I’ll start by saying there is a way for me to put all of these photos in order, but ain’t nobody got time for that, so here’s our little weekend getaway in reverse-order:
Playing dress up
Lily and Lu were fabulous in the car on the way there and back. Some iPad George came to the rescue for the last half hour or so on each trip, but otherwise, they were just great. Lu, especially, is a dream car rider.
Happy to be home. Playing dress up.
Our friend, Val, coordinated everything, and we’re so lucky she did! We rented a cabin at the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs, and it was SO.AMAZING. Really just the best treat ever. Thanks, Val! You can see our cabin in the photo below. We packed the place with eight adults and two little kiddos, but we had a blast (hope everyone else felt the same…. The kiddos are ours, after all.). There was a loft with two fulls, a pull out, and a bedroom with a king. Plus a kitchen, bathroom, and gorgeous little gas fireplace. And?! Only 97$ per adult for the two nights, total :) :)
On the drive up to Salida, we went through Leadville, stopping over at one of our favorite coffee shops and walking zig-zags through the residential streets, fantasizing about owning one of the old little Victorians that are crammed in side by side. But after a while, Lily got tired of walking, so we got back in the car and headed south.
View of the bridge back to the cabin (in upper left corner).
The first day, we got there early and used the pools, complementary with our nights’ stay. Our first trip, is was snowing a bit and we used the two conventional pools above the river. One was warmish, but actually a bit too chilly for 30ish degrees, and the other was a bit too warm to stay in for longer than 15 minutes or so. Both were very nice and large.
Lu LOVED the springs.
After an hour or so, we packed up to meet up with the rest of our group and get settled in the cabin. Will and I went for a run, and then we all went down to the river. Which was the best part, really. Of the whole weekend/this year so far (do I overstate?).
The river pools were so gorgeous because they could be adjusted by moving rocks. Heat bubbles up from the sand beneath, and little rivulets of ice-fed water runs over the rocks. I especially loved finding that sweet spot that was mostly warm but with a little stream of cool for relief.
Snack break.
Lily enjoyed the river, but I think she was just a bit out of sorts all weekend. On both Friday and Saturday night, she woke up puking, and she’s been battling diarrhea for a week. We went into the doctor on Thursday, but they recommended it just run its course… Whatever “it” is. We’re concerned “it” might be anything that contains or even grazes garlic.
Lu and Daddy (and Lily in the back).
So, that wasn’t pleasant, but really it wasn’t as nearly as bad as it could have been. At least Lily wasn’t miserable. She’d puke and then feel fine. I just felt bad for Joshua. Not really the way you want to spend the night before the big race.
So content :)
So yeah. Lu adored the pools. I adored the pools. Joshua liked them a lot (but generally doesn’t like getting too hot), and Lily liked them a lot too, but didn’t love them as much as I’d hoped she would. I do think she had fun though. Joshua thinks it was because there weren’t any other kids, and while I think that could certainly be true, I also hope that she kind of gets over it. Sorry, girl. Your parents just don’t have many friends with kiddos. I’m trying, but it is what it is. Our friends without kids are pretty amazing, and our friends with kids all live almost exactly half a continent away. Se la vie. I told Joshua that I think my childhood was somewhat similar. Apart from my cousins, I was used to being the oldest or just hanging out with adults. I’d love for more playmates for Lily, but I’m also hopeful that she can learn to enjoy the company of adults and younger kids, too.
Just bliss. Me, the girls, the springs.
Lu, though. Lu was just happy as a little river clam. If that’s a thing.
Perfect
On the day of the race, we went into town last and poked around the little shops. Salida is a pretty darn cute mountain town, so I love that this is becoming an annual thing. It’s our second year making a family trip out of it, and it’s Joshua’s third year running it.
Love this shot of Lily in Salida
Joshua had high hopes for his race this year. He’s put in a lot more miles training for this race than he had in years before, but as fate would have it, the course was just a bit sloppier than usual. (Some parts were even postholing?!) Anyway. He did PR on the course by about 3 minutes, even though the course was pretty rough, and he felt good afterwards, which is great.
Daddy finishes his marathon.
Of the people in our cabin, three ran the 1/2 and Will and Joshua ran the full. They all finished within about an hour of each other. While we waited, we hung out by the river and watched super hard core ultramarathoners swagger about, reminiscing over building ice caves to escape hypothermia and those races where lightening threatened to pull them off the course indefinitely.
Throwing rocks in the river while we wait for daddy.
Lily vacillated between crabbiness and enjoyment. I’m beginning to think this is what three is like.
Exploring shops in Salida
#instagrambackground
Totally sacked
Breakfast on the go: “Let’s go to Salida!” (ps this photo kinda freaks me out bc she looks like a teenager).
After the race, we had lunch at The Fritz and then we headed back to the cabin. While Lily took a nap, I went out for a nice seven mile run in the valley, and afterwards, we went out to the pools. For dinner, we had tacos, and then we turned in early.
This morning, we grabbed a quick breakfast, said goodbye to our cabin mates, and snuck in another little wallow in the river. The sunshine was glorious, and we fantasized about making this a vacation staple. Hey, guys! Wanna go to the hot springs?
