Q, Pooh, Lou & #2: Waba Hot Springs

Dax loves Dinosaurs which and volcanoes and hot lava are integral parts of the Dinosaurs' world. Or, as Dax says, Canos and Hot Waba! One of the few things Dax loves more than Dinosaurs is his cousin, Lucas. So, imagine his excitement when we told him that we would be going camping with Lucas' family at Lava Hot Springs!

Every day these two could be seen sipping on a juice box or eating
a sandwich next to the river. I guess it comes from 4 years of
watching their old men (Dads) do the same thing.

While we got camp set up, the kids played on their bikes and scooters and
at the playground.

With construction going on at and around the campsite, there was plenty of trouble (and dirt)
for the boys to get into.

Lava Hot Spings is a frequent stop for many of the more notorious bike gangs
in the land. We stumbled upon the Tros Kids Bike Gang while camping.

The first night we were in camp, we celebrated Lucas' birthday. The big 4!

If you've never been to Lava Hot Springs (LHS), you need to go. I've seen people vacation there for years since living in Utah, but I've never been. Now that I know what I've been missing, we want to make it one of those stops that we visit again. And this was the off season! Lava Hot Springs is known for their natural sulfur springs (duh). The town has built up along the Portneuf River. Apparently, once the season gets into full swing, a popular activity is tubing down the river and walking the trail back to town to repeat. I imagine it's a refreshing way to cool off from the Summer heat.

Our campsite was right on the water. While it was a slight concern having a rushing river nearby and two curious boys, it really added to the stay. It was nice to open the window and hear the sounds of the flowing water. We stayed at the KOA, but you could tell it was the off season. They weren't really prepared for campers and they had quite a bit of construction going on. The good news is that it seems the construction was going to enhance the place which already wasn't too bad.

About a hundred yards in either direction along side the river, were two footbridges that led to the aquatic center on the other side. The aquatic center was HUGE. It has an Olympic size indoor pool, diving boards, climbing wall as well as an indoor children's activity center. None of the water in those pools are from the natural springs, but there was a large spa that was kept at 104 from the springs. Outside was a big waterpark with all kinds of rides as well as another Olympic size pool. Again, with it being off season, we were there a couple weeks too early and everything was closed.

Grace and Leah loved this climbing wall. It is a great idea. There is no fear of falling.

Uncool Scotty trying to do a swan dive...I think.

Leah following Uncool Scott's lead just to get on the bloopers reel.

Leah sticks the landing!

Grace, Leah and Dax waiting for the giant bucket o' water to dump on them.

Looks like they survived the deluge.

I'm grateful Leah has some girl cousins to balance out all of her boy cousins
and I'm glad Dax has a cousin his age on my side of the family.

Beautiful Jane with her Daddy, or as we call him, Uncool Scott.

So, upon further discussion with some of the locals, we learned that the hot pots in town were not really that kid friendly, meaning that they were pretty hot and most kids wouldn't find them enjoyable, or at least not for very long. Fortunate for us, Scott and Cynthia had Cheryl, Cynthia's Mom, on vacation with them and she so kindly offered to watch the rugrats for an hour or two while we went to investigate what all the hoopla was about surrounding these springs.

There are a few spots around town to enjoy the Springs in an outdoor setting, but just about everywhere you go, every hotel advertises the medicinal and soothing powers of the spring water. Apparently it's piped into the hotel baths. At the urging of those in the know, we visited the state owned and ran Springs Pools at the end of town. They have five large pools ranging in temperatures beginning at 104 and ending at 112 degrees Fahrenheit. We started at 104, then moved to 106, which was my favorite and then ended at 112.

The 110 and 112 pools have gravel in the bottom which added a layer of comfort via reflexology. I really enjoyed that. Each pool had different steps to cool off on. One could submerse oneself, or sit on a step only soaking their waist down or you could sit one step higher and just soak your feet. I found it nice to totally submerse for a period then sit entirely out of the water to cool off. There was a large grassy area as well to sit out and relax. The 112 pool was great too. Sarah, Scott and Cynthia had no interest in even trying it, but I went right in with no problem. Once they saw it was tolerable, they ventured in a for a second or two. The 112 degree pool was in the gully that was the actual spring and the walls surrounding it looked more like the inside of a volcano or the rock formations built of limestone you would see at places like Havasu Falls. There were hanging gardens of flora and fauna everywhere. Were it not for the kids we had to get back to, I could have stayed there all day dipping and sleeping.

The actual Spring.

