Hot Springs, Arkansas

 We left Shreveport just ahead of high winds, rain, flooding, and tornado warnings. Our GPS system sent us north on I 35 toward Little Rock, and then sent us off to the northwest on Arkansas Highway 7 toward Hot Springs. Unfortunately, highway 7 is 31 miles of two lane, no shoulder, twisting road, most of which is under construction. Those few miles took us longer to navigate than the previous 150!

Eventually we arrived at our destination, Hot Rod Hill RV Park.

Located on the top of a hill, just off of Crackerjack Road, this park has only been open for about six months. It is one of the most beautiful parks we’ve seen. The sites are very wide and deep, with stone firepits at each site and synthetic turf around and in between. The park is gated, paved and has a large freestanding fireplace at a common area. Did I mention pristine clean?

And there are only two rv’s in the eleven sites.

The owner of the park has a huge shop adjacent to the park where he and his staff create custom vehicles on demand as well as having a few projects of their own. Their latest hot rod left the shop the morning before I arrived, but I understand that the LS1 Chevelle was spectacular!

This gem was created for Tim’s (the owner) Dad. Dad doesn’t have much free time these days as he is caring for his wife, who is suffering with Alzheimer’s disease. The pickup started life as a ‘53 Chevrolet, but has since had a CT Cadillac engine, transmission, and interior grafted on.

This Ford pickup has also been massaged with the added of a Mach 5 performance engine an six-speed manual transmission!

The electric tilt front is a nice touch!

Hot Springs is well know for….hot springs…

Back in the early twentieth century, spas and retreats were built for the enjoyment of those who could afford the treatments. Advertised as a new, restorative, and healthy soak, the fact that Native Americans had been enjoying the springs for thousands of years was conveniently forgotten. We thought we should have a look, so we went into town.

Unfortunately, a lot of other people had the same idea, so we cruised Central Avenue at a top speed of, oh, maybe, 5 miles an hour, and snapped some photos of the bathhouses that made the city famous.

The hot spring water flowing out of Hot Springs Mountain at the rate of 650,000 gallons per day at a temperature of 143 degrees. This extraordinary water fell on the mountain an estimated 4,500 years ago and made it’s way down into the earth to a depth of 6,000 feet, where it is heated by the earth’s interior fires and sent back to the surface under great pressure. Since the purity of the water was paramount, a portion of the hot water was cooled and then mixed back in to reduce the temp to approximately 100 degrees. This continues to be done today.

The 1870’s saw the promotion of the hot, mineral laden water as a cure for any health issues from intestinal distress to consumption. Native Americans were forcibly removed, rickety wooden bath houses were thrown together, shacks and canvas “hotels” were created, and it was off to the races! A fire destroyed most of downtown in 1878, sweeping away the ramshackle structures and paving the way for grand bath houses and Victorian hotels. In the 1870’s and on till the turn of the century, Hot Springs was pretty much a wild west town. Cole Younger and Frank and Jesse James dropped in a few times to rob a stagecoach and Bat Masterson turned a card in the gambling halls. The gambling halls became casinos, and operated both legally and illegally until 1964. Dick Van Dyke was the last act in the last casino!

Over the years, Hot Springs saw many famous and infamous people drift into town. Carrie Nation tried to close the bars (unsuccessfully), Helen Keller enjoyed the baths, and a few shady types spent time here.

Not being able to stroll through the bath houses, and the National Park that encompasses them was disappointing, but we were able to visit Hot Springs Mountain Tower. This 264 foot high tower has a 360 degree view of downtown and the surrounding valley.

Coming down off the mountain, we turned onto Grand Avenue and caught a glimpse of the tower we had just visited.

We decided to explore the area to the west of Hot Springs, and drove to the largest lake in the state of Arkansas, Lake Ouachita. 40,000 acres of surface area provides multiple opportunities for recreation.

Blakely Mountain Dam, a huge earthen dam, created the lake, and has the turbine capacity for 75 megawatts of power. In its 50 year history, the Blakely power plant has created 9 billion kilowatthours of power!

As we left the lake overview, we noticed several interesting rock formations. How does this happen?

On the way home we had to stop at the best coffee shop in the area for a quick cup.

 

The mocha was very well prepared and as far as the blueberry milkshake? I should have ordered two! Even Sasha enjoyed the treat!

The weather has been perfect during our stay in Hot Springs, but now that it’s time to move on the rain has reappeared. Seems we’ll be leaving under a severe weather watch. Ah, well. It’s Spring in the Midwest.