Sept 17, Friday Our destination is one of our very favorite campgrounds in the USA . . . Gulpha Gorge in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Aside from the campground, we love the town with all of it’s turn-of-the-century bath houses, and the lovely promenade walk that runs behind them. With over 350 miles to drive, we started a new audio book: “The Grapes of Wrath.” Very appropriate as we drive the northern length of Oklahoma! That first chapter describing the dust bowl is always mesmerizing, but more-so when you are driving the route! We turned off Interstate 40 and onto Arkansas 7 Scenic Byway with 60 miles to go until Hot Springs. The big question – would we be able to get a camping site? It is a walk-in campground only, and it was 2:00 and the start of a weekend! We scored, and had our choice of three. Also encouraging was that there were 4 other Airstreams in residence! I did an inventory of clothes, and found that doing laundry would be necessary to see us all the way home. We left Pippa in the camper and found a laundry and a BBQ restaurant right next to each other; we did two loads of laundry while eating! Back at the campground we walked with Pippa and talked to another Airstream couple that had just come from Alumapalooza. They had also been at International this year, and Ann had entered projects in the craft show at International. We had a lot to talk about! Sept 18, Saturday Pancakes and bacon for breakfast, cooked by Tom outside at the picnic table, started the day. As we drove into town tried to think of something different for the blog – I have covered downtown Hot Springs at least 3 different times with pictures of the bath houses and the promenade walkway. This time, Tom drove through town very slowly while I took a video of the entire bathhouse row! We got out and walked alongside the bath houses, and then crossed the street and walked the stores and attractions and shops. We got pictures of several of the hot spring openings, and the majestic Arlington Hotel. We navigated around the Hot Spring Duck (bus/boat) solicitors, and past many very good street musicians and a magician. The town was lively, but not overly crowded. I have to mention my recollections when we first visited Hot Springs over 30 years ago when the boys were young. The bath houses were in wreck and ruin and closed, except for the Buckstaff (continuously serving baths since 1912!) and the Fordyce which had been renovated in 1989 as the National Park show-off headquarters. That was the beginning of a major restoration project on Bathhouse Row, and now most of the houses are fully function as bath houses or re-purposed as boutiques and little eateries. They are magnificent. We returned to the campground in plenty of time for Tom to settle in to listen to the Buckeye game against Tulsa. It was surprising that the campground was 100% full last night, and only 50% full on this Saturday afternoon! Pippa promptly found a nasty spot in the grass and rolled in it – bad enough to come up covered in . . . something . . . and to deserve a little bath.
After supper we headed back downtown to walk a portion of the promenade, and see the bath houses in lights. There were remarkably few people, and all the shops were closed.
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |