Hot Springs NP

Made a quick stop in Hot Springs on my way to Kentucky.  Nice town, but they had several streets blocked off in preparation for St. Patrick's Day.  I got into town at 9 am, so the main worry was getting trapped by a parade.  Drove up to the top of the "mountain" and looked down on the town for a bit. Lots and lots of high rise hotels around the historic area.  Had a hard time finding the visitor center for the park, so finally stopped in at the city visitor center and asked for directions. 

Got lucky since the parking was free there, and was only a 3 block walk from where I wanted to be. I knew from doing a little research that you don't  get to see the water from the springs anymore, because the water runs underground and the bath houses pull their supply from there.  Saw a cute little fountain at the end of the bath house row, and realized there was steam coming from it. YAY! At least I got to touch some of the HOT water!

One of the old bath houses was converted into the visitor center, so toured that one and got a feel for the history of the area and how much the park has changed over the years. Crazy how things changed over the years and how devastating the fires were to the local commerce.

On my way back to my car, I saw a bunch of people surrounding what looked like public water fill stations.  I was surprised at the number of gallon size containers some of the people were filling up.  Some people appeared to have at least a dozen or more, and they were busy trying to get them all filled.  It dawned on me later that those people must be taking the water back home to use in their own bathtubs. I guess the water is known for its therapeutic properties.  Seemed like a lot of effort, but now I kind of wish I would have filled at least one little bottle.

Got lucky leaving town and dodged any parades. Lots of people wearing green and getting ready to drink a lot of beer.  So, happy to dodge all the amateurs out for a day of drinking.  Arrived safely and was greeted by Russ with a big hug.  Got settled in here and have been very happy having a cozy bed, good food, and wonderful company.  We are busy hashing out our plans for Ireland and London.  We finally settled on a few dates and Russ is working on getting car, train, and hotel reservations lined up for us.  Getting excited for our big trip!