Scribble World Travel Blog

Best Cats In The World

These are our crazy travel cats-adjusting to life beyond the van!  They’re such good sports. We think Ox and Paws are the best cats in the world. Just look at them-they’re cute little fuzz monsters, what’s not to love?  Sure, some people might like dogs, but dogs are smelly and they drool.

Both of our cats come when we call them.  Some people say they have a hard time getting their cats to come and that cats are aloof and anti-social. Again, you just have to understand a cat’s psychology. Knowing how to do a good kitty call also helps.  Now if we could just teach them to use the toilet…(and flush afterwards) although, nevermind, I just remembered an article I once read about cat poop being toxic and hurting some marine creature if flushed down the toilet.  Ok, litterbox it is. 

All Nighter To Watch The Tucson Sunrise

Chris & I pulled an all-nighter and drove to the foot of some mountains hoping to get a nice sunrise shot. Unfortunately, we weren’t placed quite right for the sunrise over the moutains, but we did get some decent ones of the city lights below. We’ll work on the moutain sunrise another time.

It was a lively experience being up at the crack of dawn. The air was soft and embracing but still cool. There wasn’t another soul in sight, but the birds were in full swing with all their chirping and tweeting. It’s amazing we people have learned to sleep through that.

Buckstaff Bath House, Hot Springs, Arkansas

The Buckstaff Bath House in Hot Springs, AR is currently the only operating bathhouse in Hot Springs.  I’ve been to hot springs before, but a bath house is quite different as it turns out.  Chris & I each paid our $23.76 admission fees, and then my experience went something like this:  I was invited to make my way upstairs to the ladies department, present the attendant with my ticket, and I would be taken care of.

A bath house attendant led me to a curtained changing room with a locker and instructed me to undress, and with my back turned, to let her know when I was ready.  She asked me to hold my arms up, and she wrapped a white sheet around me, then showed me to a waiting room with a handful of other ladies, who were also loosely wrapped in white sheets.

It’s funny how conversational and friendly strangers get when you’re all half-naked. Everyone wants to know where everyone is from and what brings ya here.  Probably a good thing too, because sitting in nothing but a sheet for half an hour might otherwise feel a little awkward.

My name was called and I was escorted to a small room with my own bathtub, where my attendant took the sheet from me and saw to it that I got in the tub alright, and propped a towel behind my neck for comfort.  There was a large powerful bubble blower in the tub.  I was left alone, and it was very relaxing.  After 15 minutes or so she came back to wash my back, arms and lower legs.  It was kind of funny but a pampering touch.  I was left alone for a few more minutes.

When she returned, it was time to get out and I was once again rather ceremoniously wrapped in a sheet by my attendant, and led to a bench to rest for a few minutes with a small cup of hot mineral water.  The next stop was something called the Sitz bath.  A small-almost sink-like tub that is supposed to be good for your lower back.

I was only in there a few minutes, then taken to a private-sized steam box for a few minutes.  I loved the steam room and would’ve stayed longer if I could’ve, but before I knew it, I was already being led to a table to lie down on my back, with a hot pack on my shoulders and a cold pack on my forehead.

It was then time for quick 2 minute “needle” shower, with small streams shooting at me from all directions.  It was nice, but 2 minutes is hardly long enough (There’s an attendant waiting for you so you can’t go over time).  I got dressed and went outside to find Chris already waiting in the van-asking what had taken me so long-he claims he’d been done for an hour.  We compared notes on the experience and there were a few differences.

He wasn’t given the sitz bath.  And he was in a larger steam room-not the personal sized steam room box.  Oh, and he was given the sheet to wrap himself in, whereas an attendant always wrapped and unwrapped me.

A similar old bath house was turned into a visitor center, so we were able to take pictures that fairly accurately resemble our experience at the Buckstaff Bath House.

Hot Springs Mountain Observation Tower

The 216 foot high observation tower atop Hot Springs Mountain, AR is hard to miss.  From the top, you can see for miles around, taking in the beauty of the Ouachita Mountains and Diamond Lakes.  After our $1 off coupons from the visitor’s center, admission into the observation tower and museum was $5/person.  An elevator ride, with a window for the back wall, up to the top makes for a nice ride.  The top is all open air, and there’s quite a breeze on a windy day.  The museum is just one floor below, and all encased with glass, so you’ve got a real nice view there too, as you walk around learning about the hot springs that gave the town it’s name.  Sadly, most of the hot springs have since caved in or been capped to prevent contamination, so there aren’t too many options at this time for would-be hot spring bathers.

Down below, however, there is a very nice park with lots of stairs and walking trails, and there are still natural hot springs there, but they are quite hot and more for aesthetics rather than bathing.  Although I was told you could dip your feet in the pool at the bottom….but it’s in the middle of a park square, so we opted for the bathhouse.

We’re In Our Van Surrounded By Tornados-Help!

Parked in a Walmart parking lot in South Garland county, near Hot Springs Arkansas, we sit in our van listening to the radio’s never ending tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms for our area. We were in total darkness when the power went out.  It’s scary, the wind and rain keep shaking and pounding our van-Chris is shielding his eyes and holding a towel up to the passenger window-it seems like it’s going to shatter any moment.  Being in a van, knowing there are tornados all around us, is a very helpless feeling, and the night just goes on and on.  Getting caught in all these storms is making us really miss Arizona, where we don’t have to worry about things like tornados, hurricanes or earthquakes. Sure there’s an occassional monsoon, but as long as you don’t have to drive in it, that’s kind of cool.

Normally, I love storms, just not when we’re confined to a vehicle with all our worldly possessions and two cats with flooded roadways and a feeling like there is no escape.

Clinton Library In Little Rock

Chris really wanted to go to the Clinton Library in Little Rock, which I went along with but wasn’t overly enthusiastic about because I was already daydreaming about the hot springs we might find in Hot Springs, Arkansas.  The Clinton Library was better than I expected.  The building itself is an interesting site-built with environmentally friendly or recycled materials.
It was interesting to see pictures of  Bill & Hillary looking kind of like hippies in college, learning about all the good things they’ve done to help people, and seeing the interesting gifts people sent them while they were in the White House, including a bench with a life size Hillary sitting on it.

There was a highly detailed model of the White House, and a full size Oval Office room for us to peak our heads into that we were told is just like the real thing.

The Old Mill, (It’s Beautiful!) Jacksonville, AR

We spent three great nights in Jacksonville, Arkansas staying with an old school friend from Wisconsin I hadn’t seen in ages.  She lives with her hubby and daughter on the airforce base, which was a totally new experience for us.  There were stores, gas stations, and even a big park with lots of turtles.  It was neat learning about life on the base and catching up.  We also walked around and took pictures of the old planes, it was really neat.

They took us to a place off the base called The Old Mill.  This is one of the most beautiful and unique places I’ve ever been that was completely free.  I was very impressed with the brick structures, bridges, and other artistic features.