A Cool Place, Hot Springs

Day 7 Hot Springs Arkansas

Touring Day

We've been on the road for a week already.... a week and seven states.

Jim did the laundry this morning. The thumps you just heard were my three adult children, their spouses and all my grandchildren passing out and hitting the floor in shock and disbelief. Yes, he does the laundry on trips! The only washers he's comfortable with are the kind that quarters are fed into...

We walked around Hot Springs today. First we drove up Hot Springs Mt.to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower, which rises above the city.

Hot Springs Mt. Tower 216 feet

Don't usually see my car from this angle! Left side, 2nd from top

Looking south

The next to the top floor is glassed in and has pictorial exhibits of the town's history. There is also a video about the local hero...Bill Clinton! We took the elevator to the top floor, open to the elements with LOTS of steel cables, apparently to keep everyone ON the tower and not be tempted to leap off. We weren't tempted...

As we stepped out on to the observation deck, we were introduced to a sample of Wild Kingdom. From the looks of all the feathers scattered everywhere we'd just missed a hawk enjoying breakfast...

R.I.P. Mockingbird? Hard to tell from what was left!

Next we stopped in to the Visitor's Center for a map and some suggestions. We walked up Bath House Row, which is the heart of the city. The National Park Service owns it all now, but some actual bath houses are still in use. Jim and I decided that we didn't need to get naked and sit in hot water on this trip. We did, however tour one of the houses. A beautiful structure, turn of the century, all marble and with all original fixtures. This plumbing isn't like what you get at Home Depot...this lasts forever. Some of the 'appliances' they used in the massage areas of the spa looked to us like torture devices...OR 'adult toys'! Yikes.

And then there were the steam rooms...sitting in a box with only your head exposed while the rest of your body is locked in a pressure cooker. What fun!

Be afrwaid....very afwaid


Another display mentioned that the room was used to give a standard treatment for syphilis, a MERCURY rub! How things have changed...NOW when you break a thermometer you're supposed to call a HAZMAT team to clean it up!

The Ladies Lounge - The floor is tile, not carpet, tiny tiles!

So Victorian. Put a few pounds and heavy eyebrows on the mannequin and she'd be a dead ringer for Susan Boyle (Britain's got Talent)

Stained glass ceiling in the men's area...of course.

By now we were ready for lunch and all we had to do was cross the street. This little place was interesting. It had a very limited menu, Black Angus burger, hot dog, chili dog, a couple of sandwiches, milk shakes...but it felt right. It was. We got the burger and it was delicious! If you're in town, we can recommend it for lunch!

Bubbalu's, a good lunch!

We spent the rest of the afternoon riding around exploring the area. Wanted to visit a huge retirement city, Hot Springs Village, but they wouldn't accept Jim's retired police ID and drivers license without keeping copies of both which he didn't want to give access to. We've had our identity stolen TWICE so we're careful. I guess a 62 yr old former cop and wife can't be trusted in their community...

Heavy rain and thunderstorms tonight, they are forecasted through the weekend here...the last thing they need.

Tomorrow heading for Oklahoma.