Hiking right out of our boots

We were less sore than expected Monday morning and were ready to go at it again.  We headed down to the marina on the lake to rent a kayak.  We wanted to go for half a day but since the wind was supposed to pick up we could only take it out for an hour.  This meant we had to get a lot of kayaking in a short period of time.  The lake we were on is narrow with lots of little fingers and coves so there was a lot to explore but we also wanted to make sure we could find our way back.  We decided to kayak down to where the waterfall we hiked to the previous day emptied into the lake.  As a married couple we have been together in a boat a few times.  I think all premarital counseling needs to include either canoeing or kayaking to see how well a couple communicates, works together, and gives or takes directions.  After kayaking for an hour my arms were shot but Arthur who has arms that are thicker than some trees would have liked to gone longer.  

That afternoon we headed into Hot Springs to explore.  Hot Springs as a natural hot springs which has made it a tourist destination for years for people with ailments to bathe in the warm water.  We went to a small museum about the history of the area and a model of what a bathhouse would look like.  We decided that Arthur wouldn’t be able to fit any the changing stalls that were built for men not exceeding 6 feet tall.  I was also interested in the vintage physical therapy equipment which included lots of machines that massage or vibrate the body to build muscle.  They also had an elctrohydrotherapy tub.  This no longer flies because electricity and water together is a bad idea.  I think we both enjoyed the vintage gymnasium which included a lot of ropes, hanging rings, and weighted clubs or medicine balls for strengthening.  No treadmills or bench press there. 

 While the museum was okay (the National Parks Service needs to update their educational films from the 1980s.) we decided to hit the trails.  We crisscrossed several trails on Hot Springs Mountain.  While the mountain is basically in the city you would never realize that because of all the trees (I guess those trees may be all right).  We were interested in how the trails and landscape were so different compared to we were where the day before 20 miles away.  There were less rocks and the undergrowth wasn’t as thick.  After a few hours we had to call it a day since Arthur’s hiking boots had literally fallen apart so the majority of the sole was no longer attached and he had some pretty good blisters going on.  This called for a shopping trip.  Arthur is not a big fan of shopping.  At the sporting goods store we searched high and low for hiking shoes that were size 14.  When Arthur shops his primary consideration is not what shoe he likes best but which one comes in his size which narrows down the field of options considerably.  He found a pair and was then a happy camper since we went out to eat at Stubby’s BBQ Pit.  One of our rules for this trip was eating at local restaurants and no chains.  We actually found some pretty neat places to eat on our culinary adventures.  That evening involved more slug time as we watched Toy Story 3 and ate a container of cookie dough ice cream.