We celebrated our birthdays in Arkansas. Our trailer needed a few final tweaks so we left it with the friendly folks at Mid-America RV in Carthage, MO and continued on our way to Hot Springs. Since we were without our ‘home’, we splurged on a hotel and enjoyed the luxury of a king-size bed.
Hot Springs is a fun town to explore. The main attraction is Hot Springs National Park which is on the city’s main street. Historic bathhouses line Central Avenue with the Grand Promenade behind the bathhouses at the base of the mountain. From the Grand Promenade, numerous hiking trails offer opportunities to explore the mountainside.
Because of Covid, only two bathhouses were open, the Buckstaff and the Quapaw. We enjoyed a relaxing soak in the healing mineral waters at the Quapaw. Both bathhouses use water collected by the National Park System from the mountain’s natural thermal springs. Each day, over 700,000 gallons of water flow from the springs. When the water emerges from the earth, it is a scalding 147 degrees. The mineral water is cooled for use in the bathhouses. Â
In addition to the baths, thermal spring fountains are available for drinking the water. We didn’t realize this until we watched a local resident fill about 20 jugs to take home. We followed her lead and filled our drinking cooler with the water. The water did not have a mineral taste and we enjoyed drinking it.
From the Grand Promenade, we hiked the Peak Trail to Hot Springs Mountain Tower. While the trail was short, just 1/2 a mile each way, the 12% grade made it seem longer. When we got to the tower, we decided to continue our workout and used the stairs up the 216 foot tower. The views of the city and the surrounding mountains were worth our efforts.Â
In addition to the national park, we explored the Garvan Woodland Gardens. Â The landscaped gardens cover 210 acres and include numerous waterfalls, bridges, trees, and flowers.Â
Several unique structures exist in the garden including the Anthony Chapel, The Anthony Family Trust Carillon, The Bob and Sunny Evans Tree House, and the Garvan Pavilion. Â
Lake Ouachita offers hiking as well. We did a section of the Caddo Bend Trail and encountered a fuzzy arachnid along the way. Â
After relaxing in Hot Springs, we headed south to Dallas, TX to help our daughter and son-in-law move from there to the northwest Arkansas area. Kyle’s family helped clean their apartment and load the truck. Our son and daughter-in-law and Cy’s sister and nephew came to help unload the truck. Everyone’s assistance was greatly appreciated!Â
Upon leaving the Arkansas kids’ house, we picked up the trailer and drove to Kansas City. We spent the week at Smithville Lake. When the weekend arrived, we dropped the trailer at a friend’s home and went to Kansas to spend the weekend with our parents. Â
On the way to our parents, we planned a second look at some property outside of Manhattan, KS. When we were about 30 minutes from Manhattan, Bill opened his email to discover two properties of interest had popped up near Smithville. Since land has been selling so quickly, we detoured back to Smithville. Once we looked at the land, we decided it wasn’t for us so we headed west again. This time, we made a flying trip, hoping to see the sun set over the land. We were about 10 minutes past sunset. When the coyotes started howling, we ended our brief visit. The property has a stark beauty and we really like it; however, it has some usage restrictions that give us pause. Because of that, we continue to monitor the real estate listings in the KC Northland and in Manhattan. At some point, we know God will lead us to the property He has in store for us.
Lesson Learned: Â Until you experience something, you don’t know what you’ve missed.