Nomad Life - Day 52

I was up very early (0500) at the Super 8 Hermitage and got breakfast (ho hum) at the hotel as soon as the little dining area opened.  After getting packed up, I drove south on Old Hickory Boulevard to try to access J. Percy Priest Reservoir, a huge lake on the southeast side of Nashville.  I was unsuccessful at this, initially, because of all of the private land.  Even an interesting place called the Nashville Shores, which had open gates, didn't seem welcoming to enter...  I finally got lucky when I drove down to their Marina; the signs hinted at towing penalties but there was almost no one around.  While I was doing some bird ID and watching the fisherman, I kept a close eye on my car and enjoyed the crisp morning air.  By 0730, I was ready to depart for Belmont University and my morning meet up with Ella.  I used Old Hickory Boulevard to reach I-40 and headed west - I followed that until I could access I-440 and then took that road around the south side of the city.  I had to switch to I-65 in order to reach the Wedgewood Avenue exit and then follow a series of confusing Google Maps directions (to avoid one way streets).  Ella had suggested we meet at the Belmont Mansion and I found some (free) parking at the Lila D. Bunch Library.  By 0800, I had found Ella and we walked all over the campus of Belmont University, visiting classrooms, dorms and student unions that she frequents.  During this part of the day, the weather was wonderful (70s, sunny, clear) - I've been so lucky on this trip!  It was wonderful to catch up with my niece, who seemed very happy with her independent life in "the big city" and was very gracious as she guided me along the pathways across the quads.  Our two days of visit turned out to be a wonderful break on my long drive towards the western US!  After saying goodbye, I left the Belmont campus and checked out the (very close) nearby Vanderbilt campus - Ella had mentioned that it wasn't as pretty as Belmont and I definitely agree.  By 0900, I was making my way back towards I-440 and I used this road to get back on I-40.  Along the way, I listened to audio books and tried to avoid the many large trucks that were all around me on the Interstate.  At one point, I was passed by a line of five cars that said "ICE" on the side - they looked like they were on a mission... Just like earlier in the morning, I had great weather for driving as I continued west towards Memphis.  Unfortunately, the nice weather started to degrade it started to rain as I approached Kentucky Lake (part of the Tennessee River).  After that, the steady precipitation seemed like it was going to disrupt the many hundreds of miles I still had left to drive before I reached my hotel for the evening.  Fortunately, the rain stopped as I was passing Natchez Trace State Park and I had clear sailing after that point.  Regarding the aforementioned park, I was startled to see mention of the Trace so far north because I'd driven the entire Natchez Trace Parkway previously and it didn't come anywhere near this location.  (Further research indicated that the original Trace stayed west of the Tennessee River for much longer than the route that inspired the Parkway route.  Interesting!).  Milking my gas tank for all I could, I stopped for gas (at the latest possible moment) at a Pilot station in Mason (1120).  I briefly thought about getting some lunch but ended up skipping the meal (anticipating a bigger dinner when I reached Hot Springs).  From there, I had several choices on routing but I wanted to make sure I arrived in Little Rock before the Clinton Presidential Library closed (1700).  As a compromise, I chose to continue on I-40 until I could switch to I-240 on the outskirts of Memphis.  I followed this road until I could exit on to US-51 (to the south).  I'd hoped to make a quick photo visit at Graceland but found that the whole parking/driving set up had changed tremendously since the last time I'd been anywhere nearby (see MAY 2000).  Sadly, it was obvious that I couldn't get near the gates of Graceland without paying an arm and a leg and, even worse, I didn't have the time. Paying quick homage to "The King", therefore, I continued south into Mississippi.  Upon reaching the border (town of Southhaven), I turned on to State Line Road and drove towards Mississippi River.  Without a full picture on my Subaru's display, I could only see what looked to be a bend near the town of Lakeview - after arriving there, though, I found that all of my attempts at water access were blocked by private property signs.  Only after I zoomed out on my map did I realize that I was actually adjacent to Horn Lake, a marooned section of the Mississippi.  As a result, I continued south on US-61 until I reached the town of Walls.  From there, it was a nearly straight shot to the west to reach the actual river.  Along the way, I saw several signs for Indian Mounds nearby - I hoped to visit those but eventually lost the trail (I learned later that I missed a turn that would have taken me out to the Edgefield Mounds).  Fortunately, there were better signs for a place called Hernando Desoto River Park (near the town of Norfolk, Desoto County) and I reached that place by driving across wide open cotton fields and a huge levee.  There were several armadillo carcasses along the road - it's been a long time since I've seen one of them!  After parking along the edge of the Mississippi River (1245), I walked around the park and did some more birding with my Merlin app.  It was REALLY HOT (mid 90s).  There were a few other people there and I talked to them about the "missing mounds" - two ladies told me they hadn't found them either.  More interesting, though, were two older gentlemen, quintessential southern "PawPaws", who were watching the dredging boats in the river.  