Garvan Gardens

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

We spent the morning in Hot Springs picking up some items we needed. Jim also took the truck to Sam's to have a slow tire leak fixed. We got back to the rv about 3. Jim took the boys for a walk and I realized we had not gone to Garven Gardens and that was something I had on my list of things to see. They closed at 6, but we figured we would have time to see it. We had a quick lunch and got there about 4:15. We pretty much had the park to ourselves. The garden was begun by Verna Garvan and has continued on by the University of Arkansas.

Another place with nature's beauty!



There were waterfalls, bridges, sculptures, and beautiful views.
















There were even peacocks!



So we finished a little after 6:00 and headed back home.






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Location:Hot Springs State Park

A Boat Trip and a Walk in the Woods

Tuesday, October 25, 2011
We woke up to a sunny day with no wind, a great day to take out our Sea Eagle. We have an inflatable Sea Eagle Foldcat boat. It's great for small lakes and rivers.
Here's Jim and the process of putting it together and inflating it. It takes about twenty minutes to put together, inflate, and get in the water.




























The seats haven't been put on yet, but after we did that, we were off! Here are some of the views from the water









This a couple of the cabins on the state park.

















This is an elaborate stone barbeque and patio.








Below is a two story log cabin.








This is the state park from the water.









We returned to the rv for lunch, then took off for the two miles falls trail. The trail was rated easy to moderate. We didn't realize it, but we actually went backwards doing the harder part of the trail first. One of the first things we encountered was a tree that had recently fallen across the trail. We had to duck and walk underneath to get back on the trail.

There were bridges, vistas, and walks through the colorful foliage.




































We got to the falls and there was a small stream going down. We were told there has to be a big rainfall for them to stream full force. It is approximately 10 feet tall.









We completed the trail with more views of the lake.


















As we walked back to our site, we stopped as this camper was feeding the geese.









Tomorrow, a grey, drizzly day is forecasted. Sometimes you have to have days like that to catch up on all the inside stuff. :)
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Location:Lake Catherine State Park, Arkansas

Lake Catherine State Park

Monday, October 24, 2011

We left a foggy Mississippi River and drove approximately 175 miles to Lake Catherine State Park which is about 15 miles from Hot Springs, Arkansas.




The trees certainly have more colors than they did 10 days ago. We got settled in our site in the woods with the lake in the background. Tomorrow we plan to explore the park and hopefully take our boat out.



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Location:Hot Springs, Arkansas

Memphis Zoo

October 22, 2011

This afternoon we went to the





We used our San Antonio Zoo membership to get in half price. We had no idea what a wonderful and beautiful zoo it was!

The main reason we went was to see Ya Ya and Le Le who came from China in 2003.








We also saw gorillas




Giraffes




And even a polar bear!





But...our favorite display was the grizzly bears. There were three of them. After talking to a docent, we found out they were three years old and flown in directly from Yellowstone when they were cubs. We probably spent 20 minutes watching them. All that separated us was the one inch glass in between.

Afterwards, we stopped at

for bbq Memphis style. We both had pulled pork and it was fantastic!


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Location:Memphis, Tennessee

A Visit to Mud Island

October 21, 2011

It was another beautiful day today. We went across the river into



To visit




This park is on the Mississippi River and includes a monorail, museum, and a complete scaled model of the Mississippi. You can walk along the model as well as wade in it.









It was a gorgeous day for a walk along the Mississippi! A last look at some other magnificent views.












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Location:Memphis, Tennessee

Graceland

October 20, 2011

The sun did come out this morning and the sunrise was gorgeous!  At least with daylight savings time, sunrise is much later this time of year.  I was up at 7:30 with plenty of time to still see the sunrise.

We wouldn't be true baby boomers if we didn't at least make a visit to Elvis Presley's Graceland, so that was our plan for today.

It is the second most visited private residence just behind George Washington's Mount Vernon.  The tour is a well oiled machine. Once you purchase your tickets, there was a brief wait before we boarded a van to be taken across the street to the house. Before you get on the van, you are given headsets that you listen to throughout the tour about the different rooms and parts of Graceland. They are narrated by several people including Lisa Marie Presley and Priscilla Presley.

We entered the gates and were let off at the front door.

I think everyone says it when they go, after you tour it, you can't believe how modest the house is. It is a nice house, but certainly not magnificent.  The first room is the living room.

Next, the dining room and kitchen. Nothing has been changed since he passed away in 1977.

Then, the pool room. I thought it was really neat how the material was on the wall and on the ceiling.

Next, the jungle room. According to the tour, the room was not called that until after tours began and people touring the house called it that.

There were also rooms and halls with all his gold records and other memorabilia. Elvis loved racquetball and built a racquetball court. This is the viewing area and the morning of the day he died, he played on this piano for his guests.

The racquetball court now holds more of his records and costumes.
Last, was the meditation garden with the gravesites of Elvis Presley, both his parents, and his grandmother.We left Graceland and went back across the street to see his planes and some of his cars.

The Lisa Marie was the name of his jet. Inside, there was a seating area, dining room and bedroom. The TCB on the tail of the plane was his logo meaning Taking Care of Business.

We had a good time and it was interesting learning more about this icon's life.