Hot Springs, AR
Sunday, November 5, 2006
Onward to Hot Springs:
- Crossed the mighty Mississippi River –wondered what it would be like to take a cruse or work on a barge for a couple of weeks on the river
- Coming into Hot Springs saw:
- Sign reading "Boyhood home of President Clinton"
- A sign for Guns & Bail
- Rural town surrounded by mountains
- Autumn leaves just a day or two past their peak
- "Bathhouse Row" in former years there were 6 or 7 famous old houses where people could get treatments and enjoy the mineral waters. Now only one is open to the public and another serves as a museum and headquarters for the National Parks Office
- Lots of recreational opportunities – message, water therapy,
- Protected downtown – historic area that they keep pretty well in tact – all the McDonald's and "honkey tonk" are outside of center town
- I walked into a store I thought was a grocery store only to find out it was some weird offering of variety store – but before I left, in the check out line, I saw a woman in a T-shirt, sweat pants and pink fluffy slip-on slippers – I tried not to, but I had to take a second look
- Areas to fill water jugs with both hot and cold mineral water – there's 47 springs in the area. For drinking they are separated, but for the baths they blend them all together.
- A wax museum and a Duck Tour and even a tattoo parlor – I declined all.
- I decided on the only bath open on a Sunday afternoon and was the only patron in the spa. I soaked in a whirlpool of mineral water at about 100 degrees for about 30 minutes. As always, after the bath my skin was soft and the cracks around my fingernails were healed (something I've been working on for the past 6 days will little results)
- My name has changed from Maggie (or Kathi) to Mamm….I'm Mamm to everyone!
- Grabbed a quick bite in McDonald's and a man in the booth next to me obviously wanted to talk. So I engaged him. It was a challenge to catch the words through his thick accent, and the absence of more than half his front teeth. But it was fun hearing what he had to say. These are the best parts of my trip – just hearing what people have to say.
