Concluding our Summer Travels at Hot Springs National Park and a Compilation of Costs/Stats

Visiting Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas was an informative and unique experience.  The area has been known as the “Valley of Vapors” since prehistoric times.  Over time, rainwater penetrates thousands of feet into the earth’s bedrock and gets heated to high temperatures by the rocks.  The thermal water travels along cracks, faults, and fractures in the rocks, then rises to the surface at an average temperature of 143F degrees.  Rain today will emerge centuries from now at the 40+ hot springs located at the base of Hot Springs Mountain.

 

Indian Peoples knew the Springs’ healing powers, and they shared the resources peacefully since the area was not a territory for any specific tribe.

 

The first commercial bathhouse—a simple log cabin—was opened in 1830.  In an act of stewardship, the U.S. Government classified Hot Springs as a Reservation in 1832, preserving 4 square miles for future recreation.  The City grew to be a hot spot (pun intended) for restorative health, rest, and relaxation.  Hot Springs became a stagecoach stop in 1836, and the railroad established a depot in 1875.  Sadly, many of Hot Springs' bathhouses and other structures burned in 1878.  However, with the advent of new building materials, the City was rebuilt.  In 1921, President Woodrow Wilson changed the status of Hot Springs from a Reservation to a National Park.  And today, Hot Springs hosts more than 2 million visitors annually.

 

We traversed the Grand Promenade, and I could imagine the well dressed ladies and gents of the Victorian area strolling along the venue with their parasols and canes.

We toured the Museum and the bathhouses that are open to the public along Bathhouse Row.  I'll share just a few of the many photos I took.

This bathhouse is now the Museum.

The interiors...

...of the bathhouses within the Museum.

Yours truly soaking in the steam chamber.

Pretty mosaic design in the floor tile.

The stained glass...

...was gorgeous.

We visited the 216-foot high Hot Springs Mountain Tower.  Constructed in 1982, the observation tower provides a bird’s eye view of the City.

The City offers unique cultural creations and some very tasty food, too.

The historic Arlington Hotel...

...dates back to 1875.

Phil's Restaurant, outside the tourist district, has great down home

 cooking.

De-lish pies at The Grateful Head Pizza and Beer Garden.

I had some really fun times at Hot Springs National Park, and I added another Junior Ranger badge to my collection!

We left Arkansas and arrived back in the Great State of Texas, spending our final overnight at Piney Woods RV Park in Marshall, Texas.  It was an open field with no laundry/restroom or other amenities.  Yet, a full hook up pull through site cost us $56/night.  Highway robbery if you ask me.

 

It was the final leg of our travels, a mere 4-hour drive to arrive home in Livingston.  But alas, we incurred delays—Suite Retreat’s rear passenger tire was losing air, albeit very slowly, but it caused the tire pressure monitor to buzz.  We stopped several times to locate the source of the leak and to refill the tire pressure.  And God was good to us (again!) and got us back home safely. 

 

We had a fantastic summer, but we are glad to land for a bit.  We will stay on our long-term leased lot until the end of the year, completing lots of projects, repairs, and Dad’s medical appointments.

 

Here’s a bit of a recap:

 

Total Days:  105

 

Number of Set-ups at Different Locations:  47

 

Total Number of Days Without Hookups:  36

 

Number of Harvest Hosts Visited:  21

 

Total Camping Costs (excluding purchases made at Harvest Hosts):  $3,238

 

States Visited: 19

 

Number of Miles: 7,818

 

Big Boomer Fuel Stats: $4,818 for 1,339 gallons of diesel (average of 6 miles/gallon; average of $3.60/gallon)

 

Big Boomer’s Big Repair Bill:  $3,414

 

Number of Miles Driving the Rambling RV Rat Pack Rubicon: 5,940 (including 641 of Mom driving the Jeep in no double-tow areas)

 

Rambling RV Rat Pack Rubicon Fuel Stats: $1,274 for 424 gallons of gasoline (average of 14 miles/gallon; average of $3.00/gallon)

 

Junior Ranger Badges Earned at National Parks/National Monuments: 12

 

Frank Lloyd Wright Structures Visited:  8

 

On the Rocks, On the Screen, and in the Springs

A visit to Spring Green, Wisconsin must include a stop at The House on the Rock.  The original home was built in 1945 by Alex Jordan, Jr.  It sits atop Deer Shelter Rock, a rock formation left over from glacial erosion.

The Japanese Gardens.

Having learned construction from his father, Alex quit high school and began his own building endeavors.  His architecture and interior designs share similar elements to Frank Lloyd Wright’s styles, including Asian components, bringing nature indoors, and the concept of compress/release.  

The interior...

...of the main house/retreat...

...has architecture and...

...decor designs...

...similar to the styles of...

...Frank Lloyd Wright.

Though Mr. Jordan's project started as a home retreat, it expanded into several buildings within 3 sections, becoming a museum to house his eclectic collections: from butterflies to beer steins, from doll houses to dragons, from stained glass to scrimshaw, to name a few.  Jordan’s ingenuity and creativity are reminiscent of Walt Disney’s.  He designed interactive, animated exhibits that are so unique!  Many of the exhibits focus on musical elements.  Some of the exhibits are quite exquisite; others border on garish.

