FreedomWagen: CO: Three Hot Springs in Three Days

With the bus out of commission, we headed to higher country in CO. This first week on the road has revealed an interesting truth. Bathing is tricky when we are too cheap to pay for a legit camp site, let alone hotel room. Seriously, $35 for a crowded campsite?! Please. I've decided that a dip in the river counts as a rinse off, as does a soak in a hot springs. Therefore, we made our time count and hit up several hot spots. The first was Indian Hot Springs complete with the mud room. The second, Conundrum Hot Springs outside of Aspen, was an 18 mile trek into Maroon Bells Wilderness. The experience was quite incredible. For me to proclaim this despite multiple thunderstorms, loosing Isla, permanently misplacing my thermarest and returning to a dead rental car only deepens my conviction. The view was worth the effort. Colorado has some incredible territory to discover, but good grief they are rigid with rules. Who knew a wilderness could have so many pet and camping restrictions. Fortunately, one restriction not in place was mandated clothing. Often primitive hot springs make clothing optional. We were joined by a token older gentleman in his natural state, which mixed things right up.

Our final hot springs stop was was in the river between Carbondale and Restone, CO. Penny Hot Springs is a favorite among the boozing college crowd. No hiking required. Accessible cold water for dares. Close for liquor runs. It is a coed daydream. We did our share of meet and greets and frozen river dips, then continued on for the best drive in CO. The stretch on to Marble is stunning and twisty. Plus, Redstone was a worthy pit stop. We stumbled onto live music and beer in the park, which was pure magic in this charming community. I may retire here someday.

Our final days on this rental car super loop were spent in rainy Telluride and sunny Mesa Verde. We rode our bikes, climbed around some ancient Puebloen ruins, and slept in the tiny compact car more times then I would like to mention.

I'm ready for the bus.