The purpose of this post is to show a few cute pictures and tell a couple of assorted anecdotes. There's really no theme, except for the fact that we had a minimum of 10.5 hours of driving to cover between Memphis and Austin.
Story #1: The Best Restaurant in Benton, Arkansas.
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| The children with Anjelica, mother of their nanny and owner of Riviera Maya |
Having decided to cover the distance in three days, we arranged our first day so that we would have dinner in the restaurant owned by the mother of our former nanny. The excellent food aside, the kids got a tour of the kitchen, various toys/treats and infinite hugs.
Story #2: We lost Cate in the most beautiful campground.
The Catherine Lake RV Park near Hot Springs National Park is an extraordinary facility. The pads are concrete and perfectly level. The bathrooms are immaculate. The pool, is warm and clean. The roadways are seamless asphalt. The lighting is just enough without disturbing the starry night. In other words, when Cate felt an urgent need to ride her bike at dusk after we arrived, it was predictable that she'd get lost without knowing our site number. Thank goodness for good samaritans.
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| Happy moments at the awesome campground. As usual, we have the midweek place to ourself. |
Story #3: Hot Springs National Park is truly a hidden gem
The smallest national park is lovely. We saw one of the two main ways you can experience it. There are apparently miles of lovely, quiet trails. There is also a town that grew out of the natural hot springs and today a series of 9 art deco bathhouses are museums or breweries or hotels. We enjoyed a nice lunch, toured the visitor center/museum, earned another junior ranger badge and then hit the shops for souvenirs. This would be a great place for a longer visit. I'd love to hike the trails, partake in the springs and take the kids to the water park/amusement park.
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| The Boy from Hope is also, apparently, from Hot Springs. |
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| Home of Superior Brewery, makers of Superior Pale Ale (SPA) in an old bathhouse (aka, spa) |
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| The Fordyce Bathhouse gymnasium reminds us a bit of the Biltmore Mansion |
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| I didn't realize that the junior ranger oath varies between parks. This one is my favorite so far. |
Story #4: We didn't go to the Texas State Fair.
On our second night between Memphis and Austin we stayed in a shabby Holiday Inn Express outside of Dallas. All the RV Parks were sold out, probably because it's the middle of the State Fair. Had we known, we almost certainly would have gone. Were we more spontaneous, we might even have changed our plans to go. But Austin was calling and we had to answer.
Story #5: We got lucky in Waco
As we approached Waco, we were struck by inspiration to visit a store Elise admires, Magnolia. It was news to me (but not to many, many people) that Chip and Joana Gaines have made a name for themselves with a DIY home improvement show and leveraged that to create a tourist destination in downtown Waco. Elise's visit was significant enhanced when the store manager comped her entire purchase, apparently as part of a tradition created by the owner. Such is our gratitude that I'll implore you to check out their business but also the story of the investment they are making in their community.
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