Arkansas River Trail

We put the bikes on the truck and drove to the nearby Two Rivers Park trailhead for the Arkansas River Trail. We crossed the Little Maumelle River on the Two Rivers Park bicycle and pedestrian bridge.

That took us to the western end Arkansas River Trail on the south shore of the Arkansas River. The first park we came to was the Big Dam Overlook, where we got a good view of the "big dam bridge." Its pylons are sunk into the dam itself.

We cycled along the river on a dedicated hike and bike trail, but after a bit the route went onto surface streets. We biked past the ATA International World Headquarters (formerly American Taekwondo Association) and past Verizon soccer fields.

Parts of the route are detoured because of major construction along the river. At points it was a bit difficult because we had an outdated map of the detours. But we finally came to the Clinton Presidential Library, where a former railroad bridge has been re-purposed as a bicycle and pedestrian bridge. It has a great view of downtown Little Rock.

We had further adventures as we cycled west on the north shore, back to the big dam bridge, where we crossed again to the south shore, and then back to the truck and home.

In all, our route was about 24 miles. We were hot and sweaty and tired when we got home, but we enjoyed the ride.

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On to Maumelle Park

We did not move far today. It's less than 70 miles from Treasure Isle RV Park in Hot Springs to Maumelle Park in Little Rock. We've visited this park before, in 2011. That time we mainly explored Pinnacle Mountain State Park to the west of here and took a couple of nice hikes.

We were again lucky enough to get a riverfront site. The view out our big windows is really lovely.

It rained heavily shortly after our arrival, so we didn't get on our bikes today. Instead we walked through the campground and on the short nature trail.

We got an unexpected treat. Our neighbor had a bluegrass jam session which we eavesdropped on by opening our windows. There were at least four players and a couple of them were singers. Read more!

Hiking at Lake Catherine

Today we headed to Lake Catherine State Park. It's on the furthest south of the three lakes created by dams on the Ouachita River near Hot Springs.  We took a less ambitious hike today, the Falls Branch Trail. It's a two mile loop through pine and hardwood forest and along some streams.

The highlight of the trail is the waterfalls at mile 1.5 (if you hike counter-clockwise). Some people avoid the loop and just hike the half mile in to the falls. The water is cold, but that didn't stop lots of folks and their kids and their dogs from taking a dip or splashing about. It's clearly a very popular spot.

Back at the trailhead, we found a picnic table to eat our lunch before heading back to Hot Springs. There we visited a historic bathhouse, but not to take the thermal waters. This one is the farthest north on Bathhouse Row, and it has been re-purposed. It is now the Superior Bathhouse Brewery & Distillery.

Here is how their website describes it: "After lying vacant for 30 years, we re-imagined the Superior Bathhouse into a brewery, craft beer tasting room, full service restaurant and most recently a special event venue.  We are the first brewery in a U.S. National Park and the world's first to utilize thermal spring water as our main ingredient.  We turn our unique 144 degree water into a myriad of styles ranging from light to dark, mild to strong." Read more!

Lake Ouachita State Park

The Ouachita River has three dams in this area, each creating a lake. Lake Ouachita is the largest of these. We drove up to Lake Ouachita State Park today to hike the Caddo Bend Trail. It's a four-mile trail that follows the southern shoreline of a peninsula out to "Point 50" and then traces the northern shoreline on the return.

You might think that such a trail would be relatively flat and easy--and it is, in parts. Other parts are rocky and steep, but overall the trail is moderate.

You get great views of Lake Ouachita, and especially from "Point 50" at the tip of the peninsula. The lake is so large and the shoreline so irregular that it is difficult to navigate. Large markers have been placed along the shore to offer boaters some useful landmarks.

One unusual thing we learned is that the lake has extremely clear water and interesting rocky topography, which makes it attractive for SCUBA divers. We saw a pontoon boat anchored off an island below the point. They had a red flag out, so we figured they were diving.

It was a good hike, but we were glad to see our truck when we finished the last mile. Read more!

More Hot Springs Adventures

We started out the day by going to the Hot Springs Farmers and Artisans Market. It is held almost every Saturday morning and Tuesday evening. We enjoyed some live music and picked up some fresh produce.

Next we drove to Garvan Woodland Gardens, a 210-acre botanical garden located on the shore of Lake Hamilton, south of Hot Springs. The garden belongs to the University of Arkansas Department of Landscape Architecture. We had a lovely day exploring the various areas of the garden.

One interesting feature is a garden railroad operated by local model railroaders. It has three separate loop tracks and runs three trains plus Thomas the Train.

Near the end of our visit we came upon this whimsical fairy garden, constructed entirely of local materials (plus a few additions from Walmart--the online tour guide comments "How Arkansas is that?")

This "Wing Emporium" has the advertising slogan "Walk In, Fly Out."

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Hot Springs National Park

We drove into Hot Springs today to the National Park Visitor Center, located in the historic Fordyce Bathhouse. We had to drive around for a bit to find parking for our big truck. Then we climbed up to the Grand Promenade, which runs along behind Bathhouse Row.

We got to the visitor center in time to join a ranger led tour in progress. Our tour guide, Kevin, was both very entertaining and informative. This sculpture is located in the former Men's Bathhall. It depicts a native American woman kneeling and offering water from the fountain of youth to Hernando de Soto. There is actually no record of de Soto having visited Hot Springs.

After lunch we hiked up the mountain behind the bathhouses and hiked the Hot Springs Mountain Trail. It is one of several trails used by doctors prescribing exercise for their patients taking the waters.

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A Place Called Hope

We left Texarkana this morning headed to Hot Springs, AR. Along the way we stopped at Hope, AR, the birthplace of William Jefferson Blythe Clinton. The National Park Service maintains the house he lived in when he was born as a National  Historic Site.

A friendly ranger led a tour of the home, which has been renovated by a local foundation. It is decorated and furnished in authentic period style, but only a couple of the artifacts are original. The home belonged to Clinton's mother's parents. His father had died in an auto accident three months before he was born.

The kitchen features a period range similar to the one I had in my first apartment in 1964.

Bill's bedroom includes a Hopalong Cassidy bedspread similar to one Ken had as a child.

We are spending the holiday weekend at Treasure Isle RV Park in Hot Springs. It's located on the Ouchita River about eight miles west of Hot Springs.

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Texarkana

We left Tyler this morning after a great visit. We're on our way to Hot Springs, AR, but for now we are spending the night at the Texarkana RV Park. It's conveniently located off of Highway 59, and it's a very well kept park. The only real downside is the road noise. Highway 59 is a major truck route.

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Happy Mother's Day! and Happy Birthday to Ken

Chris sent these lovely flowers for Mother's Day.

Today is also Ken's birthday. Here's the birthday boy wearing his American Embassy Singapore shirt that Blake and Terri sent him for Christmas. We celebrated with dinner at Oliveto's last week because Mother's Day is usually very crowded at restaurants.

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