I sat down to look at my calendar a couple weeks ago, and was shocked to see how quick this summer would go. I realized that if I wanted to take a weekend trip with a friend, the only weekend I had available was the NEXT weekend! After that I had things scheduled with my girls last weekend, this weekend, and then I leave for my first LONG international trip next week; more to come! When I saw what little time I had left, I decided a weekend adventure in Arkansas with a friend was just what my heart needed, so we made it happen. We were ready for the hot springs, hiking, and some Jeep Badge of Honor trails!
We left on Friday morning to make the 6.5 hour drive to Hot Springs, Arkansas, with Gussie loaded down with snacks, drinks, our bags, and of course our trusty recovery gear that we might need for the trails. I had taken a trip to Eureka Springs a few years ago and LOVED the beauty of Arkansas, so I was super excited for the chance to head back to visit a different area. Of course now that I have drank the Jeep kool-aid, no trip is complete without completing a Badge of Honor trail. I was super thankful that my friend was down to hit the ground running, quite literally, when we made it to Hot Springs, since that is how I roll when it comes to travel. We hadn’t even made it to our hotel yet when we saw the sign for the Garvan Woodland Gardens, which I remembered from pining on my Arkansas travel board, but hadn’t necessarily planned on stopping at this trip. However, life is short, so we busted a u-turn and headed to the gardens. Was I ever so thankful we did! If you are ever in the Hot Springs area of Arkansas, do NOT skip a trip here. The gardens are located in the Ouachita Mountains and not only boasted beautiful vegetation, but there were also amazing views of waterfalls, Lake Hamilton, and so many other artistic additions. We viewed many of the different areas of the gardens but my favorites were the Garvan pavilion, fairy garden, Evans tree house, cave and waterfall, Anthony Family Carillion Tower, and the Anthony Chapel. It was so peaceful to explore the gardens, and you could see God’s hand in creating such beauty every where you looked.
After leaving the gardens, we headed to the bath house row to check in to our cute motel that was located just a little off the row. We stayed at The Happy Hollow which was a super cute vintage motel that was located within walking distance to all things Hot Springs. We took a look around and dropped off our luggage after checking in, and then headed out to hike. Again, down time is not something I tend to have a lot of on weekend trips, and I was thankful my friend was down for it.
We decided to hike to the Hot Springs Balanced Rock. We had friends who had hiked Big Bend a week or so before and I thought it would be fun to get Balanced Rock pics in Arkansas since they had just posted the Big Bend Balanced Rock pics. The hike to the balanced rock was not long, but man was it steep! In the midst of our hike up to the rocks, I remembered I was supposed to be on a zoom call for my upcoming international trip. OOPS! Thankfully the group I am traveling with loves to travel and hike as much as I do, so they were totally down for some sketchy service and pretty views on the zoom call. When we did make it to the balanced rock we of course had to not only take pictures of it, but climb to the top. My friend is amazing at shooting drone videos, and shot probably the most epic video I have ever had taken of me. The drone was flown far out to see the Ouachita Mountains, and zooms in on me standing on top of the balanced rock. It was AMAZING!
After the hike we were starving and headed to bath house row to see what we could find. My friend suggested a pizza place called Deluca’s Pizzeria, and it was the perfect pick. The food was phenomenal and the drinks were tasty too. We thought it would likely be good when the waitress told us the owner is from New York, VERY Italian, and takes great pride in making good pizza. It was with out a doubt authentic with great flavor combinations on the pizza. We went with a half and half pizza based on our waitress’s favorites, and it was SO good. I was super excited to see that a few of the pizzas had peppadew on it, including our pick, which I hadn’t had since my last visit to one of my favorite South African eateries in the Houston area. We left Deluca’s full to the brim and enjoyed the walk back to our motel to get some sleep for the next day.
