We had not traveled to Hot Springs, Arkansas since 2019 due to COVID issues and we were looking forward to this trip more than ever! We had been enjoying the drive and spa experience most of the past 20 years and once or twice in the mid-1990s with the kids. The trip begins and ends with the 6-hour drive one way from our home in Hermitage, Missouri. Good weather planning is important to enjoy the scenic route and I was very much looking forward to doing the driving in my car this trip.
I bought a great car when I retired in 2011 and had this drive in mind when making my choice of a 2011 Chevy Impala, a great road car that is fun to drive. Not quite as fun as my previous 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix but I got plenty of use out of it and Pontiac stopped making cars or I'd probably have bought another; the Grand Prix had been my third new Pontiac. It set low and wide to take all the curves and I miss it, but I wore it out.
Days after I bought the Chevy Impala in October 2011, we were on our way to Hot Springs. It was a great ride each October for the next six years until Keith got a new 2014 Ford F110 truck so we rode that its first year to Hot Springs and discovered it was really too big for parking. Then the next year my brother joined us as I drove my car. Then the next two years his wife joined us and everyone agreed that their van would be most comfortable. It was difficult for me to ride in the back seat though as it made me nauseous. Iwas happy we were doing this trip together!
By 2022, it had been since 2017 that I drove my car. This year I drove the whole way there with no problems stopping whenever I wanted and enjoying the scenic trip to the max! The trip home started out okay on Scenic 7 Highway out of Hot Springs but we ended up on a different scenic route that turned out spectacular! I was driving for about two hours when I noticed we were going straight west instead of north and the highway signs were not frequent. Later I figured I must have lost Scenic 7 Highway at Dardanelle when I saw the amazing Arkansas River and huge Lake Dardanelle. I went about 50 miles west on Highway 22 in error. The landscape changed to more leveled out farmland. It stated to drizzle a little. I asked Keith to continue driving and his GPS got us back in the right direction north on Highway 23. He must have had it set on "most scenic" because it certainly was! I was very happy that we went out of our way because we saw some awesome scenery driving through the Ozark National Forest which included 2753' Magazine Mountain, the highest point in Arkansas. I was fully enjoying it all both as a driver and as a passenger. At Huntsville we took Hwy 412 northeast to Hwy 65 into Missouri.
A lot of selfies were taken on this road trip. I enjoyed all the colors of the changing autumn leaves and took lots of scenic photos too. This was the last week of October which has always been my favorite time to visit Hot Springs, Arkansas. This first group of photos was taken at the Scenic Point on Highway 7 near Jasper. It has always been a favorite stop and has a great gift shop. This may be the first year I did not climb the tower.
Once we got to our hotel in Hot Springs, we parked in the nearby hotel garage which now charges about $22 overnight; first year we ever had to pay as a guest. Every place we wanted to go we walked which was typical in past trips also. We only went out in the car one time to the Garvan Woodland Gardens for an afternoon. We arrived at The Arlington just after noon on Wednesday and came home Sunday evening. I am very happy I got to drive so much this trip and also enjoyed a new adventure!
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