Hot Springs National Park

There are hot springs all over the United States but none will take you back in time the way Hot Springs National Park will. Pulling onto bath house row you will be transported back to the 1920's - when these Arkansas hot springs were believed to cure whatever ailed you. Today, we know that the water isn't magic, but there is still something about this place. Its not uncommon to find people filling up jugs from the public springs - both hot and cold - to bring this water back home. My dad tells me that my great-great grandfather used to frequent the springs, so it was fun to step back in time and imagine Hot Springs as it once was.

Start your visit at the National Park Visitors Center, located in the restored Fordyce Bathhouse. There is a short film on the history of Hot Springs National Park and the prominence of the bathhouse. Then catch the ranger lead tour of the Fordyce Bathhouse, the only fully restored bathhouse in Hot Springs. The tour takes you to see the best rooms in the place - plus you can ask questions about the strange gadgets in every room that were thought to help enhance the healing properties of the water. Most of the stained glass is original and really gives you a flavor for the place. My favorite room was the fully restored gym complete with hanging rings and medicine balls.


If the tour has you wishing you could take a soak two of the bathhouses are open for bathing. Jeff and I stopped next door at the Quapaw Baths for a quick soak. Quapaw has several heated pools and provides you with robes and a chilled spring water to drink while your in the pools. These pools are communal and bathing suits are required. We basically had the place to ourselves when we were there, although it apparently gets crazier in the summer.

Next, take a stroll down bathhouse row and back up the promenade. Interpretive signs have been placed in front of each of the bathhouses while the National Park Service works on restoring a few more of the houses. Several fountains on bathhouse row spew out boiling water - if your visiting on a chilly day steam fills the air. At the end of bath house row stairs lead up the hill behind the houses to the promenade, a brick walking paths used by bathhouse visitors for a bit of fresh air. We found lots of visitors taking a stroll and viewing the bath houses from behind. The promenade also provides views of all the hot springs on the hill. The springs have all been covered to prevent contamination but the steam rises from the green boxes and each springs name is prominently displayed. The promenade dead ends into a park with an open spring running down a hillside and into a fountain. Here you can see the large historic hotels that once housed all the bathhouse visitors.

There are plenty of little places to grab a bite to eat - we didn't really find any that stood out but there were plenty of options even on a Sunday. There are some longer walking paths you can take if time permits, we however had to head back to Fort Worth. You could certainly spend a whole weekend relaxing here, although its probably better suited for a day trip.

Elizabeth Meets Buzz Aldrin

Buzz Aldrin lives in southern California, so he's nearby Edwards. At a recent work conference, Elizabeth was able to see Buzz Aldrin and snapped this photo. The Apollo 11 hero is on the right side.

Little Rock, AR

It's a five hour jaunt up I-30 from Fort Worth to Little Rock, but it is a weekend trip that will not disappoint.

Three hours into our drive, just before we crossed the border we made a dinner stop in Texarkana. When we were there in January 2011, most of the roads in Texarkana were under construction making getting around very difficult. Despite the traffic problem a stop at the IronWood Grill is well worth it. They don't take reservations, but on busy nights they do call ahead seating - which you'll need since the wait can be over an hour otherwise. I had some delicious fish tacos (my favorite!) but they have something for everyone on the menu.

You'll start to notice the landscape change once you leave Texarkana and cross into Arkansas - for this Georgia girl it started to look a bit more like home. We stayed in a downtown hotel giving us lots of flexibility to walk to most attractions.

Saturday morning we walked around downtown Little Rock looking for breakfast. The Little Rock River Market has lots of little breakfast options if you are looking for a pastry and coffee to go. I was in the mood for a full sit down breakfast so we headed over to the Capital Hotel for an amazing breakfast that got the morning off to a great start. Even if you don't grab some food here make sure to stop by just to see this grand old hotel.

