Thermopolis, World’s Largest Mineral Hot Springs, a Great Rest Stop on the Road

The scenic byway of the Wind River continues a little past Thermopolis, however, I was determined to stop for a soak in the mineral springs. There are three bath house opportunities for soaking, two are mini-theme parks garishly colored and filled with cooky rides and slides, the third middle house is the state park http://wyoparks.state.wy.us/Site/SiteInfo.asp?siteID=9 . I like to say its the one instance where the U.S. government kept its agreement with the Native Americans. The agreement with the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Indian tribes when the U.S. absconded with their land, was that the hot springs remain free to the people in perpetuity. And today it is. 

In a theme that has been and will be with us throughout this trip, we got there in the nick of time. The free park closed at 5:30 and we arrived at 4:30. There is a limit on soak time of 15 minutes and we were stymied by the outdoor pool being closed for cleaning but had the backup opportunity for the indoor pool. With such beautiful weather out, it would have been nice to soak it all up outside. Regardless, the healthful benefits of a mineral soak were not to be missed. 

The bath spring water is maintained at 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Minerals found in the water include sulfur, calcium sulfate, magnesium, sodium, hydrogen carbonate, and many more. Very considerate of nature to put these ingredients all in a blend that is habitable to humans! 

As mentioned, Ken and I arrived in time to relax and enjoy a soak in the bath house. The building has a wonderful picture window view of the nearby mountains seen from the pool. I cannot fault the park service for putting a limit on the spring soak, 15 minutes was just about right. There were a few other folks soaking in the time we were there and everyone was calm and happy! Thank you to the geothermal processes!

After our soak, we took a nice stroll on the boardwalk over the mineral pools to the historic suspension bridge that crosses the Rocky Mountain Big Horn River (the Wind River changes names when leaving the canyon). 

The dissolved and deposited limestone in the form of calcium gives the overflow edge along the river the big cascade effect. Just the right temperature and mineral combination also makes the water home to numerous algae which decorate parts of the surface pools with vibrant colors. For a DOE technical analysis of the geographical formation, see this pdf site http://www.osti.gov/bridge/purl.cover.jsp?purl=/6053845-rsRTid/native/ 

I am not a scientist, but I could not help thinking when looking at old photos, and even my own memory of 10 years ago, that there seemed to be less flow of spring water today than in the past. It could have just been the season, or day, or cycle. I hope these springs continue to flow for generations to enjoy. We did have a pleasant evening. 

Town of Thermopolis and Coffee Dissertation

Any move, road trip, or adventurous drive to Alaska must include coffee–lots of it. Ken and I are both coffee drinkers and medium-high connoisseurs. By that I mean, Ken has lived in Hawaii and knows the luxury of Kona. The medium-high term means we are not always able to afford such taste. I learned how make espresso properly by working in a cafe my first trip to Alaska. As such, I have no taste for standard drip coffee anymore. (Before that experience, I hardly drank coffee at all!) Our preferred method of coffee making at home is by french press. We would buy beans and grind to our liking. 

My goal in bean purchases for many years has been to buy shade grown, organic, or fair trade. This was learned from my education at The American Botanical Council (ABC) while working as Art Director for HerbalGram Magazine http://abc.herbalgram.org/   ABC is a non-profit education and research organization producing information on the use of herbs as medicines. Coffee, chocolate, and tea were subjects covered in depth which included the importance of sustainable growth and harvest. For instance, coffee is naturally found growing under the protection of taller trees, hence the term ‘shade grown’–also not a monoculture. I will leave it there and let ABC or the web or your local Co-op help you with any other questions you may have. 

Back to our current issue, drinking and driving, coffee mind you. One of my fun activities to do while on road trips has been to find the local coffee stop, no matter what size of town or city. That could be a whole blog unto its own, I am sure someone else is working on. So I will concentrate on our trip at hand. When we were in Wichita, Ken and I enjoyed a great little shop near the downtown farmer’s market, Mead’s Corner http://www.meadscorner.com/meads/ . My sister enjoys Riverside Perk, I did not make it there but am sure it was good. We did not do the best we could in Denver due to so many outfitting commitments. Therefore we went to the chain that shall not be named because they already have enough business. 

Today, we have come upon The Crow Bar in the town of Thermopolis. It is located inside Nature’s Corner at 530 Broadway (sorry, they do not have their own website). Nature’s Corner is a wonderful health food store with a full line of products, even a little bit of produce, and “hippie gifts” like incense, wind chimes, candles, locally made art and the like. I was so impressed that this small town had such a nice selection of healthful foods, and it just makes sense since it is located near a huge healing mineral spring. 

The Crow Bar offered fair trade coffee selections as well as fresh made smoothies and juices. Ken and I ordered a coffee as it was time for our afternoon break. We also purchased some Dr. Bronner’s soap for all purpose washing while camping, and some snacks. Not only was the food selection fantastic, but the design and decor of the shop really well executed and artful. The owner’s had restored a corner shop in this town probably built in the late 1800‘s to early 1900‘s and left its integrity intact. High ceiling with pressed tin. Full front windows, wood floor, ceiling fans, and new refrigerators. The Crow Bar was located in the back of the store and displayed a beautiful stylized tree on the back wall, my photo above. The owner said she gave the gentleman license to do what he wanted when building out the cafe area. I think its gorgeous and the name is quite clever. 

As nice a find as it was, we had to be moving on in order to enjoy the hot springs before they closed. With out tummies warm, we headed around the bend to the state park.

Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway, Wyoming

It was kind of a good thing that the four-wheel drive folks wanted to get out of town. We could have hung out in their shop all day marveling at the AMC Eagles they had outfitted. Since we could not, it meant we were able to keep rolling along our trip to Alaska. We were leaving Casper early enough to drive through the Wind River Canyon in daylight, something I was really looking forward to. 

A stop at Thermopolis Hot Springs State Park had been planned early on in discussions of this long trip. One route to the hot springs was up Wyoming I-20 past the Boysen Reservoir and along the Wind River which has cut a spectacular canyon north between Shoshoni and Thermopolis http://www.wyomingtourism.org/overview/Wind-River-Canyon-Scenic-Byway/31254 . When my sister and I made this trip in 1999, we came upon the canyon at night. Even though it was dark, we could tell we were traveling through some place really spectacular. Only after our stop in Thermopolis did we learn about the Wind River Canyon. She and I had always hoped to see it again in daylight and now here I was. 

Over a billion years of geology can be seen by way of the layers of rock along the walls delineating the highway. The canyon rises up to 2,500 feet on either side in some spots. There are informative signs to tell the driver the age of the rock layer they are passing by, i.e. Precambrian 2.9 billion years. For geology buffs and rock climbers, this is sweet! Our drive today was enhanced once again by bright blue skies and light traffic enabling us to marvel slowly at nature.

At the north end of the canyon, you come upon some red sandstone, Triassic layers, due to ancient fault line movement and erosion of the above layers. It seems as if the canyon just vanishes. And once again we are in the Wyoming plains. Very interesting, this natural environment.

After my first drive through this magnificent formation, I purchased a book “Wind River Trails” by Finis Mitchell, originally published in 1975. This little book is a hiking and fishing guide to the many trails of the Wind River Range. Next time through, I will take a few side trips.

May you always camp where waters run clear

Within serene valleys of flowers and shade,

Where well trod trails of friendship meet

And your kindness and grace never fade.

-opening refrain from ‘Your Land and Mine’ by Finis Mitchell