A Once In A Lifetime Experience

After we were finished spending way more money than I had anticipated at the dinky quaint Honeyville store (and I wasn't the instigator of the spending, just so you know) we headed north to our next and main stop of the day. This was the place we'd set off for, and Bud was excited!

Look how pretty it is here!

Such beautiful skies and snow-capped mountains. That was the view from next to where we were going.

And here you have it- Crystal Hot Springs . Just for fun, click over to their website and see the photo they use to advertise the place. I guess it just takes the right camera angle.

This is a list of the mineral content in the hot springs.

...and, here you go. The main bathing pool (notice I didn't say swimming pool?) or soaking pool, as they refer to it.

Doesn't that look...appealing? Don't you just want to jump right in? Neither did I, but because my dear husband was so excited, I tried to be a good sport. In I went. Can you see the steam rising off the water? It's because the water was immensely hot! The posted temperature was 99° but there's no possible way that was correct.

It was more likely 106° at least. If you moved, you felt like you were getting burned. So we sat v-e-r-y still.

Humor me with a smile, please. Are we having fun yet?

Bud should have spent more time under the umbrella. He came home with a sunburned head.

After scorching warming ourself for a few minutes in the first pool, we made our way down to this pool. This pool was a beautiful 96° and much more tolerable. There's just no way the other pool and this one was a difference of 3°.

We fought our way through the crowds to enjoy the water over here.

Yep, the place was just swarming with people.

You can see why it's such a popular place. Anyone can see how fun these slides look.

And if you get hungry, there are picnic benches just a few feet away. This is where I need to interject a story. My parents first met at this place. I'd always thought they met at LAVA Hot Springs, but my mother just told me last week that it was in fact CRYSTAL Hot Springs. Above the picnic benches you see here is a platform where they used to have dances, way back in the day. Way, WAY back in the day.
Here are the slightly newer picnic benches.

Yes, he actually went for a real swim. Did I? Are you kidding? I didn't put my face anywhere near the water!

I did think this tree was pretty cool looking!

And the view was really nice...

See what I mean? Nice! Except for the green water.

This pool over here was the coldest of all. It was listed at 86°. It felt more like 82°.
There were three small hot-tubs that I didn't show you. You aren't missing anything by not seeing them. Bud said the men's locker room was the worst thing he'd ever seen. This is the women's, and it was pretty scary, but I don't think it was as bad as the men's. That's my stuff on the bench.
We have unused wrist-bands if anyone wants them, so that you too can go enjoy all that Crystal Hot Springs has to offer...just in case you want to rush right up there. So why is this post labeled a once in a lifetime experience? Because even Bud says he's never going back!