Salida, Hot Springs and Birthdays

We left Colorado Springs and headed back to the mountains.  We are staying at Shavano Wildlife Management Area outside of Salida.  The area is large enough that no one feels crowded.

We had the most beautiful rainbow after an afternoon shower.

There are several hot springs around the area and we managed to try two of them.

We really liked Mt. Princeton the best, probably because you can go sit in the creek.   The hot springs flows through the rocks, heating the water, the rocks and the sand.  The closer you get to the middle of the creek, the cooler it gets.

But if you don't like the creek, they have a lap pool which was cooled down to bathtub temp.

Or you could sit in the therapy pool, which was about 105 degrees.

Any reason is good enough for a celebration and party, but this week was my birthday.

Joyce's birthday was this week too, so we had a double party.

At the edge of Salida is Spiral Mountain.  The road going up to the top winds completely around the hill.

Although Salida was once a mining town, it is now a popular tourist venue because of all the great hiking, kayaking and bicycling in the area.  Much of the downtown has been maintained and restored very well since many of the buildings are over 110 years old.

Don't know what this contraption is, but it was interesting to look at.  The store was closed, so I couldn't ask.  Someone's idea of art.

The old Salida Steam Plant has been converted to the Salida Event Center.   It sits right on the Arkansas River.

This artist works in metal/copper sculptures.  They were lifesize and very well done.

The group which came into town met on top of Spiral Mountain for lunch.

The other hot spring we tried was outside of Buena Vista.  

There were five smaller pools, all rocked in to make you feel like you were in a more natural setting.

They did have a nice area to relax while taking a break from the hot springs.

But while it wasn't a bad experience, I probably wouldn't go back.  It was more expensive and I liked Mt. Princeton better.