20 Jun Practice Makes Perfect

I spent a lot of this week starting and finishing my program that I will be presenting weekly here in the park’s visitor center. I saw how some of the other interns and volunteers had their own programs, and I decided since I had experience in presenting that I would do one too. One of the reasons I chose this park when applying was that I have a great curiosity towards hot springs. I often take long road trips and travel to visit these thermal waters all around the country and world. I’ve been in hot springs from Australia to Peru to here in the States. Every spring is unique, and in my presentation I highlight what makes Hot Springs National Park unique. I was able to practice it in front of park staff today and hopefully will be presenting it to the public by next week. The history of the park certainly is unique in that it became a sort of spa and health capital. Numerous bathhouses developed here, all claiming curative properties. Most other hot springs in the U.S. were lucky to have a bathhouse. Then you have the fact that this park is located in a region not known nor expected to have hot springs. Finally, you also have the fact that this hot springs has become a national park, having its waters guaranteed to be preserved unlike the many other hot springs in the U.S. Hot Springs can encourage us to travel, recreate, relax, and heal. Many of us probably live by one, especially if you live out West. Another highlight this week was that during the weekend I road-biked to a nearby state park, Lake Ouachita State Park. It was a 20-mile ride and a little hilly, but the state park was very pretty. It’s a huge reservoir with many beaches, a marina, and a unique occurrence of three separate cold springs coming out close to each other called the Three Sisters Springs.