A Time to Rest (Part 2)

Our family trip last week to Glenwood Springs, CO, just might be the loveliest we've ever had.  After driving and hiking to Hanging Lake, we arrived at our "home" for 2 nights - a ski condo on Sunlight Mountain.  In the summer, especially mid-week, the ski condominiums are nearly deserted, and the prices are a fair bit cheaper than the nearby hotels.  Plus you get a kitchen and views like this from your front door:

We spent almost the entire day Wednesday at the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool, the largest natural hot spring pool in the world.  The spring produces 3 millions gallons of 104 degree water per day, and it's in a lovely setting, surrounded on all sides by Glenwood Springs' beautiful red mountains.  If you are looking for a resort-like setting in the US, here's one.

(Insert about the pool:   only the darker pool in the foreground (the therapy pool) is left at 104 degrees.  It's like a massive hot tub.  Cool water is pumped into the larger pool, which is used most of the time, as wellas the baby pool (behind me in the photo) so that the temperature of those pools is more like bathwater.  The waters in all three pools are mineral-rich.  If you get splashed in the face or happen to swallow any of the water (Eli certainly gulped his fair share ;-), you immediately notice that it tastes very salty.  The minerals are supposed to be soothing.  As a result, the therapy pool reminded BJ and I of the pool of Bethesda from the Bible - many elderly and sick people were soaking there.)

Whenever I hear the word "pierogi" I think of the book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, thanks to a lovely little eulogy I once read in Martha Stewart Living.  Now I'll remember this immaculate little mom n' pop joint, too...and it's pierogis, blintzes, potato pancakes, stuffed cabbage and the sturdy Polish Grandma who prepared our food right next to us.  We ended up there simply because we didn't want to lose our parking spot at the pool, and are we ever glad we did!

Outside G1 Thursday AM, the morning of departure.  If you look closely you might be able to see the hummingbird feeders hanging among the flags.  The kids noticed them, too, along with nearly a dozen hummingbirds.  In her haste to tell me about them, Leah tripped in the doorway and gashed her knee so badly that we spent the morning getting her stitched up.  

The view of Mount Sopris as we leave Glenwood Springs.

Our plan for Thursday was drive to see the Maroon Bells near Aspen, CO.  Here's a photo someone else took of them at sunrise in the fall:



Lovely.  They are the most photographed peaks in the U.S.  However, it rained and rained and rained some more while we were there, so when we could see them, they looked like this:

Oh well.  We'll have to go back someday.  We drove home via Independence Pass, and I could've taken a photo at every turn, but didn't...partly due to the raindrops on my window.  Another area we hope to see sometime in clear sunshine.  What a beautiful, fascinating part of the country to see firsthand.  Have I said it already?  It was lovely.