Twin Springs Resort

We did very little today – which was the purpose of this stop. This was the perfect place to unplug and relax in between two long driving days. Twin Springs Resort borders the Boise National Forest, is on the banks of the Boise River and incorporates a natural hot spring. It’s amazing! There are three cabins, each of which has a deck overlooking the river where there’s a hot tub fed from the hot spring. The water comes out of the spring at approximately 190 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning that it actually needs to cool off a bit in order to use. All of the water comes from the springs – this means that there’s really no such thing as cold water unless you take a dip in the river. It’s a little odd to brush your teeth with warm water, but the strangest part of this is having hot water in the toilet – while that might not sound strange, the sensation of steam forming on your body while sitting on the toilet for even a moment was very weird, especially in the summer heat!

This place is also completely off the grid. All of the electricity comes from their solar panels and hydro-electric turbines. The owners, Tom and Teri have been there for quite some time and do most of the work themselves – including maintaining the power and water supply. Tom was nice enough to take some time and give Carmela and me a tour of the power house, where I got a bit of video I can use in my sustainable energy class this fall. (They have a great page on their website all about their set up.)

In addition to checking out the energy production, Carmela and I walked around a bit. We came across an osprey nest with a baby poking its head up, and soaked up the tranquility. We both spent much of the day switching between reading (I got to give my new Kindle a run) and soaking in the tub. It was a rejuvenating day.