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Follow me every step of my journey across America, 'wwoofing' on ranches and farms to explore what life is like for those who choose to live a little bit different than we do.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Bozeman Hot Springs, Montana

Today I decided to go to the hot spring pools in Bozeman to have fun swimming in the hot pools while it was snowing outside. The drive to Bozeman from Billings is about 2.5 hours away but the pools were open until 11pm today so I was not in a hurry to get up early. I wanted to sleep in because I figured it will be my last day to do so. No sleeping in on a ranch! So I left Billings around 3pm to head out for the hot springs. I decided on the Bozeman springs because it was the closest and the highest rated/recommended. It snowed overnight here in Billings, but only about 2 inches so the drive out there was easy. It was pretty much sunny and bright the whole way, even though there was a chance of snow. I arrived at the hot springs and the parking lot was completely full! I didn't realize that so many people would be there, but it was a Sunday and it was snowing so I guess that is the only thing to do in Bozeman when it snows. The admission was only $8, which seemed like a pretty good deal to me. In California the price would have been double that easily. There are 9 different hot spring pools, each at a different temperature, and a sauna and steam room. There is also a fitness gym and a spa, but it was more expensive to use that equipment, and I hate working out anyway. So I finally make it into the hot springs and go into the locker room to change. The place was swarming with children, so I changed as quickly as possible and went out into the main room. It is basically like a huge indoor swimming pool, divided up into one large pool and 6 other small pools. They were each a different temperature, with the hottest getting up to 109 degrees. There was also a pool outside that was probably about 100 degrees, and it was surrounded by snow. So I chose that pool because no kids were in it. It was so cool swimming around in a hot pool with snow falling all around me! I hung out in the indoor pools for a little bit and spent some time in the sauna but it was way too hot. My favorite part was probably the steam room. It was extremely hot but really steamy and wet, and there was a huge window in the steam room so you could sit and relax while looking out at the snowy forest in front of you. I stayed at the hot springs for a couple hours but decided to leave because I still had to drive home and knew it would be getting dark. It started snowing as soon as I left the hot springs, and came down pretty heavy. But heavy is a relative term considering that I don't like snow and live in So. Cal where we do not get snow. So there could have been 2 snowflakes falling from the sky and I still would have freaked out. However, it was snowing a bit more than I expected and some of the roads were on the verge of freezing over, but I made it back into town completely safe and actually had a really good time at the springs. I would recommend going to the springs, but you might want to stay in a hotel in town because driving 2 hours after relaxing all day kind of ruins the experience. But it was really fun and a really nice day overall. I also stopped at my new favorite Walmart in town to get a few groceries for when I go to the ranch tomorrow. Right now I am in the laundry room at the hotel doing some laundry, eating soup and watching the news. I had a really great time this week in Montana, exploring the town and seeing the natural scenery, and I am sad that Shane has to fly back home tomorrow. I know he had a great time here, and there was no way I could have made this drive without him. He really helped out a ton, did all the driving, and took really good care of me, helping me to get settled in. We had a great time here, and I know that I will learn so much more when I start work on the ranch tomorrow! So I am just getting a few last minute things together, as well as enjoying my time relaxing before the real work starts. I will arrive at the ranch tomorrow afternoon, and hopefully get settled in and start work right away on Tuesday morning. The weather looks great for the rest of the week, so I hope to get a lot of things done. Sorry there are no pictures this time, but I didn't want to risk dropping my camera in the pool or losing it. Miss you all, but I will be home before you know it!


P.S. Gas is 3.09 per gallon here. Jealous much???? And it is 13 degrees right now. Yeah, I know you are all  jealous of the wonderful weather here too.

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