Hey noodle what did you do today?

Well I woke up at 8:30 and threw some things into my car (Clothes, toiletries, cooler), then gave mum a kiss and headed out! I stopped at Fast Eddie's for gas, then grabbed some groceries from Walmart (Tums too, since I was having heart burn). After that I was off! Breakfast that morning was a smol bag of powdered donuts, and a few Dorites.

I watched as the hills of Kentucky flattened out and became the plains of Tennessee. When the land decided that even the rolling plains and woodlands of Tennessee were too dramatic, the Mississippi intervened and turned the world into a pancake. Flat fields as far as the eye could see; rivaled in size only by the skies that hang above them. Every shade of green and yellow below, and every shade of blue and white above.

Over the course of my drive I felt sleepy, so I pulled off onto this little road (Called something like Ledox?), and considered parking and taking a power nap. However after finding n decent parking lot, I decided to bite the bullet and suck down an energy drink. That was ultimately the right decision, because it woke me up and allowed me to continue.

In Open Sky Country I saw a field fire, then a pickup hauling a monster truck behind him on a trailer, then eventually another field fire! I stopped at a rest area in Arkansas to pee (The trash cans had a furry as the mascot...Fitting!) and I stopped at a little gas station off the highway sometime later for gas. While there I ordered 3 chicken tendies and a side of fried okra. I considered getting the pepper poppers, but didn't want anything too spicy. I asked for BBQ sauce but found they'd given me Buffalo. So much for avoiding spice! That's okay...It was still really good!

I watched as the roads got progressively more busy...Little Rock! Though honestly, it's not so little! I passed by that city, then made my way through the roads until I got to the Hot Springs campground. I tried to reserve a spot, but you're supposed to park and set up first, so I did that. I went to the RV area and threw down a tent, then paid the ransom ($30! Yikes!). In hindsight I think there were tent spots near the beginning of the campground, and I could have used them.

Oh well. I headed to the National Park area, parked in a spot that still had 55 minutes left, then walked to the main building. Along the way I saw some springs coming out from the mountain and filling a fountain, and I put my hand in them...Yep! Very hot! I got to the main stretch, which was set up along 8 old bathhouses nestled up against a mountain's cliff. The official building was 4 stories tall (3 above, one basement) and had a lot of stuff dedicated to the history and geology! After exploring there I wandered a couple bathhouses down and purchased a stamp book, a medallion book, a couple medallions, and a little cup I was allowed to fill with water. I was even allowed to sample some water from the springs, though it had been cooled. It tasted just like the water at home! <3

After buying my swag I wandered to the end of the block, filled my cup with some water from the free-fill fountain area (It was super hot there too!), and hustled back to the main building. I'd already gotten a stamp from the gift shop, but needed to get ones from the main building! Luckily, I got there with 10 minutes to spare. I then headed up a trail and explored a little of the springs, but wandered down to the street again and stopped in a little restaurant. They purport to sell the only beer made with hot springs water in the world, so I figured I'd grab a novelty beer. I asked the waitress what her favorite was, and she told me Jon's Golden Wit. One of those then, please!

I got the beer and holy crap, it was actually amazing! Smooth, good, rich...So much better than the crap Jesse drinks!

After my beer I headed back to my car and drove up the hill a ways, did a U-turn in a driveway that said it was private property and U's weren't allowed (In my defense, this sing was small, and I couldn't read it until I was already in their drive), then headed back down the hill. I made my way back to the campsite, then decided to do a trail!

I walked down to past the campground and an older gentleman chatted with me. He was traveling the country and he loved the national park maps, and would often send them to friends and relatives. Apparently he's from Austin, so I guess I'll tell his city 'hi' for him tomorrow! I continued on to a wide creek, where two older women (sisters McGee) from Louisiana were looking for pretty rocks. I wished them the best, and hiked up the mountain. The trail meandered this way and that, and I'm still not used to hills so it was tough! Nevertheless I made it to Goat Rock, then Goat Rock Overlook...But it didn't look like a goat. Reeee!

While up there I noticed a cache was just 350 feet up the mountain. Easy, right?

NO!

I twisted along nonexistent trails and had to rest on a couple boulders along the way. I did see some lizards, and even a little ring-necked snek (The ones that only reach a max length of like 6 inches), but eventually my persistence paid off! I got to the top, and saw a nice Hispanic couple from the area being romantic and enjoying the view. I felt bad for interrupting, but I wanted to see the view as well, and also get the cache. I marveled at the majesty for a few moments, feeling a sense of absolute awe at the rolling green canopies disappearing into a fine blue dome, then returned back to Earth and quickly found the cache. I grabbed a little West Bend laminate card and after signing my name, I realized my glasses were missing.

Hecc.

I checked back through the photos to ensure I'd brought them with, and sure enough I found a few pics with me wearing them. I had originally planned to take the easy route back down, but figured I owed it to my glasses to try and find them. I decided that if I didn't find them on the trek back down, they'd be the mountain's property. Truthfully I doubted they'd be found, since the trail was not clear and rocky and I could have lost them anywhere, or they could have tumbled down, or anything...But as I descended, I saw a boulder that I'd rested on, and found them waiting for me. Glasses! :D

With renewed vigor I descended back to a normal trail, then took it back down to camp. I saw a woman ascending as I passed her...She was out of breath, and I understood that all too well...But then I got down to the creek, and after poking around a few places, found a good spot to relax.

The water was super cold, and it took my breath away, but there's no more refreshing a reward after a long, hot hike. My aches flowed away and my pains were replaced with soothing ice. I headed back up to my campsite (Which was campsite number 17), asked a ranger if they had showers (Nope...Okay tho, since creek bath), then brushed my teeth, used the bathroom, and after poking around a little and trying to organize my life (A futile gesture at this juncture), I got in my tent, plugged my computer to a nearby plug-in, and did some typing. While doing so I saw a smol tick crawling up my computer. What the hecc!

I finished typing around 10 and tried to go to sleep, but my nose kept closing up and I had trouble with it. I grabbed my nostril-openers around 11:30 and slept fairly okay! A little hard on the ground, but overall comfy!

I hope everyone has a Hot Springs day! <333