The Martin's Blog

May 19, 2014 – Left Springfield the Monday after Wittenberg’s graduation for our trip to TX.  Made a brief stop in Cairo Illinois, the southernmost tip of Illinois, where the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers meet.

The Tri-state point IL-KY-MO is also located in the water off this point.  We arrived in Hot Springs Arkansas after a 12 hour drive and stayed downtown in the Springs Hotel & Spa.

May 20, 2014 – Started the day with a hike to the top of Hot Springs Mountain (1 mile roundtrip)

Observation Tower on top

View from Mountain Tower

We then visited Bath House Row

Quapaw Bath House

Fordyce Bath House – National Park Visitors Center

Undress – Wrap in Towel

Beautiful Stain Glass Ceiling of Changing Room

Tub for disabled individual (e.g. FDR)

Steam Cabinets

Bath Routine: Tub on right for 20 minute soak in 105 degree mineral springs water, followed by attendant rubbing you down with a luffa bath mitt, then a Sitz bath sitting in 110 degree water (center right), then a steam cabinet for 5 minutes (left foreground), then hot packs for specific joints (table right) and finally a pinpoint shower from all directions.

Pre-Post Activities in Gymnasium

After the visitors center, we went to the Buckstaff Baths and did the traditional Bath Routine!

Hot Springs Fountain

Yes, we’re from OHIO

May 21, 2014 – President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site in Hope Arkansas.  This was actually his grandparents home where he lived until four years old.

 May 22, 2014 – Katy, TX – Chad’s Birthday.  It started with a call from Kate who was in China!

May 23-26, 2014 – Padre Island National Seashore TX.  We stayed in Corpus Christi and drove to Malaquite Beach each morning.

View from Malaquite Visitors Center

We were there early and able to get a shelter each day

Fun Beach Activities

If conditions permit, you can 4 wheel drive to Mile Post 60.  I only went as far as Mile Post 5.  Don’t get stuck!

Seasonal Seaweed was washed up 10-30 feet deep on beach

I took one morning to drive to and tour Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park just north of Brownsville TX

This was the first battle of the Mexican-American War, May 8, 1846

The Republic of Texas had severed ties with Mexico in 1836 (Alamo, etc.).  In 1845 President Polk moved to annex Texas as the 28th state with a southern boundary of the Rio Grande River.  Many Mexicans believed Texas was still a part of Mexico and the Mexican government opposed the annexation.  Polk sent General Zachary Taylor and a 4,000 man army to Texas to secure the border.  The President of Mexico sent General Arista to the Rio Grande to oppose Taylor.  After laying siege to Fort Texas on the Rio Grande River, Arista positioned 4,000 troops across the plain at Palo Alto.  At that time Taylor was resupplying his troops at Port Isabel.  Taylor marched his 2,300 U.S. troops to Palo Alto and attacked the Mexican line.  After this battle and the battle of Resaca de la Palma, the Mexicans were driven back across the Rio Grande River.  The War continued for two years until an American army landed at Vera Cruz and took Mexico City.  The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) established the Rio Grande as the boundary with Texas and also resulted in Mexico selling the New Mexico and California territories.  This amounted to a huge expansion of the U.S. to the Rio Grande River and Pacific Ocean.

On the way back to Corpus Christi I stopped in Point Isabel and South Padre Island