Steamy

After leaving Black Canyon of the Gunnison we embarked on a long drive through some of the most stunning scenery on the planet. There are mountains on either side, with deep green plant life and snow-capped peaks. There are streams and waterfalls gushing and splashing all over the place. There are teeny little towns with old houses and main streets. It’s like you are moving through the set of “The Sound of Music.” RunningBarb knows you remember that one, right?

I thought about how nice it would be to live in such a lovely place. Being immersed in an environment with spectacular terrain, wildness, and nature at its pure and finest. Then I noticed my phone wasn’t receiving a cell signal. I started to wonder where the nearest grocery store was. And hey, how about a hospital? I thought maybe this idyllic spot wasn’t for me after all. But I loved the view every mile of the way.

After a while we arrived at Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Now, here is a great place to live. Grocery stores, a hospital, even great cell service! And it gets better. A river runs through it. You can enjoy white water rafting, paddling around, and (ice cold) swimming. There are bike paths, bike lanes, hiking trails, even regular ol’ sidewalks. Also a downtown area with shops that sell outdoor gear, vintage clothing, pot (very popular in Colorado) as well as tons of restaurants. It doesn’t stop there. There is a classic Amtrak station and local busses that go everywhere. What more could you ask for? Oh, I know – an underground cave where you can go to sweat things out.

The Yampah Spa and Vapor Caves looks like an ordinary building from the outside. You enter, get checked in, and they give you a nice robe. You go into a locker room and change into your swimsuit. Then you are ready to descend into the cave. But first, lots of warnings. The cave is hot – around 110-112 degrees Fahrenheit, 43-45 degrees Celsius. There are all kinds of medical cautions around – check with your doctor, don’t use if you have high blood pressure or a heart condition, blah blah blah. They also recommend that you stay down there no longer than 10-15 minutes and come up and cool off.

As I was going down a woman was coming up, pretty much staggering up the stairs. I asked her if she was all right. “No,” she replied. I asked if there was anything I could do. “No,” she replied. She finally made her way to the top. That steamy heat can really pack a wallop.

Anyway, I kept going. Once you are at the bottom of the stairs there are three rooms you can check out, with benches in each one. The air in the vapor caves is – well- vapory. Also sulphury. It’s dark, although there are lights placed here and there so you can see where you are going. You can observe and hear water flowing and gurgling near the sides of the cave. 

I found myself a seat in an empty room and closed my eyes, soaking in the heat, the smell, the wet. It’s hard to gauge your time in a place like that. I stayed until my body told me it wanted to cool down. Then I went back up the stairs to the atrium, where there were jugs of lemon water and soft music playing, and lots of lounge chairs. I sat there for a while, downing the cool water while thinking about how lucky I was to be in such a cool (so to speak) place. I imagined the first people who found the caves, before there was a such thing as a spa, before there was a such thing as the town of Glenwood Springs. It felt prehistoric and spiritual. 

Then downstairs again, to the second room, then dowsing myself with cold water below, then coming back up, then down, then up a bunch of times. Then it was time for my foot massage, which only made the experience even more delicious.

A few more downs and ups, and then I decided I had to get back to the outside world. I took a shower, got dressed, and went out into the bright Colorado sun. RunningBarb tried to carry the meditative feeling with me for the rest of the day. Really, the rest of my life.

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