Colorado is beautiful but some spots only rate a two

well, i still can not load photos but i am going to write anyway.


I have had the past three days off and i am on day four today (mikey at work ask to pick up one of my shifts) so here i am on my mini locals vacation!

On wednesday Gio and I brought a friend of mine, Mark, fishing with us to Chatfiield again. That whole reservoir area, minus the track homes you can see in the distance, is full of life. Bull frogs, turtles, tons of different birds, and lots of different fish. The day was warn and sunny. I got a little toasted and i still can't cast very well. We all left happy and with no fish. We are planning to go up to see Mark and fish in Boulder in the next few weeks.....more fishing adventures to come!

I have been to many hot springs in Colorado and New Mexico and the one i was at yesterday ranks about in the middle of them all for an over all rating - the friend i went with, Nils, rated it only a two out of five....... but i can say it was one of the most breath taking place that i've soaked.

The hot spring is named Radium after the little town down the road. The area is northwestish- you drive towards Kremiling and after you pass Green Mnt Res you turn north on rt 1. the whole drive to get there is Colorado at it's best - the stuff you see in the movies about Co.

Once we followed the crappy directions, that are in the "Hot Springs of Colorad" book that we barrowed from Sam, to just find out where to leave the car we then followed the even crappier and harder directions to find the spring it self..... there is a photo so we could see that the spring was in the river (Colorado River) and that there was a large rock formation that sticks out of the river and a big pine tree near the spring.

I took us an extra half hour just walking up the top of the ridge looking over for the rock. Nils and i saw the rock but we still didn't know if we were even in the right area of the river - that book sucks!- but we saw one of those large rafts use by rafting companies for trips but i couldn't see any people untill i got close to the edge of the cliff to look over. There were five people and one cute puppy hanging out in the spring!!!!

This is what causes a two rating for the hot spring: we hiked down to the bottom, with a man from the Netherland that was tagging along with us he had the coolest story he's biking to Canada, anyway.......and behold the five locals that rafted down the river to get there were floating their beer cans in the water.......hum.......
they were nice enough. I hate making that statement. They were nice enough but the messed up my vision of going to a hot spring to relax.....

They were entertainment and the beer provied. They all went cliff jumping, they all got water enemas. And then they all letf.......ahhhhh..........

The second cause of the of the two rating: did i mention the Colorado River? That's the one in front of this beautiful hot spring. Rafts. Rafters. The guides would pull the raft up to the spring so the rafters could hop out and get their picture taken at the spring!
This to me is the equivalent to going to DIsney World getthing to the gates having your photo taken and then going home.....can they not just look at it from the river to enjoy it if they're not going to soak?

Once all the traffic had died down Nils and I got another hour and a half to relax and listen....ahhhhh. that's what i was looking for.

I do think that if i am around Kremiling again i would gladly do the hike and soak by the river again.

And as for today my last day of vaction: I have to buy lady bugs to eat the aphids off my tomatoes and greens. Then i am going to see my friend Jeanine and her daughter for a swimming date at noon. I am hoping to see Jeanines husband today too. Jeff served with Adam in the old gard so i've known Jeff since I was twenty-one? Jeff just got back from Iraq in late March after serving sixteen month tour? something long like that.....

Just another beautiful day in Colorado!