Packing with the Pagáns

So..we only spent a few days in Murfreesboro, TN visiting with an old friend, BJ, and her family. Thanks to her son in law, Rey, who makes a homemade pizza crust. 🍕  We hurried on to Asheville, and skipped the Knoxville area, to meet up with Kyle. He just happened to be there visiting a friend.But on the way we drove through Kentucky. Then we stopped for lunch at Fort Defiance in Cairo, IL. (Couldn't get a "Welcome to IL" pic without getting killed on the bridge!). Fort Defiance is the spot where the confluence of the Ohio and the Mississippi exists.Pictures just don't show how wide it was! Lewis and Clark spent five days here teaching about celestial navigation and successfully obtained the first longitude and latitude data to continue their Expedition. All maps of the northern and western part of the US were made using their data. Right at the point So we spent 5 days in a beautiful downtown condo in Asheville with K...

Well, since I'm told all retired people go to Branson we had to check it out. And, yes, it sure seemed that way! Having said that, it made us feel " young" by comparison.  The downtown riverfront area had a great outside mall and a beautiful fountain. Then 2 shows. The Chinese Acrobats and The Haygoods.  Both were great. Who places the guitar and tap dances upside-down? The Haygoods! Had a picnic at Table Rock Lake View from our hotel front door.  On to Nashville....

Arrived at the beautiful view from our Airbnb in Jasper. Driving through Arkansas we followed the Camden Expedition Trail for many miles. The Camden Expedition was the final campaign in Arkansas conducted by the Union Army during the Civil War. It was a failure and they had to retreat to Little Rock. Weird here. Their dollar stores don't compete..they merge. On to Eureka Springs! Amazing architecture at Thorncown Chapel. It was nestled in the most serene setting and brought in so much light in the over 425 windows that were so clean you didn't think they were there! Christ of the Ozarks or "Huge Jesus" as my friend calls him. Very cute downtown here in Eureka Springs. Leaving Arkansas we came across Blue Eye. Not the smallest town we've ever come across. Still proud, as my friend John Michae...

Arrived in Hot Springs to check out the bath houses. Hot Springs has many natural Springs surrounding it. In fact,  more than 650,000 gallons flow from Hot Springs Mt daily. The average water temp is 143 degrees. So, in the 1800's people started building shacks over the Hot Springs. But by the late 1800's, large, ornate bath houses were built. People were given prescriptions from their doctors to go to Hot Springs for a few weeks and soak in the mineral water. It was suppose to cure anything from malaria, arthritis to syphilis. Luckily modern medicine has changed our treatment of those diseases! But you can still soak and get a spa treatment in two of the original bath houses. Lamar had marble tubs of different sizes. Personal treatment was given to everyone.  Fordyce now houses the Nat Park visitor center and has restored much of the inside to original. The Neptune stained glass skylight has more than 8,000 pieces of glass ...