With the confused weather of spring in Central Oregon threatening to infringe on our warm weather joy from last week, I wanted to share a little something that you might like. This has nothing to do with leather or leather working but I thought it would be fun to share and hopefully this will bring you as much joy as is has our family!
Over the winter break I was itching to go somewhere. My husband had taken the boys camping/hunting several times - they were gone most weekends during the fall, and I was feeling antsy. We pulled up google maps and started brainstorming but we really didn't have anything in mind.
Then my husband piped up and mentioned Crystal Crane Hot Springs outside of Burns, OR. Have you been there?? We decided to give it a try! It's only a few hours away from us, in a direction we might not normally choose to venture if it hadn't been for the amazing bird hunting my boys had been doing. Burns is not normally a destination for us unless we are stopping to get gas on our way to Boise or something.
I just have to say...Crystal Crane Hot Springs did NOT disappoint! We took our camper and stayed in the upper 'overflow' parking lot spaces so we didn't have any hook ups or plug ins, but we were a very short walk from the incredible hot spring pool and in the two short days we were there we probably ended up spending about 50% of our time in the pool!
Early in the morning when the camper was cold, we would roll out of bed and run barelegged, wrapped in towels down to the pool before even eating breakfast. When we started to get hungry we ventured back and ate only to do it all over again till dinner. In the evening my husband took the kids while I relaxed and read a book and then made dinner in the camper. We even did a nice little walk around the grounds where they are working on making the wetlands into an accessible hiking trail for their visitors. It was chilly when we were there but still very beautiful. What a wonderful experience it was!
Oh and the pool, well, I know everyone has varying ideas that pop into your mind when you hear about 'hot springs'...some good and some not so good. Growing up in Idaho we experienced the full array of our glorious hot springs, from fully developed, yet totally stinky pools like Zims in central Idaho, to rustic, riverside imported bathtubs that needed to be approached with much caution or you might see more of someone than you intended (bathing suits optional!). More often than not, you would need to form pools yourself out of rocks on the side of the river and hope for warmth before you had to leave. But this pool at Crystal Crane was absolutely wonderful. No smell at all, just deep enough (I'm 5'5" and it came up my chest at times and waste at others), sandy bottom, with heat varying throughout. It was large enough for us to not feel crowded by others with benches along the sides that could be used to sit and relax and even a beach entry side that gradually sloped as it ended on the shorline. There were showers right in front of it for rinsing off and a very clean, new shower/changing facility right there as well. There's even a little hot tub next to the larger pool for adults only in case the pool gets rowdy with kids. Overall, we were extremely pleased and loved our time there!
So, there you have it! If you're looking to get outside with the family this spring, this might be the perfect, family friendly option for you. Great fun for kids of all ages. We highly recommend it!