looks think someone needs milked.

We drove downtown and visited the Historic District. This area is made up of the historic Bathhouse Row, several luxury hotels and resorts and tons of little tourist shops.

Each bath house offers a soak in the thermal waters, as well massages and spa treatments. Several of the turn-of-the-century buildings along this popular tourist destination have been fully restored to their original brilliance.

We toured the Fordyce Bathhouse Museum & Hot Springs National Park Visitor Center, that has been beautifully renovated and which now serves as a visitor center for Hot Springs National Park.

This spa remains as it was in the early 1900's so you can see how people came to relax and rejuvenate their selves in the natural healing properties of the hot springs. This area was world famous for their hot springs and was “The Place” to be seen in the early 1900's.

You start on the first floor which contains the Lobby and the Men's Central Bath Hall. The large doomed skylight contain approximately 8,000 pieces of glass. Get this description…Lounging on the marble benches  and drinking the waters, the men enjoyed the club-like camaraderie encouraged in the Fordyce…OH BROTHER!

Continuing on the first floor is the Women's Bath Hall, Cooling Rooms, Pack Rooms, Hydro-Therapy Rooms, Steam Rooms, and a visitor's theater and gift shop.

Since Paul never takes a bath, he has no idea how this works.

But, Marsha is another story.

The Cooling Room was a place for relaxing after the baths, while the body temperature returned gradually to normal.

The temperature of the steam in a vapor cabinet varied from 115 degrees to 140 degrees. This method was used to treat rheumatism, ADVANCED syphilis, jaundice and obesity.

In the Hydrotherapy Room we found this contraption.

Of course, Paul thinks he knows how they used it. Marsha isn't convinced!

Here is an example of the first tanning device.

On the second floor are Men & Women Dressing Rooms, and the Courtyards where nude sunbathing was permitted (men & women separately of course).

Who is that in the men's dressing room?

The third floor houses the Gymnasium....it was neat to see the old medicine balls, climbing ropes, parallel bars, pommel horse, and spring board..... men & women lounges, and courtyard space.

Where have all the Indian Clubs gone?

The basement consisted of all the plumbing and fixtures to feed the various tubs, showers, and spas and more importantly a viewing area of the hot springs which flowed into the building from a hole in the ground.

The spring "covered with glass" fascinated guests so much that a more elaborate and well lighted enclosure was created.

Another famous bathhouse is the Buckstaff. Although many of its competitors closed between 1962 and 1985, the Buckstaff continues to operate as a bathhouse.  On Bathhouse Row, it is the sole operating survivor from the "Golden Age of Bathing."

We always look for unusual hotdog shops when out sightseeing. We found a neat one in downtown Hot Springs. It's BubbaLu's Bodacious Burgers & Classy Dogs.

This place is very nice. If many customers waiting to place orders signifies how good the food is, we are in for a treat. Marsha got the Classic Dog with sauerkraut and Paul got the Coney Dog with onion and cheese. Both were delicious! We shared an generous order of French fries, and a diet Coke. A nice dinner to end our day!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

ANOTHER DAY IN MURFREESBORO

Saturday, June 25 – We took Bella on a hike this morning. It was the same trail we hiked yesterday, so new she would love it.

She was a super hiker for about 80% of the trip, then she ran out of gas. She stopped at a stream for a drink and that gave her a little energy ,but we ended up carrying her for the last 2-3 tenths of a mile.

We took a family photo…minus Kelly and Carrie.

She slept the remainder of the day....pooped.

This forest is full of Loblolly Pine trees.  These trees are very tall and very straight.  They would make good telephone poles.

We headed to the Ka-Do-Ha Indian Village. KA-DO-HA Indian village is a pre-historic site that was populated by the Mound Builders approximately 1,000 years ago.

We did not tour the village, due to the $8 fee, but did stop in the trading post. And what did we find in one of the display cases......PINE NEEDLE BASKETS made by Cherokee Indians.

These tiny baskets were no bigger than the palm of your hand and were selling in the $70-80 range.

Marsha's basket.

We made a quick stop at Miners' Camping and Rock Shop. Marsha wanted to purchase some bottoms for her new baskets. This guy had tons of rocks. These were our favorites but too big to buy.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll again real soon. Have a great day!

THERE'S DIAMONDS IN THEM THAR HILLS!

Saturday, June 25 – With DIAMONDS on our minds, we headed out to Crater of Diamonds State Park



The park offers visitors a one-of-a-kind experience, the adventure of hunting for real diamonds. You search over a 37 acre plowed field that is the eroded surface of an ancient, diamond-bearing volcanic pipe – the world's eighth largest in surface area.


This world famous site is the only diamond-producing area in North America open to the public. And, if you find a diamond it's yours to keep!

Over 75,000 diamonds have been found at “the Crater”. On average, more than 700 diamonds are found each year, including such notable finds as: The Uncle Sam - 40.23 carats, The Amarillo Starlight – 15.33 carats and The Star of Shreveport – 8.82 carats

In 1998, the Strawn-Wagner Diamond, a cut white Crater diamond weighing 1.09 carats, was graded by the American Gem Society as a “D” Flawless 0/0/0 perfect diamond. A “one-in-a-billion diamond.”

We spent about 3 hours searching for our riches.

Paul renting a screen for our adventure.


Paul looking for the "diamond in the rough."


Marsha looking for her diamond.


Some people take this really seriously. Look at the ladies position in this picture.

These people are having a picnic while they dig.


We had our choice of dry shifting…which we choose…or wet shifting. Too messy for us.


They even had a water park that was really nice. It didn't open till noon.


Marsha seemed to take it a little more serious than Paul (I guess she takes most things more serious). Look at her finds!


Here's Paul precious stone…NOT.


He's convinced there are thousands of small diamonds in the dirt he sifted at the mine. He only brought home a small sample of his sifted diamonds.  "See my diamond!"


After our diamond search, we spent some time hiking one of the trails and collecting more pine needles for Marsha's baskets. This trail was a concrete paved trail for the first half mile. It was like a stroll in the park, but we were the only people taking advantage of this hike through the forest.


At the Little Missouri River, we turned on a lesser developed trail to return to the parking lot. It was so quiet and peaceful. We were successful in collecting quite a few pine needles.




We ended the first part of the day with a treat of ice cream in a small store in town. YUMMMMM!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!