Not a Rocking trip, hot springs and beautiful views
Jun 25, 2014 15:00:00 GMT -5
garock, Fossilman, and 4 more like this
Post by herchenx on Jun 25, 2014 15:00:00 GMT -5
My wife and I celebrated our 18th anniversary this past weekend. It's really unbelievable how busy life gets with 4 kids. We've not been anywhere together for a year now, and last year we didn't do anything for our anniversary at all (beyond a sleepy "Happy Anniversary, Love You" as we rolled out of bed)
We just couldn't get/find/make time this year to do anything of substance so we managed to peel one night and part of a day the weekend prior and decided to head to some hot springs we've never been to. Friends of ours have invited us a number of times, but the 4.5 hour drive and unfamiliarity with the area have thus far been a deterrent.
We got hit by a torpedo though. My wife got very disappointing news from work the day we were to leave that I won't go into other than to say that months of worry that she thought was behind her suddenly re-emerged and threw a giant wet blanket over our trip. That really was bad for us that weekend. We enjoyed the beauty of the places we went, but she was queit and obviously troubled the entire time. I get very frustrated with the place she works and this didn't help my opinion of it.
We managed to leave at about 3:30 on Friday. The weather was a little cloudy but I was very grateful we left when we did because we sailed past Denver with no traffic at all (that can get really snarled) - and headed southwest from Conifer on 285. The drive was beautiful. Everything was very green, unusually so. The evergreens are all very green down there. Up here in the north part of the state many of the evergreens are dying from Pine Bark Beetle kill, thousands of acres just dead brown or gray.
North Park was beautiful - very open and as I mentioned very green.
I'd never been south of there (directly) and we crossed over into another beautiful valley - I don't know which it was but Mount Antero towers above it.
Finally as the clouds broke we headed down into the San Luis Valley:
We spent the night at Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa (WARNING, SOUND)
I hadn't originally planned that, but there were no other close hotels, and my wife doesn't do well camping (unless we take our camper - her back is unforgiving on the ground.) I don't know if we'll stay there again, the room was pretty expensive, the pools were small (although nicely done) and the MOSQUITOES were out of control. We found ourselves submerged to our nostrils trying to keep from getting bit. We only soaked for about 15 minutes as we couldn't sit on the edge of the pool to cool down between dips (mosquitoes.)
The hotel had really nice beds and the rooms were clean, so no complaints about the quality of the room. We had a light continental breakfast in the morning and at about 9:30 we headed up to Valley View Hot Springs. As I mentioned in my last report I can't seem to sleep well my first night on the road, so in spite of the very nice mattresses, down pillows and comforter and good A/C I had a restless night. A second night would most definitely have been restful.
When we go back I think we will try to rent a cabin or if I go without her I will camp at OLT/Valley View.
We've done a handful of hot springs, but other than the after-dark clothes-free option at Strawberry Hot Springs in Steamboat Springs we've never been in a clothing optional environment. Our friends had given us a heads up about this so we knew ahead of time, but the assured us it was not strange or uncomfortable, and that the beauty of the place and relaxed atmosphere was worth checking out the springs.
I'll say now that one of us went all in, and the other opted out. That is all I'll say, except we both found the place beautiful and very relaxing, and the people very cool and never once felt uncomfortable - with or without suits. I was struck at one point by the fact that 6 adults were sitting in bathtub-warm water about the size of a small hot tub (but only about a foot deep), laughing and talking about life in our various cities, families, kids, jobs etc. Oh and only one of us was wearing anything. Totally normal.
The pools were all nice, and all different. Some were very secluded, some warmer than others, all in a beautiful setting. They monitor how many people come so even though we were there on a "busy" day it never felt like too many people were there. My observation was that about 75% of the folks went suit-free in the pools. About 40% of the people never put on anything (mostly guys, I only noticed one woman who wouldn't cover up between pools) - everyone else put on clothes or a wrap while trekking between pools. Some folks wore a suit all day and in all cases it felt normal. There were families with kids there (3 families that I noted) but they all seemed fine with everything. The kids stayed in the larger pools (there are 2 that are more like swimming pools versus small natural ponds)
We stayed the whole day, breaking for lunch.
As we neared 4PM I wanted to go to the highest spring, but my wife didn't want to make the hike. I got about 1/2 way up the 1/4 mile trail and my flip flop blew out. I ended up walking the rest of the way up and all the way back without any shoes. The trail was all jagged rock and cactus, so I don't recommend it.
Here was a panorama of the view:
The top pool was cooler than the others (later in the summer when the water levels go down this becomes the hottest pool) but was nice after the hike, although as the clouds rolled in I couldn't stay long as it got too cool.
We left at about 4:30 and headed back toward home. We stopped for gas in Fairplay an the rain turned to snow:
We stopped again in Conifer, first to see a stained glass window that my wife's aunt created about 30 years ago:
The rest of the drive home was uneventful, we got home just after dark and were able to get a good night's sleep.
We're going back. On our drive home (still living with the cloud of bad news) we agreed that we'd come back under better circumstances so we could really enjoy the time without thinking about a bunch of negative stuff.
My wife will be on a trip in July and I will be heading back to camp at the hot springs and rockhound in the valley while she's gone.