Referring to the activity as "watching our tax dollars at work", they also explained that the lack of rain had caused the Mississippi to essentially shrink to less than 100 yards of navigable width.  They pointed to a huge group of barges that were "stranded" south of our location - these boats couldn't pass the park where I was unless the busy barges cleared more draft for them.  It looked like a major project and, even though I was fascinated by the activity, I knew I needed to get moving west again.  Reluctantly (1305), I made my way back to US-61 and (while talking to Mollie, who called during this window) got on I-55 so I could cross the Mississippi River.  What a major milestone on my trip - I'm in the "real" west now!  After rejoining I-40, I tried to make good time among the many trucks and "left lane drivers" (I guess Virginia isn't the only state with that major problem...).  I continued listening to my audiobook and also really used my SiriusXM subscription for once.  Meanwhile, the miles ticked away smoothly because the land was very flat.  I stayed on I-40 all the way to the northern suburbs of Little Rock.  After switching to I-30, I crossed the Arkansas River and used the exit Third Street.  Google Maps had been squawking about a road closure but this warning only became clear when I encountered a major Food Truck Festival - access to the Presidential Library was completely blocked.  After driving around a bit nearby, looking for a "safe" (towing wise) parking spot, I was able to leave my car in the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra overflow lot.  From there, it was a short walk to the the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Park.  By 1530, I'd gotten inside and was easily able to walk through the three floors of exhibits over the next 45 minutes.  There were almost no other visitors but the staff was exceptionally nice to me and suggested several things I didn't want to miss.  For example, there was one room with almost every conceivable news story from the eight year administration of the 42nd US President - I was very impressed.  Other highlights included seeing a full mockup of the Oval Office and Cabinet Room.  Adding this location to my list of 20+ other Presidential homes/libraries was well worth the effort!  Afterwards (1615), I went outside and found signs for the Arkansas River Trail (southern side of the river) - from there, I walked across the river on the old Union Pacific Railroad bridge.  The scenery was very nice and I got a good look at the city skyline.  Other observations during this period: a HUGE storm was threatening to the west (it never materialized near me) and the happy (and loud) sounds of the Food Truck Festival music drowned out almost everything else.  I reversed direction on the north bank of the Arkansas River and then explored the William E. Clark Presidential Wetlands (saw an egret).  As it got later (1645), I made my way through the Food Truck Festival (didn't buy anything) and got back in my (very hot) car.  I then followed Google Maps instructions (and surface streets) to rejoin I-30 and headed west on I-30.  The drive was pretty easy and, less than 30 minutes later, I reached the exit for US-70, which I followed (on rolling hills) towards the town of Hot Springs.  Towards the end of this drive, I used US-70B (a four lane highway) - overall, the route was pleasant.  My main reason for visiting the area was to check off another one of the National Park units but I'd heard good things about the town and mineral water springs too.  Fortunately, it was off season for the area and this meant that I got a good rate for my hotel, the Rodeway Inn.  As I was checking into my room (1755), the desk clerk (Carol) gave me a VERY detailed story about the town and recommended a LOT of businesses and attractions for me to visit - what a wonderful welcome!  After I made sure that the internet worked well in my room, I got changed and drove over to the historic part of town.  It took a bit of time to find a parking spot (fortunately free because it was Sunday) but I was soon walking around on pretty streets as the sun began to set behind the western mountains.  Initially, I wanted to check out the different bath houses along Central Avenue but then I realized it would be wise to sit down at a restaurant.  Taking Carol's advice, I got a table outside at the Superior Bathhouse Brewery (1840) and ordered a flight of beers (all made with mineral water from the hot springs) and dinner (toasted turkey club and 1/2 Caesar salad).  The food was good and I enjoyed trying the specially brewed beers.  It got completely dark and the temps (which had been masked by the "misters" at the restaurant) dropped significantly after that.  Finished with my dinner (1940), I spent the next 30 minutes walking along "Bathhouse Row", marveling at all the opulence and strategizing for the rest of my visit.  I found a few places where I could access the hot springs - while passing each place where the water was coming out of the ground (fountains, pools, etc.), the temperature difference (hot!) was noticeable, even in the warm air.  As I reached the end of the Row, I found a family filling bottles of hot mineral water from the town spring - they were happy that I could take their photos.  Walking back towards my car, I stopped in to visit the Hotel Hale (lodging with hot springs in the room) and the Arlington Hotel (very fancy).  After that, I headed back to the Rodeway Inn.  When I shut off the car, I noticed that I've already driven 4000 miles on this Nomad Life trip - wow!  I was already pretty beat by the time I got inside my room (2100) but spent about an hour trying to stall my bedtime.  Needless to say, I was ready for sleep when I turned off the lights (2215).  Very glad to be in the "Natural State" for the week!