Tuesday, March 31, 2015

It was clear there was no shortage of rain in Arkansas.  We passed miles of high water on each side of every river we crossed.

We toyed with the idea of stopping in Memphis but chose instead to get some more miles behind us before stopping for the night.  

We spent a little time in Memphis a few years ago while attending an ACA rally.

We needed fuel, so it just made sense to overnight at the Flying J in Hurricane Mills, TN.  That made for a pretty long trip of 332.8 miles (73,588.6 total).  After fueling, we found our spot for the night.  Our coach was dwarfed by the big rigs.  I am always impressed at just how close they park and very often they back into their spots.

We walked across the street to the Log Cabin Restaurant where we had an excellent dinner before settling in for the night.  Our neighbor's running APU meant we had no need for a sleeping fan. 

Monday, March 30, 2015 - Little Rock, AR

At some point, we decided it might be a reasonable goal to visit all 50 state capitols.  Little Rock, AR was not a long drive from Hot Springs (maybe 40 miles), so this seemed like the opportune time to check off another.

I was struck by how small the city was.  There were not a lot of tall buildings, so the capitol building really stood out.  The designated visitor parking consisted of 12 spaces which were all taken when we arrived.  Parking along the street was all free - I love smaller towns.

Like many other Capitols, the building had a double dome at its center.  There were a few hidden passages and spiral staircases leading to the observation platform at the top of the outer dome.  We were not allowed to roam around in any of those places, so there are no cool, unique shots, but the usual shots still highlight a pretty nice looking capitol.

I suppose I sat in the same chair where the current and past Arkansas governors presided over meetings.  I guess that might have been just a little too close to number 42 for me!

After lunch, we headed back to the coach.  It was plenty early and a beautiful day, so naturally the chairs had to come out.  The sound of the babbling Gulpha creek drowned out occasionally by heavy trucks and noisy motorcycles coming down the hill alongside the campground, but for the most part, it was an extremely pleasant afternoon.

Joani and Sam thought I should join them in a little exploration of the creek.  I reluctantly left my comfy chair for a short hike.  The smooth rocks high above the water's edge gave me the impression this quiet little creek is sometimes a raging torrent after a heavy Arkansas rain.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Plans tomorrow made today our last chance to walk around Hot Springs, AR.  It was a beautiful day even if it was a bit breezy.

The Hot Springs National Park Visitor's Center was in one of the old bathhouses.  There was a small theater that showed an overview video and most of the building was an open museum.

Visitors could wander through the facility and see the various rooms and equipment to get an idea of what was in the public bathhouses. They found a lot of ways to use the mineral-rich hot water coming from the springs.  I am afraid I was too inhibited to personally enjoy the public bathing experience - it was good enough to just see and imagine what it was like. 

The needle shower had some really complex plumbing.

This equipment looks more like tools of torture than relaxation.

Seventeen shower heads ought to get one clean in hurry!

After the baths, there were rooms where patrons could extend the relaxation or get a nice workout.  Of course, if they chose the workout, another bath was probably in order.

A stroll along Central Avenue brought us to this intriguing O'Bryan Building artwork.  Fortunately, there was a placard to help us sort out the colors that made up the layers on the side of the building.

Isn't this the guy that made Tom Hanks "Big"?

The rock had been cut away to make room for the buildings along the road.  A few extra square feet of building space required a lot of extra excavation so stores were not large on this side of the avenue.  The geologist in us found the makeup of the sedimentary layers to be very interesting as well as beautiful.

One store featured old signs with quotes Joani found quite humorous - hopefully, she doesn't feel the need to use any of them on me directly.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

We drove into Hot Springs - maybe we will hike over from Gulpha Gorge campground again another day - call us lazy today.  We had discovered yesterday the trick to the "free" parking.  You can only reach it from the secondary street.  No free parking is available on Central Avenue and don't even try to drive through the paid lots to get to the free lot. 

The Ohio Club was very nicely reviewed and full of history so it was our destination for lunch.  It certainly had atmosphere and our sandwiches were excellent.

The Ohio Club was a favorite of the mobsters (Al Capone, Bugsy Segel, Lucky Luciano) during its speakeasy days.

Evidence of the former speakeasy's false wall still shows in the linoleum between the front door and the bar.

Al Jolson graced this stage in 1915 and Mae West in the mid '30s.  It still comes alive 7 nights a week.

Although gambling was legal in 1905 and then illegal in 1913, it remained a part of the Ohio Club until 1967.

We have visited quite a few museums during our travels using an annual membership we originally purchased in March 2013 when we visited the Sun and Fun Air Museum in Lakeland, Florida.  We were able to renew it by mail last year, but once again, it had expired.  It is amazing how quickly a year seems to pass.  Renewal rates had increased significantly, so Joani looked for another opportunity. Fortunately, she found the Mid America Science Museum close by.

I think it was actually located in Piney, AR but they used a Hot Springs address (I'm sure for the name recognition).  It was west of Hot Springs National Park and we traveled some narrow, curvy roads to get there - making it quite a surprise when we nearly could not find a parking place.  We stood in a pretty substantial line just to get in the door.  Of course, we had completely forgotten about spring break again, so the place was packed.

I searched for the closest science museum that was on the ASTC list and Mid America fit the bill nicely.

The museum featured several mechanical contraptions from the 1968 movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  They were the original "Steampunk" before there was even a name for such a genre.

Little Dragon Carpet Sweeper, By Rowland Emett, 1968

Designed for the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Hush-a-Bye Hot-Air Rocking Chair, by Rowland Emett, 1968

Designed for the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

This 500 lb. specimen is a crystal cluster.  Pure quartz is colorless, the rosy hue is due to trace amounts of iron. In 1943, 4000 lbs. of quartz crystal was mined from Hot Springs for radio equipment.

I believe this was one of the best examples of a children's science museum we have visited.  The exhibits were well done even if kids (and parents) didn't bother to understand the how and why behind the science.  I want an adult tree house like they had!