Friday, November 9
This section covers a lot of travel and a few fun places along the way. After we left Congaree, Mammoth Cave NP in Kentucky was our next destination.. As we were walking into the Visitors' Center to collect a stamp and information, we walked past a guide as he was preparing his charges for a bus trip. All Geri heard was "we will fit through, but if you're claustrophobic" and her mind shut down. Claustrophobic is the word that caused that reaction, so rather than taking the bus tour, we thought we could drive to a cave or two, peak inside and see whether we wanted to go further into the cave. Not to be. The roads, it seems, are all set up for the buses only. There are "official vehicles only" signs and "do not enter" signs throughout the park forbidding independent spirits such as we to gain access to the caves. Okay, we still enjoyed driving through the park on a sunny day and taking in some of the lingering colors of leaves. Nothin' wrong with spending time that way.
Kentucky Down Under was about 10 miles from Mammoth and it sounded interesting, so that's where we went next. The signs along the road advertised kangaroos, wallabies and other critters native to Australia. To be honest, we're very spoiled at seeing so many animals in the wild in Yellowstone as we do and much prefer that setting to a zoo-type area. This park was a disappointment. The dingoes were in a very confined small area, and the birds were in what we thought to be rather small cages. While the colors of the birds was gorgeous, seeing them so confined was not what we had in mind. The kangaroos had a fairly good-sized area to hop around in, and we watched them for a few minutes while some of the visitors went inside the enclosure to pet them. One thing we enjoyed very much at this zoo was the fudge in the gift shop. Yum! It tasted a lot like what we used to look forward to at Canyon in Yellowstone every spring. Creamy smooth and delicious! Back to the trailer we went and prepared to move on.
No rush to get from Kentucky to Hot Springs. That's the nice part about being retired. We were both delighted with the fall colors and textures of the trees on the east coast, and we chose to take our own sweet time to enjoy both the colors and the scenery. Rolling hills full of color and color lining the roads. Pine trees seem to be more abundant the further away from the coast we go. Absolutely stunning countryside!
We landed in Hot Springs on Tuesday, and stayed at the Cloud Nine RV Park. Can you say quiet?! Finally, peace and quiet after too many nights too close to a freeway. We toured Hot Springs NP on Thursday. Again, the colors were wonderful. Most of the red colors have gone from this area. We were told the same story about how the leaves went from green to brown and dropped in Shenandoah and Great Smoky. The drought this year has taken its toll all over the east and south. There were a few sumacs showing red and a couple of other spots of red in the park, but most of the color was either gold or rust. Driving up and down the winding roads in the park was fun through the overhanging branches clad in their fall coats.
We stopped at the Mountain Tower and Geri took the elevator to the top. Whatta pair we are. Bruce doesn't like height and Geri is claustrophobic. Whatta kick! The view from the top looking toward Hot Springs. Beautiful! Looking toward the Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa? in downtown Hot Springs. Can you imagine the sight if the colors were in full swing?! Waaaayyyyy down in the lower left corner of this picture is our truck, and in between the blue and red car on the right side is Bruce walking around and waiting for his buddy to come back down to earth. Water. That's what attracts people to Hot Springs. Old documents show that American Indians knew about and bathed in the hot springs during the late 1700s and early 1800s. Their ancestors may have also known about the hot springs. Some believe that the traces of minerals and an average temperature of 143 degrees give the waters whatever therapeutic properties they may have. People also drink the waters from the cold springs, which have different chemical components and properties. Besides determining the chemical composition and origins of the waters, scientists have determined that the waters emerging from these hot springs are more than 4,000 years old. The park collects 700,000 gallons a day for use in the public drinking fountains and bathhouses.
One thing led to another and we didn't make it to bath house row this time. It'll be something to look forward to if we ever return. There's a lot to do in this area including a diamond mine where one can dig for their own diamonds. That'd be fun! And there are lakes to explore, too. Even though we missed the bath houses, look at all the stuff we've seen on this trip! Awesome!
