Rambling ’round Hot Springs

Thursday, May 12, 2022

Lake Catherine State Park is the most peaceful campground we’ve visited so far. I guess we were too tired last night to perceive the foreshadowing of the lift truck parked nearby. Around 7:00 this morning, Chainsaw Serenade, our journey’s leitmotif, suddenly reemerged. Jane was asleep but arose as the branches began thudding to the ground. The best view of the logging activity just behind the RV was from the bathroom window from which she provided commentary about the lack of safety, no hard hats, sneakers, etc. She finally grabbed a lawn chair and sat outside to watch the final felling of a huge pine tree. This morning was a rather stark contrast to the tranquil night.

T-i-m-b-e-r!

Lake Catherine is a beautiful state park so we decided we should take a short hike on our last day here. We opted for a part of Falls Branch trail that led to a pretty waterfall, then returned to our campsite, about 1.75 miles total. 

Waterfall along Falls Branch Trail, Lake Catherine State Park

Millsap Canopy Bridge in Garvan Woodland Gardens

After our time at the gardens, we decided to stroll the Grand Promenade downtown behind Bathhouse Row. There, our return loop was around the front of Bathhouse Row and we visited two bathhouses that were closed when we had lived here. The Quapaw Bathhouse is now an operational spa and also houses a cafe where we enjoyed mango-peach smoothies. We also entered the Lamar Bathhouse that now serves as a National Park store. This hike was about a mile long. Jane couldn’t refuse filling another plastic jug with water from a community fountain; this one dispensed hot water.

We moved the car near the beginning of the Hot Springs Creek Greenway. Jane was eager to see some of this greenway because she had performed an initial plant inventory (while working for the City of Hot Springs while in grad school at UAF) of a portion of it while the greenway was still in the planning stage. We were both impressed with the scope and quality of the greenway but were growing weary of walking in 90+ degree heat so we only covered a small portion of the trail (1.75 miles round trip). During this walk, we were able to drop by a nearby hardware store and bakery to purchase some provisions.

Jane uprights a Sculpture along the Hot Springs Creek Greenway

We then drove around exploring the area including the Gulpha Gorge Campground until we decided to head to a favorite restaurant for dinner. It had changed from a Chinese to a seafood restaurant but we had a great meal sitting right on Lake Hamilton then headed back to the RV for a restful evening.

Dining at Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant on Lake Hamilton