Woke up to the smell of biscuits and gravy this morning cooked by LS's husband, SS. After filling our stomachs with a home-cooked breakfast, it was time to head to Hot Springs for the day. Our first race was the horse track for some racing and betting! The first race started at 1:05 but we wanted to get there a little early to check the place out. We stopped at LS's brother's house to pick up some trainer/owner passes a family friend of theirs gave us for the day. LS grew up across the street from Lynn Whiting. Who is that you ask? Oh, he's just a famous horse trainer that won the Kentucky Derby in 1992! His picture is actually on the wall at the Hot Springs track as one of the 'greats'. LS grew up across the street from the Oaklawn (probably why/how Mr. Whiting got into horses if I had to guess) so we just parked at her childhood home and walked to the track instead of paying $20 to park. BHW and I had never been to a horse race, let alone bet on one.. or anything for that matter, so we were pretty pumped for the races to start. We bet $2 on a horse named GOALTOGOAL to win the first race of the day. The race took longer to set up and start than it did to complete but it was so exciting! Everyone was standing up and yelling for their favorite horse to wi them some money. Naturally, BHW and I had no luck with betting and we lost every bet we placed. It was still fun and in the end, we were only out $4. Stomachs growling, we headed to McClard's for some more BBQ. We didn't care that we just ate BBQ after we ate here! BHW opted for the same dish as last night: ribs, slaw, and beans. Out of the 2 slabs of ribs, McClard's were his favorite. LS and I decided to split the Tamale, a dish similar to a walking taco. It was so tasty we practically licked the plate clean! This hole in the wall, cash only diner was a total treat for BHW and I. We were so lucky to have such great 'tour guides' for the day. Once we ate enough food to feed an army, we figured it was the best time to get out and do some sight seeing. LS and SS drove us to the top of a couple mountains and we looked over the city. The weather was crystal clear and we could almost see Little Rock (about 50 miles away) from the top of the look out tower! LS also took us to a couple of hot springs to feel the water in the park. I couldn't put my feet in the spring, it was too hot to handle! Tomorrow we are scheduled to have a private hot springs bath at Quapaw Baths & Spa, I hope I can 'wo-man up' and actually get in! All in all, today was fabulous. LS showed us around her hometown like a proud mama and gave us an awesome experience! Too bad we were only here for 1 day! We head out tomorrow after our hot springs bath. An 8-hour drive is the only thing that separates us from the beaches of Galveston Island in Texas! We are more than excited to be a couple of beach bums for the next few days! Camping and the beach? I don't think it gets any better than that! Not sure how the Internet situation will be tomorrow but look back for pictures and another blog update! I'll make sure it gets updated, especially the pictures! xo
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