Our day started very early - at 3am! We had a train to catch at 4:30am in Provo, so up and at them. Grandpa Dee was amazing and gave us a ride to the train depot. We really appreciate his willingness to get up that early! We had to hustle a bit to get to Provo, since we got a late start, but we made it.
The train depot in Provo is just like a bus station - no security, no check in, nothing but benches. The train pulled up, we got on, picked our seats and the train left. The conductor did come around a few minutes later and checked our tickets. He also gave the kids some cardboard conductor hats and activity books.
It was still completely dark and I was hoping the kids would sleep for a few more hours, but no luck. They were too excited to sleep. They looked out the windows, into the dark, whispered, asked how long until Grandma and Grandpa would be there. No sleeping involved. I did doze for a bit, but never got completely to sleep.
Grandma and Grandpa Randall picked up the train in Helper. It was still dark, but we could see them on the train platform. The kids were excited and we saved them some seats next to us.
We rode for a bit longer in the dark. About the time the sun came up, we headed to the dining car for breakfast. I'm glad we did it once, but the dining car is squishy, slow and expensive. However, the kids can say they have done it at least once.
We then settled in and just enjoyed riding the train. We took naps, watched the scenery, visited the observation car, played games and watched Harry Potter on our DVD player. The kids had a good time, but the novelty of the train wore off after awhile. Enoch was bored and wanted to play train Hide and Seek. Can you imagine? Yikes. Still, riding the train is better than driving, I think. You can get up and walk around, use the restroom without stopping, eat and somebody isn't stuck driving. We had a really good time on the train.
We arrived in Glenwood Springs, CO, at noon. We collected our luggage, hauled it up stairs, across the freeway and river on a sky walk, down some stairs, across the street and down one block. It wasn't too bad, really. When we checked into the Glenwood Springs Lodge, our room wasn't quite ready yet, so we left our luggage there and walked to KFC for lunch. Kate was very hungry and therefore very pouty, but once we got some food into her, she did much better. After getting back to the hotel, our room still wasn't ready, so we gathered our suits and headed over to the pool. We changed in the locker rooms and finally got to the pool.
WOW! The pool was awesome. It is heated by a natural hot spring, which comes out of the ground at a steamy 122 degrees. They purify out the sulfur smell and cool it off to about 86 degrees. It is heavenly, like swimming in a giant bath tub that never cools off. It was such a beautiful setting - warm weather with fall leaves in the mountains.
The kids absolutely loved it. Kate jumped and jumped and jumped, over and over and over. She had such a fabulous time. When we finally left, she was so mad!
Enoch loved to float and explore the pool. This pool was perfect for him. Usually he becomes freezing cold within 15 minutes of swimming because he has no body fat to keep him warm. This pool kept him warm for a few hours. He never got cold. Perfect!
Gavin had fun playing with everyone. He was great with Kate and Enoch and also had fun with Dad, Grandpa and Grandma.
This really was a great time. I completely recommend it to all families. We had a blast!
After swimming we were able to check into our rooms. We relaxed a bit and watched some TV. For dinner we walked a few blocks to Village Inn. We lucked out and ate there on Free Pie Day. It was great. We thought about going swimming again that night, but we were exhausted. After an early morning and a full afternoon of swimming, we decided to get some sleep. I must say, this hotel had great beds. It was a great day!