One other note; you can only reserve daytime spots if you are a member, and if you aren't a member there is no guarantee that you can get in (it fills up and they turn folks away) - because of how far we had to drive I didn't want to chance it so we paid the membership fee earlier in the week so I could get a reservation, and I was glad I did.
There you go, naked hot springs trip report.
We just couldn't get/find/make time this year to do anything of substance so we managed to peel one night and part of a day the weekend prior and decided to head to some hot springs we've never been to. Friends of ours have invited us a number of times, but the 4.5 hour drive and unfamiliarity with the area have thus far been a deterrent.
We got hit by a torpedo though. My wife got very disappointing news from work the day we were to leave that I won't go into other than to say that months of worry that she thought was behind her suddenly re-emerged and threw a giant wet blanket over our trip. That really was bad for us that weekend. We enjoyed the beauty of the places we went, but she was queit and obviously troubled the entire time. I get very frustrated with the place she works and this didn't help my opinion of it.
We managed to leave at about 3:30 on Friday. The weather was a little cloudy but I was very grateful we left when we did because we sailed past Denver with no traffic at all (that can get really snarled) - and headed southwest from Conifer on 285. The drive was beautiful. Everything was very green, unusually so. The evergreens are all very green down there. Up here in the north part of the state many of the evergreens are dying from Pine Bark Beetle kill, thousands of acres just dead brown or gray.
North Park was beautiful - very open and as I mentioned very green.
I'd never been south of there (directly) and we crossed over into another beautiful valley - I don't know which it was but Mount Antero towers above it.
Finally as the clouds broke we headed down into the San Luis Valley:
We spent the night at Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa (WARNING, SOUND)
I hadn't originally planned that, but there were no other close hotels, and my wife doesn't do well camping (unless we take our camper - her back is unforgiving on the ground.) I don't know if we'll stay there again, the room was pretty expensive, the pools were small (although nicely done) and the MOSQUITOES were out of control. We found ourselves submerged to our nostrils trying to keep from getting bit. We only soaked for about 15 minutes as we couldn't sit on the edge of the pool to cool down between dips (mosquitoes.)
The hotel had really nice beds and the rooms were clean, so no complaints about the quality of the room. We had a light continental breakfast in the morning and at about 9:30 we headed up to Valley View Hot Springs. As I mentioned in my last report I can't seem to sleep well my first night on the road, so in spite of the very nice mattresses, down pillows and comforter and good A/C I had a restless night. A second night would most definitely have been restful.
When we go back I think we will try to rent a cabin or if I go without her I will camp at OLT/Valley View.
We've done a handful of hot springs, but other than the after-dark clothes-free option at Strawberry Hot Springs in Steamboat Springs we've never been in a clothing optional environment. Our friends had given us a heads up about this so we knew ahead of time, but the assured us it was not strange or uncomfortable, and that the beauty of the place and relaxed atmosphere was worth checking out the springs.
I'll say now that one of us went all in, and the other opted out. That is all I'll say, except we both found the place beautiful and very relaxing, and the people very cool and never once felt uncomfortable - with or without suits. I was struck at one point by the fact that 6 adults were sitting in bathtub-warm water about the size of a small hot tub (but only about a foot deep), laughing and talking about life in our various cities, families, kids, jobs etc. Oh and only one of us was wearing anything. Totally normal.
The pools were all nice, and all different. Some were very secluded, some warmer than others, all in a beautiful setting. They monitor how many people come so even though we were there on a "busy" day it never felt like too many people were there. My observation was that about 75% of the folks went suit-free in the pools. About 40% of the people never put on anything (mostly guys, I only noticed one woman who wouldn't cover up between pools) - everyone else put on clothes or a wrap while trekking between pools. Some folks wore a suit all day and in all cases it felt normal. There were families with kids there (3 families that I noted) but they all seemed fine with everything. The kids stayed in the larger pools (there are 2 that are more like swimming pools versus small natural ponds)
We stayed the whole day, breaking for lunch.
As we neared 4PM I wanted to go to the highest spring, but my wife didn't want to make the hike. I got about 1/2 way up the 1/4 mile trail and my flip flop blew out. I ended up walking the rest of the way up and all the way back without any shoes. The trail was all jagged rock and cactus, so I don't recommend it.
Here was a panorama of the view:
The top pool was cooler than the others (later in the summer when the water levels go down this becomes the hottest pool) but was nice after the hike, although as the clouds rolled in I couldn't stay long as it got too cool.
We left at about 4:30 and headed back toward home. We stopped for gas in Fairplay an the rain turned to snow:
We stopped again in Conifer, first to see a stained glass window that my wife's aunt created about 30 years ago:
The rest of the drive home was uneventful, we got home just after dark and were able to get a good night's sleep.
We're going back. On our drive home (still living with the cloud of bad news) we agreed that we'd come back under better circumstances so we could really enjoy the time without thinking about a bunch of negative stuff.
My wife will be on a trip in July and I will be heading back to camp at the hot springs and rockhound in the valley while she's gone.
One other note; you can only reserve daytime spots if you are a member, and if you aren't a member there is no guarantee that you can get in (it fills up and they turn folks away) - because of how far we had to drive I didn't want to chance it so we paid the membership fee earlier in the week so I could get a reservation, and I was glad I did.
There you go, naked hot springs trip report.