Hot Springs National Park – our first national park stop on our trip! Although I believe I visited here as a child on one of my many trips to Arkansas, I don’t have many memories of it. Charlie and I thought it would be a lot of natural pools of hot springs in a wooded setting, but that isn’t what this park is at all! Much of the park is made up of the historic bathhouse buildings. There were some scenic drives in the hills overlooking the town and definitely some hikes in there that looked like fun, but I wasn’t up for them since I wasn’t feeling great due to this irritating cold.

We considered taking advantage of one of the bathhouses to experience the relaxing effects of the hot springs, but the price deterred us. Maybe I’ll come back one day with just Charlie, but multiplying the cost out by 8 was just too much.

Some good friends of ours, the Perry Family, who we know from the Carolinas but who now live in Oklahoma, joined up with us in Hot Springs to give our families some time together. It was a perfect day spent with friends walking around the town, hanging out at the campsite, driving the scenic road, and cooking hamburgers.

I really enjoyed seeing the architecture of the older buildings. So much beauty was built into these old bathhouses. I’m normally pretty dismayed at most of the structures that have been built since World War II in this country. They seem to have been built only for function and not to add more beauty and interest to a place. But here, in older towns like Hot Springs, you can still be treated to beauty built into the buildings.

I feel so blessed to have been able to spend a day with the Perry family. It was needed by us all. Their kids line up well with our kids, and having their son Simeon with us just reminded Charlie and I so much of Damien. Simeon and Damien had a lot of good times together. All of these kids are growing up so much!

Rebecca