Friday, July 29, 2016

Hot Springs, Arkansas: Adams Family Vacation -Day 3

We got up pretty early this morning so we could drive up the road into Lake Catherine State Park. The property we are staying on backs up to the park, which makes it really pretty and tranquil out here. We had selected an easy 2 mile hiking trail that led to a waterfall.

The trail was beautiful and the kids had a lot of fun exploring the woods around the trail. It was fairly easy terrain most of the way, although there were a few higher sections that had Nick on edge. His anxiety when doing outdoor things with small children is high enough that I don't have to worry as much since he's doing it for both of us. It's good to be cautious though.
We stopped along the way quite often for pictures and to explore, so the trail took us a couple of hours to complete. Once we made it to the waterfall, which really wasn't much of a waterfall at the moment due to the creek that feeds it being low, there were plenty of large boulders and rocks to climb on and explore. Jason and I did a little bit of climbing and the little kids stayed with Nick and Heather and threw rocks into the water.
We stopped for a snack break for a while and then finished up the trail just before lunchtime. By then we were all pretty hot and sweaty, and everyone was getting hungry. We came back to the house for sandwiches and to regroup. That's when we split up for the afternoon.
Jason and Heather took the kids back to the state park to go fishing for a little while. Once they got tired of fishing, everyone changed into their swimsuits and they had a good time playing in the lake for a while.

Nick walked across the street from our house to the Diamondhead Golf Clubhouse and rented some clubs and set off to play his first round of golf in about 3 years. Dad was tired so he took a nap, and I changed clothes and headed into Hot Springs for a while. I went to the old downtown area where the bathhouses are located and walked around, playing Pokemon Go and wandering into shops. I bought some handmade soap and bath salts for myself, and after a couple of hours headed back to the house.
Tonight was fajita night, so we got supper ready around 6. After dinner, Heather and I walked the kids down the street from the house to a really cool old-school playground. All of the equipment is probably from the 70s or so, and the kids thought it was so cool. We are talking metal slides and everything. It was a lot of fun.
We could hear thunder in the distance and started to see lightning, so we headed back to the house and I made chocolate chip cookies for everyone before we got the kids all bathed and into the bed. Tomorrow we are heading to an alligator farm and the Garvin Woodland Gardens.

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