The Clinton Presidential Library & Museum is located at the end of E Markham St. so a few minutes walk through downtown or down the river takes you right to the museum. The museum will take you a few hours and covers Clinton's years in the presidency. The Clinton Library will make you feel great about being American - maybe its the piped in music that is reminiscent of "The West Wing." The sections on the Clinton Presidency are very well done covering everything from the Economy to Impeachment. The Library does not address anything prior to the Campaign and is smaller then some of the other libraries. (The picture above shows the entirety of the permanent gallery.) The building itself is LEED certified - ask any of the docents and they are happy to tell you about the bamboo and recycled tire flooring. Out of the five presidential libraries we have been to, this is the only one that lets you take a picture in front of the oval office with your personal camera. (The George Bush Sr. Library takes your picture and sells it to you, the rest have had a strict no picture policy.)

After the library, head just across the complex, past the Clinton School of Public Service to Heifer International's Heifer Village. The Village has a lovely visitors center with 30min worth of interactive exhibits and information on sustainable living. There is a small cafe, although on the Saturday we were there it was not running full service lunch. Stop by the desk in front and ask about their LEED Building tour which will take you into their LEED certified platinum headquarters building (don't worry it was built with separate building funds - not through typical donations.) The building is worth seeing as it takes into account its home on a former wetlands and reincorporates that into its design. The tours are free - call or ask at the front desk for times.

After the building tour we walked back into downtown, although you can also ride the shuttle from the Clinton Library to the Clinton Museum Gift Shop if your legs are getting tired, to grab some lunch at the River Market.

After lunch we hopped into our car to see some of what Little Rock has to offer outside of the downtown area. Little Rock Central High School is only 5min (by car) from downtown. The National Historic Cite Visitors Center (across the street from the school) has a comprehensive exhibit on the events surrounding The Little Rock Nine as well as an overview of the Civil Rights Movement. Like me, you've probably studied the events of September 23, 1957 and Brown v. Board of Education, but there is something about standing outside the school, on the same street, that really brings it home. In case you are wondering, Little Rock Central High School is still an active high school, so you can not wonder around inside.

Next, we made our way to the Big Dam Bridge - a pedestrian bridge that connects river trails on both sides of the Arkansas River. Our visit was marked by beautiful weather, so the bridge was packed with runners, bikers and visitors of all ages admiring the bridge. We were in a hurry and didn't make it all the way across, but walked up high enough to get a view of the locks that allow boats to bypass the dam. (We were in a hurry, because we were on our way to mass at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew.)On our next visit we want to rent bikes and bike to the bridge from downtown.

There are plenty of night time activities in downtown Little Rock. We headed off the main drag (just a block or two) for dinner at the Copper Grill. My soup came in this cute little pot and poured out table side, which I really enjoyed. Although dinner was great, we bypassed desert at the restaurant in favor of a little bakery (The Brown Sugar Bakeshop) that we had passed on our way to dinner. Unfortunatly, we found the lights out and the doors locked - but the sign said they were open till 8pm. A woman came to the door holding a piece of cake and told us they had completely sold out, except for this last piece of cake - which she then gave to us along with two forks! We gratefully took the cake, but vowed next time we are in town to grab desert first. As an evening activity we took advantage of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra's discounted military tickets and had a chance to see Philip Mann conduct from the fifth row! It was the perfect end to our Little Rock adventure.

George Bush (41) Presidental Library

On a rainy Fort Worth Saturday we decided to take a jaunt down to College Station, TX to visit the George Bush Presidential Library & Museum. We inherited our love of presidential museums from my parents when they came out to California to hit the Regan and Nixon libraries in a long weekend. There are currently 13 presidential libraries in 11 states. Visiting the presidential libraries is a great way not only to learn about the President and the Presidency but it is also a time capsule of America. The psychology student in me loves analyzing what each man has decided to include and how they frame their presidency.

Fourty-One's museum is one of my favorites. (I suspect some of my love of this particular museum stems from personal memories of the events.) My favorite part was learning about Bush's life before becoming president. The museum has lots of family photographs and interactive video. Jeff loved the exhibits on Bush's experience in the Navy (and the full airplane hung from the ceiling) and I loved reading about his romance with Barbara and their early life together. The museum focuses on the whole Bush family - providing the added benefit of getting to watch George Bush (43) grow up. The exhibits focusing on the Presidency itself was a bit sparse compared to other museums. There is fun little computer activity at the end where you ask either George or Barbara a question and you get a personalized printed letter with the answer. Other things of note: the worlds largest poinsettia, a piece of the Berlin Wall, the future burial site of the Bush's and (my favorite) President Bush's sky diving video.