Somebody's fat head floating in the 112 degree pool. That is another plus
about the 112 degree pool...less tolerable means less human traffic. It's the
largest pool and has the least people The 104 degree pool was packed!

Here you can see Cynthia, Sarah and Scott daring one another to go in.
Scott: I'll go in if you go in
Cynthia: I'll go in if you promise to clean the house daily
Sarah: I ain't goin' in for nuttin'!

Some of the hanging gardens. My guess is that their beauty probably peaks the month after
we were there.

Here you can see some of the lime and sulfur rock formations around the pools from long ago.

As you can see in the background, all of the pools, but the 112 pool, have
several shades set up to protect from the baking sun.

The rest of our trip was your typical camping trip in a new place. One night we enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the old town. We explored some of the unique shops and eventually ended up at a restaurant called "The Chuck Wagon". It was very good food. One of those types of places you knew the locals frequented. We tried deep fried bacon (swing and a miss IMO) and were overall satisfied with our meals. In fact, the portions were quite large and we had leftovers the next night. I know that Scott had a burger called the Cowboy and he said it was one of the best burgers he's ever had. I can only assume he's had his fair share.

We enjoyed camping with the kids playing outside, campfires, s'mores, picture taking, nature walks and eventually retiring into the trailer for games and the occasional meal. What made it better was having our family camped right next door. It was great. It was like having an extra set of parents, therefore a couple extra sets of eyes on the kids at all times. It seems our kids were either mooching food from their trailer or their kids were mooching from ours. Of course, nobody minded, but why can't our kids eat that well when they're at home?!

Say "NO!" to crack, Dax!

~~Isaac~~ Scott making mixed drinks for anybody interested. He even
made some virgin daiquiris for us non-drinkers.

Enjoying the beauty with this beauty.

Cousins don't shake hands. Cousins gotta' hug!
Dax, Jane and L-Dawg

A family that has reason to hang towels together, stays together.

Two of my favorite camping buddies.

Every morning when Dax woke up, he'd look out the window to see if Lucas
was outside.

Having fun over breakfast.

Dax gave his breakfast to one of his Dinosaurs.

She loves her Daddy and her Daddy couldn't be more happy about it.

If one's getting attention, the other wants it too. I don't mind, two to hug on is
better than one anyway.

Sarah's favorite part of any campout. S'MORES TIME!!!!!

Scott teaching Lucas the fine art of toasting, not igniting, marshmallows.

Leah and Jane enjoying the heat of the fire and the sugar of the S'mores.

Grace enjoying life.

I can tell from Dax's expression on his face that he is in the grips of telling an exciting story
as Mom listens on.

Cynthia and her Mom, Cheryl.

The last night's campfire was cut short a bit. While we were making and eating S'mores while talking, I spotted something that looked like a wolf approaching our camp. Scott and I walked towards the shadow to put us between the thing and the kids and the thing slipped into the river and floated downstream. It was odd, but it really looked like a wolf and it was clearly stalking our camp. So, knowing how wolves can be, we called it a night.

Later that night, I had to use the bathroom. We try our best to avoid leaving deuces in the RV, especially when there is a perfectly clean bathroom nearby. Based on the experience earlier that evening, I grabbed my gun and headed the 100 yards to the camp bathroom. Sure enough, as I was walking, I spotted along a natural formed wall cliff that was the border of the camp, I spotted the culprit that ended our night early. It wasn't a wolf though, it was reddish/greyish Siberian Huskey. That explains why I thought it was a wolf. There are some similarities. It appeared to be just as nervous of me as I was of it, so I just walked on. It followed me to the bathroom and then back to the trailer.

Later that night, that stupid dog attacked my trash can outside! I tried banging on the door and flashing the lights, but it wouldn't leave. Twice I had to open the door and shoo it away. I'm not really afraid of dogs, but the way this thing stalked us all night made me nervous to go outside and engage it. After I spooked it the 2nd time, it never came back. Having slept in a little bit, Scott cleaned up the mess before I could get to it. Thanks, Scoot!

Breakfast at the Trospers. No, the other Trospers.

Like Mother, like Daughter. They both love cinnamon rolls.

These kids love eachother for sure.

I'm not sure why L-Dawg is upset, but he clearly is.

The weather was perfect for camping and swimming. Warm during the day
and cool at night.

Alas, all good things must come to an end. After breakfast, we tore down camp and then posed for a final picture together. It was a fun trip and we'll certainly look forward to the next one with them. We had a blast!