Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Hot Springs Pool of Glenwood Springs, Colorado

In August, I had to blog on WordPress because Blogger had locked me out. So in "honor" of our current harsh winter weather, I've decided to move some of those warm-weather posts from WordPress to here.

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This is this world's largest hot springs pool. The Ute Indians named the springs "Yampah" or "Big Medicine," and I remember as a child in the 1950s being told of the healing powers of the springs by my maternal grandfather, who rarely traveled but did come here for the springs. The spring flows at 3.5 million gallons daily, one of the largest in the world, emerging from the ground at 122 degrees and allowing the immense therapy pool to be kept at 104 degrees and the huge main pool (over 400 feet long) to be 90 to 93 degrees year around! I highly recommend this to all who travel here -- and here's their website info.



They have 2 water slides. We purchased a special package providing admission, a free drink, and 8 rides each on the slides. We did try the Blue Comet slide, which you travel through on your back and butt, as Ellen is embarking down in this photo...



... but we preferred the green slide which you ride through while on an inflated tube. This shot shows me (or at least my feet) as I am about halfway down the twisting course on flowing water...



... and which abruptly plunks you down in the landing pool at the bottom as Ellen demonstrates below...



We spent about 3 hours here, first in the hot pool, then swimming, sliding the slides, sunning, relaxing, and of course people-watching. This is a wonderful family outing, and seeing the young children frolicking and diving and screeching with delight inside the slides brought back happy recollections of bringing Scott and Steve here several decades ago. Do they even remember our times here?

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