Hot Springs day 2 was dedicated to off-roading in Gussie. Thankfully, Hot Springs is home to all 3 Jeep Badge of Honor Trails that are up for grabs in the whole state! This of course was not a coincidence, since continental travel for me must include a badge of honor trail at this point. As we pulled up to the Hot Springs Off Road Park we saw tons of Jeeps and new we had arrived at the right place. We had planned on doing the three trials longest to shortest, which we also thought would be hardest to easiest, but as we got onto the trails I quickly realized that Arkansas might just rate their trails a little differently. As we looked at how the park had rated the trails versus how Jeep Badge of Honor had rated the trails, we realized they might be more difficult than originally expected, but it isn’t an adventure if you don’t challenge yourself, so to the trails we headed. The three trails we wanted to complete were Rubicon Ridge, Snake, and Fun Run. It was a big changed from my go to off road park, Hidden Falls, that is mainly dust, rocks, and hills in the Texas Hill Country. These trails were winding, lined with trees that had visible scuff marks were people had slid their vehicles into them, mud holes, slate rock, and plenty of loose rocks on the trails. At one point the foot was on the break, and the emergency break was engaged and Gussie was STILL SLIDING! It took some learning to navigate it all, but we managed to finish all three of the trails in one piece. Of course no Jeep trail day is complete without meeting other Jeepers who are also doing sketchy things on the trails and trying to get you in on the action. This trip it was a couple from Houston, who were drinking (which is not allowed), and kept setting these mini bottles of liquor out on rocks along the trail in front of us, wanting us to pick them up to take a shot. I died laughing as we grabbed them and threw them in the cooler when we drove by. At one point the husband decided it was a good idea to stand in the drivers seat, body out the top of the Jeep, put it in low, and just drive while standing in the seat. We always tend to meet at least one of these kind of Jeepers on the trail. My “But did you die?!” decal was referenced more than once after getting through some sketchy stretches of trails, but all in all, it was an awesome day of trails.
When we left the off road park we headed back to Hot Springs to take advantage of the name sake of the town and spend some time at one of the bath houses. We ended up going to the Quapaw Baths since they have a public pool. Of course I didn’t plan ahead enough to reserve a private bath, and really it isn’t my style. I love people watching too much for that. The hot springs felt absolutely wonderful on my sore body between the hiking the day before, and being tossed around the Jeep on the trails. We soaked for about an hour and a half before they closed and then headed out for supper. Since my friend picked the place the night before, it was my turn and we all know I can’t go anywhere without testing the Mexican food waters, even if it is North of Texas. The first place we stopped at had an hour wait, so we went to another choice, further off of bath house row, called the Colorado Grill, and it happened to be a hidden gem. The Mexican food AND margaritas were good even on Texas standards. My only complaint was that while the menu did have queso blanco, it also had this next to it…(cheese dip). I died laughing when I saw it, but it was all so good that I couldn’t give them too much grief. After supper we made the walk back to the Happy Hollow for our last sleep before heading back to Texas in the morning.
Before heading out we decided to stop for breakfast at a place called Phil’s Family Restaurant, and whoa was this an experience. To say this place was quirky would be an understatement. The interior was decorated like a mash up of Cracker Barrel and Storage Wars. It was so interesting that we debated while waiting for our food if they had hit up estate sales to decorate the inside, or if we thought they were all heirlooms from several generations of Phil’s family. When the food arrived though, none of that mattered. I have never seen such huge fluffy pancakes in my entire life. The amount of food that was brought to our table was literally enough for 4 people, and our bill was UNDER $20! If you don’t mind quirky, and want good food at a great price, Phil’s is a must! As we pulled out to head home we made a spur of the moment decision to head to the casino, with a $20 budget each, to try our luck at some slot machines. My friend had actually never been to a casino before, and now I had them at one on a SUNDAY. Talk about a bad influence; my bad. Surprisingly enough we were able to stretch our $20’s for a little less than an hour which was WAY longer than either of us expected. We loaded into Gussie and hit the road to Texas.
Arkansas did not disappoint and was just what I needed for a weekend get away. The weekend was filled with peaceful moments, exciting trails, and despite my Sunday gambling, ample opportunities to see God’s beauty in the nature surrounding us in Arkansas. It was also a great kick start to get me ready for my big travel coming up next week. While I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous to fly half way around the world for a restorative trip in an unknown country, I can say without a doubt that those nerves will not turn into fear, because FEAR IS A LIAR, and next week I am…
Bali Bound!
Fear is a Liar 
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