The Infinity Room is a 218-foot extension over the Valley that contains 3,000 pieces of glass.

A few scenes from...

...The Streets of Yesteryear exhibit.

Old-time casino games of chance.

Jordan's collections included rodentia!

Circus scenes, including clowns, were abundant.

A collection of beer steins.

Intricately-carved ivory.

Of the multitude of collections and exhibits, my favorite is the carousel.  It is a true work of art and the largest in the world.  It consists of 20,000 lights and 269 unique seats—none of which are horses!  (Sadly, my rodentia species was not represented either.)

Having spent 4+ magical hours doing a self-guided tour of The House on the Rock, it was well worth the admission cost for the Ultimate Experience of $36.95/adult and $19.95/child, plus tax.

  

We said our farewells to Wisconsin on a brisk (44F degrees) Saturday morning, and we had a long day of driving for us (6 hours).  But there is no better place to land on a weekend than at Skyview Drive-In on Historic Old Route 66 in Litchfield, Illinois.  Skyview has been providing movie entertainment for 75 consecutive years.  Talk about nostalgia--and a great reason for Dad to purchase a souvenir T-shirt ($20).  Our first stay at this Harvest Hosts (HH) location was on a weekday when no movies are shown.  So, we were thrilled to return.  We purchased tickets ($7/adults; kids under 5 and stuffed rodents like me are free) for a double feature of Harry Potter films (would you believe we had never seen these films previously!)  After chatting with the owners, who were welcoming and pleasant, we settled in for the show.  Though I was a bit chilled from sitting outside, a large and tasty hot chocolate from the snack bar resolved the problem nicely.  It was a fun experience for this Rambling RV Rat.

We awoke the next morning at 8 a.m. with an outside temperature of 52F degrees, which warmed up to 70F degrees by the time we departed Skyview Drive-In at 11 a.m.  We spent an evening in Southland Casino in West Memphis, Tennessee, which provides a huge, newly-resurfaced, secure lot for RVers passing through the area.  My parents grabbed a bite to eat at the casino.  Meanwhile my gal pal Mademoiselle Rochelle and I gambled in the slot machines (a passion I share with my Aunt Laurie).    Unfortunately, Lady Luck never showed up, and we lost our weekly cheese allowance.

 

We departed for our final major destination: Hot Springs, Arkansas.  We booked at Hot Springs Off Road Park, another HH location.  We were excited to stay here since the Park includes 2 Jeep Badge of Honor off-road trails.  Our HH membership entitled us to 1 night of free boondocking or receiving a discount of $20 for water/electric hookups (we chose the latter).  Extra nights are allowed, so we booked for 2 more to facilitate touring Hot Springs National Park.  But from the minute we arrived, it was clear that this Park is very much a work-in-progress.  The uphill entry road was extremely ROUGH, especially for a very long, very heavy full-time home-on-wheels.  It felt like we were off-roading with our entire set-up!  We were assigned to Site 40, classified as a “premium” back-in site with water/electric at a regular rate of $45/night (the first of our 3 nights was discounted to $25).  Though Site 40 is very long, it is not easy to access.  With all the obstacles—trees, portable toilet, huge holes, vehicles parked outside the shop next door—Dad had to enter on his blind side.  Furthermore, the “premium” site has all the hookups on the wrong side of the rig!  Their location (including at the front of the site rather than the center of the site) required us to utilize extension hoses and an additional electric cord.  Mom asked if we could utilize the hookups on Site 41 instead of creating a safety/tripping hazard.  Her request was denied by Staff.  They said someone may book on-line/arrive after hours, which may result in an argument among patrons. We found this scenario highly unlikely for a Monday-Wednesday night stay in a Park with only 3 campsites occupied.  (I don’t have to tell you that Site 41 remained vacant our entire stay.)  The Staff member gave us two alternate options:  1) drive straight into the site and then backout (clearly they know nothing about maneuverability of big rigs) or 2) move entirely to another site.  But Dad struggled enough to get into our site; he wasn’t going to do it all over again.  The Park says it has free Wi-Fi, but it is non-existent on the “premium” sites because of tree cover.  We also learned that the Park utilizes “dynamic pricing”, so daily rates could be even higher than what we paid based on demand.  Furthermore, don’t try to come in before the Park's designated check-in time—they charge by the hour for early arrival.

The off-roading at the Park is terrific, especially if you are passionate about the sport.  There is a $50/day charge for trail access, with no discounts for those who camp at the Park.  As the final stop on our nearly four-month trip, it wasn’t what we hoped for or expected based on other off-road parks at which we stayed.  But we acquiesced and paid for 1 day on the trails to earn our 2 Jeep Badges of Honor.  

Pipeline Overlook.

Jericho Lookout.

Prothane Point.

On our way back to the campground we found ourselves on a trail rated Level 4-5 in difficulty, way out of our comfort zone (especially when riding by ourselves on the trails rather than with a group) of Levels 2 and 3.  

After a round of light profanity, panic attacks, and plenty of prayers by Mom, Dad got us out of the pickle.  But my parents and I made a pinky swear that we will NEVER venture down a trail unless we GOAL (get out and look) to ascertain we are capable of navigating its obstacles.

Well, it is time for me to sign off.  We are off to visit Hot Springs National Park.  I’ll talk to you again soon!