Retreating to Hot Waters and Snow

This part of the country is blessed with geothermal activity.
So for Edo's birthday we decided to find a new hot waters haunt, our criteria were simple 1.) hot mineral water 2.) cozy accommodations and 3.) minimal people. We drove three hours south of Missoula to Elkhorn Hotsprings a 'resort' nestled up in the Pioneer Mountains in a region also popular for prospecting crystals.

Original construction began in the 1920s and 30s and with minimal modern improvements. Our cabin, Buffalo for example, came complete with electricity, wood burning stove and outhouse.




Here's the self-explanatory entrance beyond which are the two outdoor pools, kept at a piping 95-100 degrees (a sensory delight as snow falls overhead.)
Dear Red-Faced Monkeys, I get it. Kind regards, Emmy
Inside, the hot spring feeds into a small, wood paneled sauna that's kept around 105 degrees.


Here's where we ate dinner


and the next morning, breakfast.
After our meal of Crock-Pot warmed hash browns, eggs and mugs of truck stop coffee, we headed back up north to Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and our awaiting forestry cabin.

To be continued...