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Day Five. Mile 956. Amarillo, Texas. Before leaving Texas, we did a bit of backtracking to visit Cadillac Ranch just west of Amarillo. I don't know the full story on this place but it's basically ten Cadillacs buried in the ground at the same angle as the ancient Egyptian pyramids. People are encouraged to graffiti the cars. Really random. Reminds me of Cooper Pedy in South Australia.
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| A view of the Cadillacs from Interstate 40. |
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| A close up view of the Cadillacs. They really are perfectly aligned. |
Day Five Continued. Mile 1216. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. We wandered around a really cute area of Oklahoma City called Bricktown. I believe it's modeled after San Antonio's River Walk and is lined with restaurants and stores.
Afterwards, we drove just south of the city to meet up with an old high school friend and his family. Nate, Justin and I all went to high school together (and Nate and Justin date back to middle school). It was lovely to have our families hang out over dinner. While Charlotte was initially a handful (to say the least), once we placed her next to Preston, she calmed down quite a bit (thank goodness)! So much fun. To the Kane family - thank you again for such a fun evening!!!
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| Amber, Toby, Preston, Nate, Charlotte and Justin. |
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| Preston giving Charlotte a big hug. |
Day Six. Mile 1400. Fort Smith, Arkansas. This town lies just across the Oklahoma-Texas border and on the Arkansas River. The movie True Grit was also set around Fort Smith in the 1870s. We quickly drove through the Fort Smith National Cemetery, which is only one of two cemeteries in the country where both Union and Confederate soldiers are buried.
Afterwards, we attempted to visit the Fort Smith National Historic Site. We barely made it down the walkway before Charlotte had an epic meltdown. So back in the car we went.
Day Six Continued/ Day Seven. Mile 1530. Hot Springs, Arkansas. I think this might be one of our favorite spots on the whole trip so far.
People have allegedly been coming to Hot Springs for more than 200 years to experience the baths. In 1921, Hot Springs National Park was created to protect the 47 naturally flowing thermal springs along the southern slope of Hot Springs Mountain. I think it might be one of the few (if not only) national park to be located entirely within the city limits.
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| Charlotte was a bit grumpy that we didn't let her touch the water - a bit too hot for her. |
There is also this public "drinking fountain" in front of the
Administration Building for people to take some water home. It's really
tasting drinking water once it is cooled. Throughout our stay there,
we saw locals bringing huge bottles to fill up!
Many of the old bathhouses are preserved and on display along "Bathhouse Row." Some of them are still open for business. You can pay to take a bath in the thermal waters of the spring or have any other spa treatment.
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| This is a fountain in the middle of the men's bathhouse (which was exceedingly nicer than the women's bathhouse). |
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| Notice that Charlotte and I are relaxing in the front. :) |
The park also boasts some stunning hiking trails along Hot Springs Mountain.
Day Seven. Mile 1585. Little Rock, Arkansas. Our one and only stop while in Little Rock was the Clinton National Library.
Inside, they have a life size replica of the Clinton Oval Office. Justin's couldn't stop raving about how magnificent the desk was.
The only exhibit that grabbed Charlotte's attention was the one about the Clinton pets. Hilarious.
I think that's all I have in me for the time being. I'm gonna sneak into bed now and see how much more sleep I can get before Charlotte wakes up. And on our itinerary today? A visit to the king himself, ELVIS!!!!!
And to all who have been following our journey and commenting, thank you. It makes us feel so loved to know that y'all are thinking of us. :)
