Thermal Water

After the last week, we were looking forward to a relaxing week in Hot Springs, Arkansas. We also had a long ass drive. We are up early on a rainy day to be sure we have everything picked up, flushed out, and put away before we have to be on the road by 8:30. Thankfully we rode out of the rain within the hour but you are also riding a bridge through a lot of Louisiana and it’s wasn’t the flattest road so it was nice once we were off from that and the sun was beginning to come through. After a couple of stops for gas, food and to stretch our legs we pull into Finish Line RV park around 5. The park host greets us at the gate to show us our spot. The park is fairly empty so he tells us we can go anywhere but we decided to stay with the one we had chosen on the reservation. He helped us back into place, which was harder because Chris and I have a good flow with this process but we finally get to where she will stay for the week. We chat for a few with the host, he is a young man who lives in the park full-time with his family. Super nice guy. He lets us know to contact him if we need any thing and he leaves.
After a long day of driving, we are in bed watching TV early. Sunday morning is a slow-moving start. It was nice to relax. I have to do a thorough clean which is easier if I have the camper to myself. I literally take everything off the floor and shelves to wash it all down. Living in a 26’ space it is crazy how quickly dust and dirt collect but I also had a glass bottle of dark beer fall out of the refrigerator the night before so I had to spot-clean the carpet and use an outside water spigot to clean out the towel I used to clean up. While outside Chris asked my help to take the mountain bikes down. There are some trails locally that we want to check out but we haven’t used them in so long they need a good cleanup.
Chris gets the chains waxed, tires inflated, and wipes down both bikes. Once I am done cleaning, showered, and dressed we make some breakfast, I enjoy a mimosa then we sit outside relaxing in the sun. Later that afternoon we take a small ride down the greenway. It is a nice paved path that follows Hot Springs Creek. That evening we made dinner and then sat outside by the fire just for a little bit as the temperature was falling quickly. Inside we watched TV until it was time for bed.

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While Chris was searching online he saw an event showing a holiday parade that evening in Hot Springs. Once he finished work we got ourselves ready and went to the city. We found parking in the garage and then went to Superior Bathhouse Brewery. This is the first craft beer brewery located in a U.S. National Park! Superior uses world-famous Hot Springs, Arkansas thermal spring water to brew unique craft beers. The building used to be an old bathhouse as well. We had a beer and ordered a small bite to eat. Just before 6 pm, we pay the tab, finish our drinks, and step outside to the road where the parade will be going down.

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I am so glad we decided to check this event out. This community was amazing. Everyone was so nice and they put on a wonderful Hollywood-themed holiday parade. I was amazed at how many floats were in it. There must have been close to 100. After Santa had passed as the last in the parade we decided to walk some to see about finding a warm toddy. Unfortunately, everything seemed to be closed so we made our way back home. It was almost 9 pm so we got the bed ready and off to sleep we went.
​Tuesday Chris got a HIIT done early then jumped onto work. I did a run on the greenway but otherwise, we took a down day and stayed in the campground all day. Wednesday Chris popped off work for a bit so we could do a hike in the National Park so we can scratch it off our poster. It was a nice 6-mile hike around Hot Spring Mountain with perfect temperature. It was nice to have the crisp leaves under my feet as we walked. I missed our fall hikes in Vermont and this gave me that feeling back. On our way home we stopped to grab a few groceries. Chris worked for a bit more when home and I made dinner. We then had an evening relaxing inside.

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Chris got to work early so we could take an extended lunch break to take the mountain bikes out on the trail. I got the bikes into the truck so they were ready when we left. The trail was about 15 minutes away so I just laid them down over our workout equipment with a blanket between them. Once we had the bikes unloaded, I could close the bed cover to lock the items still inside. We looked over the trail map and came up with a route. A man walking by also gave us some suggestions. We headed out not knowing what to expect of the trails and how they will be. They were some of the best trails I have ever rode. Besides many rocks which were hard for Chris since he is riding a hard tail. My bike’s full suspension made it so I didn’t notice them as much. It was also a very gradual ride. Unlike most VT trails that seem to be a constant incline for most of the ride and then fast down, these were sometimes strenuous but then it leveled out. It made for a nice 6-mile ride. This was also my first mountain bike ride in a national park! When we are back home Chris works and again we have a quiet evening around the campground.

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Friday we made a 3 pm reservation to do a thermal soak in one of the bathhouses. We left around 2 as they asked we be there early to get signed in and ready for the bath. We got et all checked in and chose the aroma we would like in the tub. They led us to the waiting room where we ordered a glass of sangria to enjoy during our tub. We are greeted by our attendant to walks us to the bathrooms. We are given water and brought to our room. She fills our bath which pulls directly from the springs so it is 104 degrees. You can adjust by adding cool water but we kept it warm as it goes. She leaves us and closes the door so we can undress and have 30 minutes of relaxing. The water has silica, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium which are all good for your body. After our time was up, we dressed and made our way out to our attended. She offered us more water and a cool towel to cool ourselves down. It was so nice just sitting with that on our neck and forehead. We sat for a bit then said thank you and left.

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We walked the stores for a bit to see about finding a Hot Springs National Park sticker. We ended up getting one at the Visitor Center. We also remembered that I had forgotten my water jug to fill with the fresh water from the fountain. While we were looking in the shops we found a plastic collapsing plastic bag that was perfect. We bought that and while checking out the lady at the register was so happy we were getting one. She said she had personally made the stickers that were on it and was so happy to see we had one. We chatted with her for a bit then walked to grab a drink at a local bar. We looked at and came up with a route of different places to try but first, we stopped so I could fill the water bag up and drop it off at the truck.

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The water was in the truck so we made our way to have a margarita at a local Mexican restaurant. They had some pre-made which Chris had but they were too sweet for me so the bartender made me a fantastic specialty one. We moved on after to a rooftop restaurant where we also got some dinner. We had a fun time hanging out with the bartender and talking during our time there. But once done with our food and drink we wanted to make one more stop at the Ohio Club. It was recommended to stop by the camp host at the RV park. They had a live band playing so there was no seating next to the stage but there were 2 spots at the bar so we sat there. They had a TV to watch the band so it wasn’t a bad seat. We stayed for a couple of drinks and then noticed it was getting late so we paid the bill and started to walk back to the truck. I noticed the cupcake place was still open so I convinced Chris to stop in and get us each one. We are back at home, we eat our cupcakes, and get ourselves ready for our last sleep in Arkansas. We talked for a little bit about the fun week we had here.

That night a storm came in with heavy winds, wild lightning, and rain (ice) that sounded like baseballs hitting our roof. It was so loud you could barely hear each other talking lying next to each other. It was a little scary I will say. I just kept saying, please don’t let anything happen to the RV or truck. We finally were able to fall back to sleep and in the morning when we woke, we examined everything to find no damage. We then began to get things packed up and ready for our move. While getting things done the park host and family stopped by to say goodbye and ask how our stay was. While talking with him we mentioned how bad the storm was. He showed us a picture of hail balls that had gathered at the gutter. We chatted for a few more minutes then they left and we finished getting things done.
Once all hooked up and ready we get on the road around 9 am, We made a stop on the way at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, AR. Here you get to mine to see if you can find your own diamond. We didn't find anything but it was fun looking. This past spring a guy found over an 4 carats at this park. It was a nice break in the ride and a really cool experience. ​