Head West, Young Man! Part 7

I know, I've strayed from the series, but now I'm back. I think we're almost finished up with this thing...
So, where was I? That’s right.
We had just finished visiting the northern sights of Yellowstone, and decided to head back up to “Chico Hot Springs,” which we had passed that morning on our way down to the park. Once there, we asked about room rates and took a quick tour of the facilities. The main lodge, built in 1900, served as a hotel before being converted into a hospital, then back into a resort.
Oh, this place is unbelievable! The rooms in the main lodge were least expensive, so we took one of those. We were on a floor/wing with about 25 rooms, which all shared 2 bathrooms. All of the furniture, fixtures, and decorations matched beautifully with the historic feeling of the building. The main lobby area had several seating areas where board and card games were being played by guests. And, the 2 pools (fed by hot springs) were open from 6am to midnight (R’s dream come true)! First thing he did was change into swim trunks and head down to soak. I needed a little nap before joining him. We were also given cards with our room number and told that anything we wanted could be “charged” to the room—and we’d pay for it all when we checked out. (This was a very cool and new experience for us!) I finally joined R at the pool (the smaller is about 104 and the larger is about 98) and we swam and soaked until we were both very pruney. It started to rain while we were there and the raindrops felt like ice compared to the hot pool water. We changed into dry clothes and had dinner at the “poolside grill” and ordered a few drinks from the “poolside bar.” After that, R returned to the pool, and I explored the building. The main building has had so many additions and expansions (I guess) that it was almost like a maze. The hallways would go in one direction, turn into stairs, and then dead-end at a “community” WC. And, the creaky floors, red carpet, crooked doorways, and lopsided walls made for a very surreal (almost dreamy) atmosphere. I’ve never seen the movie, but R insisted that this place reminded him of the hotel in The Shining!
Our stay was just wonderful! First thing the next morning, R decided to take “one last soak” before breakfast, so I packed up all of our things. We had an excellent breakfast in the main dining room, and checked out. Normally, I’d keep $$ stuff to myself, but this is just TOO GOOD: Our total bill was under $100! That’s including room, both meals, drinks, and unlimited swimming!

...Please stay tuned...coming up next, part 8...