Vacation planning

Since our beach trip last weekend, Mr. H and I have hankering to go on our own little summer vacation. We have been brainstorming and thinking of (affordable) places to go for a week or so, and last night while going through our crazy storage closet (and stumbling upon a million ancient artifacts from our childhood and teen years), we remembered that we own a tent. And therefore decided to go camping! Enter more brainstorming. Where to camp?

Originally we chose Big Bend. I went there as a child, but Brendon has never been, and it's beautiful and full of hiking and exploring opportunities. BUT it turns out the temperature highs for the summer are upwards of 110 degrees. Bleh, no thank you. We knocked that idea out. So we busted out googlemaps and started digitally roaming around the state and surrounding areas, thinking of places to camp (with summer temperatures in mind).

And we settled on Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas! Random enough for you?

(This lovely photo via here)

It's about an 8 hour drive (the same as the trip to Big Bend) and it's into the mountains! Not giant mountains, but still, mountains! It's full of bath houses built in around the 1920's where you can bathe in the natural hot spring water. You can drink it too (I'll get back to you on whether we're brave enough to do so). Plus, helloooo look at all that greenery! Can't wait to explore those mountains.

We're pretty stoked. We haven't camped in years (I think since we camped at the Grand Canyon? In like 2006???) and can you say road trip?! I love road trips. Especially with the always entertaining Brendon. Stopping wherever we want, snacking on beef jerky, and jamming out and dancing in the car. I seriously cannot wait. The last big (giant) road trip we went on alone together was to California and back (where we stopped and camped at the Grand Canyon). That was easily one of the most fun trips in my life. Bring it on again!

Counting down the days y'all. Can't wait.