Day 5, May 10, 2021
I awoke today not ready to leave Hot Springs, Arkansas. This is such a wonderful small city/town with lots of natural beauty, things to see, and my hotel room was absolutely beautiful and comfortable. I got up around 7:30 a.m., packed my things and headed out for one last stroll through bathhouse row. I had intended to do another hike, but I was feeling pretty sore from yesterday. As I walked down Bathhouse Row I remembered that I hadn't yet gone into the Bathhouse Museum at Fordyce Bathhouse so I went in and explored it. They had set the place up as it was back in its heyday of bathing. I am including some pictures here.
I hemmed and hawed over whether or not to get souvenirs. When I was young, I thought it extremely important that I
got a souvenir from everywhere I went. As a young teenager I
used to collect key chains from everywhere I went.
After that became way too bulky to continue, I opted to switch to other
collectors items. While living in France I traveled a lot to the
surrounding countries. When I was there I got a patch from the country
and I also got little figurines that represented
the country. However, I don't have a big Museum house and don't plan on ever having one. Our house has very little wall space. I don't have a lot
of space to display things. And I have learned that I don't want to
have all of those things to be dusting. In my
later years I have determined that a collectors smashed penny is all I need to have a small token of the
place and it doesn't take up a lot
of space, nor does it cost very much money. However, since
starting this trip, I have not seen one penny smashing machine. So,
I've been a bit at a loss... but really, thank goodness for photographs.
And with cell phones there is no limit to the amount of photos I can
take. And really, that is all the souvenir I need.
I then headed on my way to Oklahoma! This is my 49th state! I spent most of the day driving along a highway across southern Oklahoma. It was really neat to see the landscape change from mountain forests to open plains.
Along the way I stopped at a place called Sulphur, Oklahoma. I took a short break and walked around a park. Wonder why it's called Sulphur? The second I got up to the water fountain the scent hit me like a wave... and I knew why. It really is a beautiful sight.
I continued on to Lawton, where I am staying the night. This town is apparently the 5th largest in the state. By the time I arrived, the attractions I came to see were closed, so I am mainly resting tonight, and I will explore some museums in the morning.
And my hotel you might wonder? Is a big change from the one I just left. I
picked it because it was the cheapest motel and the pictures of it were
nice, and the site said it was newly remodeled. I will give it to them,
the floors are nice. But that is where
it stops. My sheets are not clean. And I suspect there might be some
mouse poop in it. I could ask for some clean sheets, but I don't want to
go back to the check-in place. There is a wall separating the office
and the people checking in with a locked window
and a small hole to place my ID. It looks like a gas station in a
sketchy part of town. But... I did pay only $45 for the night.
Doesn't look so bad at first glance...
But then...
This of course, makes me think of the worst hotel stay I've ever had. I had been road tripping with two college friends who didn't know each
other. We had driven from Idaho down to Arizona and had been exploring
the area. On our way back north we stopped in
Las Vegas. We got in line to book a room on or near the strip. When we
got to the front of the line there was only one room left and the price
was more than we really wanted to pay. Divided by the three of us, it would have cost
us each $30. In my college kid mind that was
way too much. We ended up getting back in the car and driving around
for another hotel. We ended up in a very sketchy part of town in the
last hotel room available in Vegas. It was one of those situations that
we agreed "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas".
But because this was so long ago and it's doubtful that
anyone reading this blog will know the girls I was with, let's just say that we got the last room in all of Vegas; it was a smoking room, a single queen bed, and
us three girls. We were asked if we wanted to rent the room by the hour
or by the day. I was mortified! Let's just say we did not stay there
longer than we had to. And it was a pretty cozy night because we all know that a "queen" bed in a hotel is really only a double. And we all stunk
of stale smoke the next morning.
Back in the present, I am happy to report that this city has an Aldi in
it and luckily I was able to get some strawberries, raspberries and
chocolate to cope with the situation. :-)
While at Aldi, I over heard a couple of men (in their 20s?) speaking to each other in an other language--not one I recognized. What could it be? If we had been in PA, I would have thought Yiddish.
If I don't end up with lice after this, it will be fine. :-)
Well Cherry, I hate crummy accommodations - we stayed in one in Springfield, IL last summer. Yes I'm spoiled but I can afford to be spoiled. :) Hooray for raspberries and chocolate! We were in Oklahoma last June and July. Southwestern OK was much hillier than I expected. Lawton is a military town, I'm sure you've discovered.
ReplyDelete