Hot Springs National Park - Day 132

I should have another title for this post. But I drove all day through Tennessee and Arkansas with nothing really worthwhile to write about. I avoided the interstates nicely and spent all day looking for a sign (not from God), but there was nothing that caught my interest. So I kept on keeping on and eventually ended up here at the Hot Springs National Park.

I'm camping out again. I am have a river for my front yard again. However, there are not many campers here at the only park campsite. I have a feeling that people don't camp much here because the primary attraction at this NP is four city blocks that are historic bath houses. For those coming here, being pampered is the objective, and the many hotels offer greater comfort, though not as much beauty. But just to be safe (in case I cramp up during the night, or develop some unthinkable stress) my bath, warm towel wrap and massage are scheduled for 9:30 tomorrow morning.

This is easily the oddest NP. I accidentally drove most of the park while looking for the Visitor Center. The hike listed as the top priority is to walk the 4 blocks of bath houses; Estimated Time: 2 Hours...or 5 minutes if you don't stop in for a spa treatment.

The park is only 55K acres, smallest of any NP. And those acres form a doughnut around the city of Hot Springs. The "park" has a rich history of patrons that came to drink the "healing" waters including American Indians, De Soto, La Salle, Jesse James, Al Capone and FDR, as well as being the proud childhood and high school home of the country's third greatest president (Lincoln, Washington, Clinton).

I've nothing else to add, except that this is surely the only NP campground that is within (literally) short walking distance of a gentleman's club. Good night all, I'm going for a stroll.