A day of days

I had one of those days that you want to savor like a smooth, creamy, expensive truffle. A day to roll around in your mouth to taste every little bit of it. Mark, Carter, and I went to southwest Colorado with Laura (my sister) and her friend. I had found a hike online that supposedly went to some unmarked hot springs near a river. Our only directions, other than what trail to take were to "...look for hoofprints in the messy bog beside the river...pools like eight black beads along the shore by an archipelago of stones...."

We weren't sure if we'd find the springs with such vague directions and knowing that they could easily be dried up or flooded by the river. We set out to just enjoy a beautiful hike through the woods. But, sure enough, we came across a messy bog, hoofprints in the mud, and an archipelago of stones. Other than one other group that was leaving as we arrived, we had the place to ourselves. People had built up rocks to form pools, some of which were too hot to even go in. We planted ourselves in one pool with hot water trickling in to a pool also fed by the cool river water, and the contrasting temperatures gave the most refreshing, relaxing sensations. Here we are lounging in the pools.

With no expectations about what we would find, the day exceeded anything we hoped for. That evening we spent the evening going to the local 4th of July carnival with Carter, and his pure delight in going on the big slide and merry-go-round infected all of us. To top it all off, Laura, her friend, and I lounged in the local Pagosa Hot Springs Resort pools, the best (developed) hot springs I've been to. It was a day to remember.

The rest of the trip was great. We also took a 4WD trip through the mountains and over the continental divide. Below is a picture of a ghost town we visited on the drive.

It was great to have some time to spend with Laura in an amazing place before I had to return to work tomorrow. It's been a short but eventful summer with lots of adventure and memories.

More on my new job later.