Tuesday, Sept. 21 - We weren't sure what we were going to do today -- whether to stay or move on. I got up and went to the laundry first thing to get our swimsuits and towels washed. The pool is divided into 3 sections, from "pretty warm" to "hot" to "really hot." They were cleaning the two hotter sections this morning -- draining them completely, then pressure washing them to get the algea off, then spraying a mixture containing a little bleach on the bottom before allowing them to refill. They clean the 2 big sections every other week, and the smaller one every week. The pool is fed by the Sacajawea Well, named for the Indian Squaw who led Lewis and Clark to the Pacific. The well was drilled in 1918 in a search for oil, but instead of oil, hot mineral water was struck. The pressure was so great that it destroyed the derrick when it came in. Currently, the well flows at the rate of 1.3 million gallons of 128 degree water each 24 hours. Calcium and sulphur are the greatest components in the mineral water.
The pool had a concrete bottom, unlike most of the hot springs we have been in this summer. Joe went down to oversee this work while I finished the laundry.
The fountain was really steaming in this morning's colder air. Once they finish cleaning, they pull the plugs on the cooler pool and let it drain into the second pool as the hot mineral water comes in from the other end. By this afternoon, we will be able to get back in.
The pool measures 235 feet by 72 feet and holds 84,600 cubic feet of water. With 1.3 million gallons flowing from the Sacajawea every 24 hours, the water in the pool is exchanged every ll hours. However, algea does grow on the bottom, and is very slick, making it difficult to walk. It will be nice to get back into the pool this evening after the bottom has been cleaned.
We decided to head into town (1 mile) for breakfast and see if we could locate a barber. We had a great breakfast and finally found the gal who cuts hair (she was not a barber). She gave us both haircuts. As we came out of her shop, a deer was in her yard.
Then we drove out through the Hot Springs State Park, which is right at the edge of town. There is a bison herd here, and we got a great picture of a big, old bull who was keeping a pretty close eye on us.
The park maintains a free-roaming herd of 24-27 adult and yearling bison on a year-round basis, but we only saw a small herd of 9.
There are supposed to be burros here with the bison, but we didn't find them. We drove along the river road which just winds on through town.
As we ventured on, we came upon some interesting rock structures, some were sort of cave-like with swirls of different levels of stone.
There was a White Sulphur Spring and a Black Sulphur Spring on this road. We could see the white stream, but the hole for the black one was too deep and we could not see any water in it.
The White Surphur Springs had a cave-like structure where the water came out. Fortunately, there were no wild varmints hidden in here (except Joe).
The State Park has several hot pools, one bathhouse that is free to the public, and other pools that cost $10 for all day. There are also hotels within the state park that have hot spring pools. Some of the pools could be seen as we descended off the hill.
We finally headed back to the RV -- it's amazing how time gets away! We did some housekeeping chores -- Joe defrosted the refrigerator, and I vacuumed. That's enough housekeeping for one day. Time to go get in the healing waters of the pool.
We are leaving here tomorrow, heading to Flaming Gorge, Wyoming. But after two days of 85 degree temperatures, Joe has begun telling people that we are going home by way of Wisconsin -- northern Wisconsin! So Arizona needs to turn the heat down so we can come home and see our grandkids.
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