November 29 and 30, 2011 Hot Springs

 

On the 29th we were still in Hot Spring, Arkansas camped at the national park.  The river finally went down enough so I could get back to the trail a few days ago from the flood. I did a nice hike on the sunset trail.

Water running down the rocks, a root in the trail and

two trees, with their legs crossed. I walked to the rock shop down the street. Tons of cool rocks, here are some Arkansas crystals.

 

And here are a couple other photos from the sunset hike. A pine cone, a cream colored mushroom, a white one, a red one and a yellow one, and some seeds from some plant I don’t know what is.

On the 30th we headed down to Millwood Lake to be close to the low spot in Oklahoma. On the way we stopped in Hope, the birthplace of Bill Clinton and went to the town museum. Me and Bill, a cast of a 200 lb. watermelon. Hope is know for their watermelons

Hillary in the bathroom, Hope, the birthplace of Bill Clinton.

These are a few things from one of his campaigns.

 

Here is the bus at the Corp of Engineers camp site on Millwood Lake, Arkansas, birds in the sunset over the lake. I took a long bike ride down a dirt road along the lake near sunset.. Lots of birds overwinter on the lake. Arkansas has the largest population of mallards in the US in the winter.

And a tree at sunset, Sunset from the bus

Rail Car apartments. A bunch of box cars turned into houses and rented out. John at the low point of Oklahoma on the Little River. I am in Arkansas taking the photo of him in Oklahoma. The actual low point was a huge garbage dump at the end of the road. John did not feel like hiking over the broken glass, past the water moccasins and alligators to get any closer to the river.

After the low point we went to Texas, to Texarkana. this is the post office and federal building. Half is in Texas and half is in Arkansas. The Occupy Texarkana people were picketing. There were 3 fema cars and cops watching them.

  John with one foot in Arkansas and one in Texas. The occupy people are behind him. The top of a statue to our loyal confederates,

the Ace of Clubs house. It was built with gambling winnings. It has three octagonal rooms to make the top of the club and a long room behind to make the stem. And a winding staircase going up 20 feet to the tower above. It is coincidentally right behind the oldest church in town. And GASP, danger Alligators!!

 

Sunset on Millwood lake was lovely again, so I took lots of shots.

dock and a boat coming in

the wake and sunset from the bus

November 26-27 2011 Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

 

Not much happening.  John cooked us a scrumptious  turkey dinner for  Thanksgiving . We did a short hike. Relaxed a lot.

John cooking and a wet leaf

I got into the patterns on the water. Plaid, twisted

over and around, more plaid water

over and  around water and a cool oak tree at the look out at Goat rock

A walking stick, it is at least 6 inches long. Basket done, view 1

the basket finished, view 2 and 3

Today we both got massages and soaked. I walked the trail over and back the long way thru the park to the bath house.

November 19, 20 2011

In our quest to see the worlds largest items,  mid America science museum had the worlds largest conical tesla coil. The coil generates lightening. It is in a cage so as to not endanger any of the spectators or burn down the building. Pretty awesome.



Also this globe which made the electricity from where ever you touch the globe. this one is from John’s nose and  lips.

My fingers. Good Lord. I had a bit too much electricity in the last shot.
Below are the trick mirrors.



The view from the walk way at the museum, Giant fish below the walkway.

check out this  nifty pecan nut cracker we got for the box of pecans John gathered in the campground in Memphis.It began to rain, 6 inches in one evening. Huge lightening and really loud thunder. the sleepy little creek behind the bus raged.


Here is a before and after of the trail. the water line on the second photo is where the stepping stones above the waterfall is

A self portrait, rain shots.  There was another 3-6 predicted for the next night, so we moved the bus to higher ground for the night . They only got about 2 more inches, but lots of lightening and thunder. We moved back after the storm.



The chili cook-off in Hot Springs. It was the kick off of the holiday season, they turned on the xmas lights after wards.



We went to the Crater of Diamonds State park. It is a diamond mine that is open to the public. You can dig diamonds and keep anything you find. John sifting dirt at the diamond mine.

And the diamond field. We did not find any diamonds. But we tried.  Hair is your destiny!