A sauna of gratitude to BATW Ambassador MLT for getting the beans to go to Arkansas again!

Hello, relaxers and those who like to soak away your worries, and welcome to Hot Springs, Arkansas! Today the beans find themselves floating face up in the Zig Zag Mountains, where you'll find this town of 35,000 mellow-from-the-waters people. Hot Springs has been a popular resort area since 1875 when the railroad first arrived, and in the 1940's it's aficionados included such peaceful and tranquil people as Al Capone and Bugsy Malone, who apparently thought that sulfur-rich water was good for bullet wounds. And yes - as the sign so proudly states, Hot Springs really was home to W. J. Clinton - from 1953 to 1964. The beans were hoping to possibly run into ol' Bill, mainly because they'd like to have a Presidential photo one of these days that wasn't forged. Alas, they never saw him. It could be that he just wasn't around, or it could be that the frijoles didn't hang around McDonalds long enough. We'll never know.

But this is what really draws the crowds - actual hot springs. (You didn't think it was just a name, did you?) Hot Springs National Park is located here, which is home to 47 bubbling hot springs that spring forth (har, har) 800,000 gallons of 143 degree water every day, thanks to the miracle of geothermal heat. People come from all over to relax in the warm water or just to admire the natural beauty of it all. Sounds like a pretty good way to spend a Friday afternoon, doesn't it? (Hey, it sure beats work.) Since the actual hot springs reminded the beans a little too much of simmering in an oversized soup pot, they decided it was best that they stay out of there, lest some hungry tourist mistakenly think that they're just part of the chowder. And while black bean soup is fine and dandy in it's own right, such a faux pas out here with our beloved can of frijoles? That'd just be ugly.

And if you happen to be a little shy and you'd rather not bathe with raccoons and squirrels staring at you, then you can always go inside and have the water come to you, thanks to that other miracle, indoor plumbing. (Although that seems to the beans like you're cheating a bit, don't you think?) Still, the beans didn't mind, and they were thrilled to spend the afternoon chilling out in the bottom of this warm tub of hot springs water, complete with a towel wrapped around their lid and cucumber slices over their eyes. If that's not living, then I don't know what is... Anyhow, the now fully-relaxed frijoles had a swell time in Hot Springs, and hope that all of you can make the effort to come by and let your worries slide for a couple of days. The rest will do you good, and the beans promise: You didn't leave the iron on back at home, so quit fretting about it.