JoanandtheBoys: Taking the Waters, Big Cats and Walmart

Our venture into Arkansas focused on the NW, the area of the Ozark's. The first stop was Hot Springs where we stayed at a beautiful state park, Lake Catherine, with a site right on the lake. Mr And Mrs Goose ( I am told that Canadian Geese mate for life) chose our site for nighttime sleeping, out on a small pier safe from predators. It is hard to miss first light with the racket they make. Forget the squirrel, Max wanted a goose. He doesn't get the concept of flying away, plus he is NEVER off leash. Gone!

Hot Springs, AR

The trip to the town, which includes the National Park, was a few miles from the lake. The hot springs were used by native tribes long before Europeans arrived. Carbon dating revealed that the water emerging from the springs at 140 degrees fell as rain 4,000 years before. The heating is not volcanic but both compression and the breakdown of naturally occurring radioactive elements. The water meets faults and makes its way to the surface. The area was acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase and Jefferson dispatched an expedition to explore the springs. As interest grew in its curative powers, it was proclaimed the first Federal Reservation in 1832. It wasn't until 1921 that it was made the 18th Natational Park. Up until the 50's its benefits were sought to cure various afflictions, from heart disease to rheumatism and even syphillis. A description of treatment for the latter follows:

A patient undergoing the treatment was secluded in a hot, stuffy room, and rubbed vigorously with the mercury ointment several times a day. The massaging was done near a hot fire, which the sufferer was then left next to in order to sweat. This process went on for a week to a month or more, and would later be repeated if the disease persisted. Other toxic substances, such as vitriol and arsenic, were also employed, but their curative effects were equally in doubt.”

Mercury had terrible side effects causing neuropathies, kidney failure, and severe mouth ulcers and loss of teeth, and many patients died of mercurial poisoning rather than from the disease itself. Treatment would typically go on for years and gave rise to the saying,

“A night with Venus, and a lifetime with mercury”

In the first half of the 1900's Hot Springs was a major attraction. Visitors, many health seekers, would travel by train and stay in opulent hotels and bathhouses, taking the waters. The government also made provision for a "free" bathhouse for those who could not afford luxury

I expected our venture into the waters at the lovely Quapaw Baths would cure the aches and pains of age but no such luck. Guess I'll stick with ibuprofen.

Quapaw Baths

Next we headed to Eureka Springs, AR, known for the largest collection of Victorian buildings in the Midwest. The town sits both in a canyon and on the hills surrounding it. It is a warren of streets, all with homes clinging to the hill. We never did learn our way around though managed to find our way back to a lovely dog park where we managed to tire Max a few times.

Cocktails on the terrace of the Crescent Hotel(1886) revealed a wide, panoramic view of the Ozark's.

The Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs

View from the hotel terrace

The hotel was not economically viable and became schools until 1935 when Norman Baker opened it as a hospital for cancer and other ailments, claiming the spring waters provided a cure. He had been run out of Iowa for practicing medicine without a license and brought his patients to Arkansas. That gig lasted for 5 years until he went away on federal charges. The hotel fell into disrepair but was renovated in the 90's.

Eureka Springs is a tourist attraction, drawing art lovers among others. It is located on The Pig Trail Scenic Byway, a favorite motorcycle route. The motels along the route advertise their biker facilities.
Close to town is the Thorncrown Chapel. You can keep all those European Cathedrals and give me this unique place. It has won numerous awards and was recently placed 4th on the list of top 20th century buildings by AIA members. It was built by a local man who encountered financing obstacles but finally prevailed in erecting this "wayfarers chapel." The beauty to me is that it celebrates nature rather than the creations of man.

Thorncrown Chapel

Another fun destination was the War Eagle Mill, first built in 1832, using creek water and French Granite to grind grain. The French granite is harder than US granite and was brought over as ship ballast. Because of fire and the civil war the mill has been built 4 times. Interesting that they only grind corn now because of environmental health issues with milling grain with gluten. How did the world ever survive????

Grinding Corn Using 100 year old French Granite Mill Wheel

Lunch at the War Eagle Mill Cafe

Another sad but interesting stop was Turpentine Creek, the largest big cat refuge in the US. The sad part is the ignorance of people who buy cute cubs as exotic pets. According to the refuge, there are more big cats in private homes than in the wild. As states begin to regulate Big Cat ownership the demands on refuges increase. The facility seems to be run quite professionally, unlike some marginal but well meaning ones I have seen. There is a sign thanking Walmart and Tyson for donated over 300,000 pounds of meat a year.

snoozing

There were lots of these beautiful tigers

The mountain lion eyes seem very predatory

Traveling in Pancho with the boys does not allow us to escape everyday chores. Taxes were done on the road, thanks to help from our CPA Diane and investment expert Sandra. Laundry is much easier now with our own washer and dryer on board. Mail would be manageable with the help of the Good Sam Mail Service, but for the Vashon PO. As with every year, forwards are ignored resulting in dentists and doctors tracking us down following returned mail saying temporarily away etc. Amazing that mail in the big urban area of Seal Beach is competent and a small island can't seem to manage. Among necessaries is periodic grooming for Raggie. Stickers and mud become problems when he is in need of a haircut. The campground manager recommended a woman who grooms dogs in a small studio on her property. Using the GPS to chart the course resulted in a route that became more and more narrow with increasing numbers of washouts.

We will backtrack after traveling a few hundred feet further

Neglected singlewides, no trespass signs and warnings of video surveillance evoked images of meth labs and recollections of Deliverance. We finally turned around, found the groomer and I was relieved to find she appeared to have all her teeth. Raggie looks years younger and all is well. After that adventure though, the Arkansas theme song though will be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf3wrZ-M35Y

A trip to Arkansas is not complete without a stop in Bentonville, especially for RV'ers who avail themselves of free parking in Walmarts while underway. When we are in SB or Vashon we never go to Walmart. Out preferences are Costco, Trader Joes, Farmers' Markets and Target and of course on Vashon the wonderful Thriftway market, and handy hardware stores. In many parts of the country these options do not exist. Except for upscale small towns, I have found the local Mom and Pop grocery stores to be pretty limited. Without debating labor practices, sustainability, vendor relations....., Walmart does provide a pretty amazing selection of goods throughout the country. The fresh produce options are plentiful and there are even some organic foods available. A Walmart critic once remarked to me that there was no need for Walmarts in remote areas, people can just patronize Mom and Pop stores and eat locally. Personally I do not want to give up my decent to good produce selection when I travel. Enough on that, the Musem was very nice, located at the site of Sam's original Five and Dime.