Well, it has been some time since I made a post. Boy do I have some catching up to do! We spent four nights and days at Gulpha Gorge Campgrounds, January 22-26. Gulpha Gorge is part of Hot Springs National Park. It is a beautiful park and the campgounds were a continuation. (Neat and tidy, excellent bathroom/shower facilities.)
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Hot Springs. Jackson, Twila, and Phoebe were able to enjoy some amazing hiking without their parents! The trails were so close to the camper, plus they used the buddy system and had a walkie-talkie to reach us…But we were able to hear them traipsing around for the majority of their adventuring because the sound carried down the mountain to us. They felt amazingly trusted and independent, and that is exactly what we wish to gift them.
We also hiked as a family(!) down a mountain and then back up again. Same mountain, other side. The scenery is breathtaking, the hiking was fantastic. Chris and the kids went to the top of the Mountain Tower. I’m not a fan of heights, so I volunteered to stay on the ground with Callie, who was not allowed in the Tower. Even so, I had amazing views.
One of our favorite things about Hot Springs was filling our water bottles with spring water! We filled up two 5 gallon jugs and all of our little personal bottles. The day we ran out of Hot Springs water we had a moment of silence in honor of such great tasting water.
Our visit in Hot Springs was all about being outside and learning about the springs. Jackson, Twila, and Phoebe all earned their Hot Springs National Park Jr. Ranger Badge. The visitor center/museum was a fantastic combination of history and science.
I’m going to let the pictures complete this blog entry. They tell a much better story than I could put into words. I will write more tomorrow, I have to catch up to where we are now and that will take a few posts.