Science of the Circus and a Riverboat on a Lake

The next morning in Arkansas, we briefly had breakfast downstairs at the hotel. Then we had the pleasure of changing rooms. The ordinary rooms weren't nearly as nice as the Presidential Suite, so I guess you actually get something for the price difference of $270 or so.

Then we met everyone who could wake up early enough to meet us downstairs and headed for the Mid America Science Museum, which was pretty impressive. It is a Smithsonian affiliate and each year they have a different theme. This year's theme is the circus. It was actually one of the nicest science museums I've seen. Below you can see my dad and his little brother (my uncle) playing with blocks.




After leaving the museum, we drove over to Lake Hamilton and took a cruise on the Belle, a riverboat. Getting on the boat was more than a little nerve wracking, because they had had a metal flap that came down for a ramp. Since the lake level was on the low side, the angle was 75-80 degrees. Fortunately, one of the ship's crew clearly knew what he was doing and got me down more easily than I expected and before I could argue against it. My dad and I had to sit on the first level, because there was a flight of steps up to where everyone else sat. Later on in the cruise, several other family members came down to visit.

We were served a sandwich with ham, turkey and American cheese on a croissant with a dollop of potato salad. The cruise itself was very nice. We got to see all of the ritzy houses along the shore of Lake Hamilton and hear more of the history of Hot Springs. I was nervous about getting off the boat, but that was actually somewhat easier.