The George Bush Library is on the Texas, A&M campus, so if the weather is nice take a walk around. (We spent a rainy Saturday here and decided to enjoy the campus by vehicle instead.) At some point you will need a bite to eat so head down to campus and visit the original Freebirds. Jeff proclaimed it to be the "best burrito he has ever eaten" and encourages anyone who goes here to try the BBQ sauce on your burrito. I stuck to the taco combo and I have to admit it was delicious.

We also made a quick stop at Messina Hoff Winery for their tour and tasting. The cardboard cutouts of the owner placed around the tasting room in his trademark red bray should have been a sign that we were in for something special. The tour is mostly of the B&B across the parking lot which has a strange collection of European antiques including a really old door that is still in use. Then you head over to the wine bar for a few sips. You will be treated like you have never seen wine before - so be ready for that. I did not particularly enjoy the wine, but everyone's tastes are different and I am certainly no wine expert. On a high note you do get to take your glasses with you. The restaurant on property is well renowned - so if you can plan ahead to have a meal there I've heard its quite good.

We had originally thought of making this trip an overnight but shortened it to a day trip because I had been on work travel the week before and wanted to be at home. It was perfectly doable as a day trip - its amazing how much ground you can cover when it doesn't take 45 min just to leave Edwards!

Alamogordo NM to Fort Worth TX

The final leg of our trek from Edwards to Fort Worth started just outside Alamogordo, New Mexico. We showed up in the mid afternoon and quite naturally stopped in to the White Sands National Monument visitor center. Elizabeth got the passport stamp and I learned about a ranger led walk on the sand dunes. Most ranger talks are good, but Ranger Michelle was outstanding. Walking the dunes on your own is a mistake - we learned so much more about the area from Ranger Michelle. Had we more time, we would have spent time sled-riding down the dunes (NPS condoned) or taken a longer walk. Sunset over the dunes was filled with awesome hues.

For dinner, we tried Memories Restaurant in Alamogordo. This restaurant is on the first floor of a residential house/inn, decorated with a random assortment of old glassware. That aside, the food was solid (bonus points for the green chili soup) and the service was on par with what I'd expect from a fancy spot. It's the best restaurant I've found in Alamogordo to date.

Holloman AFB 's lodging is fine - USAF standard.

When in Alamogordo, be sure to check out the world's largest pistachio nut (and other area pistachio growers). Several have small visitor areas and pistachio tasting bars. There's also the New Mexico Museum of Space. We didn't stop on this trip because I've been before. But for a first-timer, it's a must-see. They have the burial site of Ham, the first space chimp and a most impressive meteority collection.

We pushed on to Roswell, New Mexico and visited the International UFO Museum. They have a military discount, but you may feel a little odd showing your ID at a place that suggests military conspiracy in the UFO matter. There isn't much else to do in Roswell. But if you've got time to jog 20 miles south to Dexter, visit the Dexter National Fish Hatchery. You can call Michelle Bell and arrange a tour. We missed the tour, but will probably try if we head back that way.

From Roswell to Fort Worth, the travel story becomes less exciting. We planned to overnight in Lubbock TX to visit the windmill museum, Buddy Holly Center and prairie dog park. But instead, we had a burst of energy and make it to Abilene. There, we stayed with a college/grad school/USAF friend named Kelsey. It was good to catch up with her after a long trip of strangers. We dined at a place called Little Italy and had such good conversation, we closed the place down. Their claim to fame is an outstanding sundried tomato salad dressing.

The following day, Elizabeth and I drove the blue Toyota Matrix along I-30 to the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth. Our trek to Texas was over. The trip marked our first inter-state road trip as a couple. And this opportunity to explore a part of the American Southwest did not disappoint. I'm happy to say that we're now road-trip partners and look forward to our next trip together.