Lava Hot Springs/Valentine's Weekend

Over Valentines weekend Tim and I went up to the hot springs in Idaho. We had such a great time! There is nothing quite like soaking in 115 degree water while it's snowing all around you. Lava is a tiny tiny town in the moutains- 4 restaurants, an ice cream parlor, a library, a gas station, a grocery store, and some houses. It was really quaint and old, and I enjoyed all the culture. It reminded me of Europe actually. (Dad, don't laugh). There were lots of moustaches, hats, and boots. Everyone knew each other and was really friendly.

We stayed at two different inns- both built almost a hundred years ago. Our first inn had private hot tubs you could reserve in the basement. The one they gave us had a little skylight and a waterfall, and all the water came straight in from the springs; we thought it was pretty neat. Our second inn had a bunch of hot spring pools right out their front door and we spent a lot of time soaking there. I spent a lot of time in the jacuzzi tub as well (our first hotel was FREEZING!). Other than that, we explored, eavesdropped on the town gossip, and drove to Pocatello once. I made Tim stop because I saw different kinds of pie flashing on a restaurant sign (Butter Burrs). I didn't end up having pie, but the cinnamon twist was delicious :)

We did our Valentines dinner on Thursday night before we left, and went to the Melting Pot. It took us two hours to eat, but we got the full 4-course meal and it was quite the experience. We had been wanting to try it for a long time now. My favorite course was dessert- we got the a milk chocolate fondue with a marshmallow swirl and cookie crumbs mixed in. Does life get better than that?? Dinner was really delicious, and I also got to wear a nice black dress and come without a diaper bag! (Funny the things that excite you when you are a mom.)


Here is Lava: (What you can see is literally the entire town)

Me in front of a huge old map at the first inn we stayed at. Notice the old furniture:
Tim by the Oregon Trail sign. I wanted to ford the river right here but my team of oxen were ill:
The Lava Hot Springs sign:
Me on the deck of our first inn, which overlooks the Portneuf river:
Tim surprised me by leaving a dozen roses on my seat in the car when we left for Idaho. I don't know where he gets his flowers, but he always buys the best ones.

We didn't take pictures of the springs but here is our second hotel and one of its hot spring pools in the summer: