Showing posts with label hot springs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hot springs. Show all posts

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Hot Springs


After Zion National Park we went to Bryce Canyon.  Bryce Canyon is smaller than the Grand Canyon but very different that makes it interesting.  It has Hoodoos that make it look very unique.  Some of the Hoodoos looked like castles.   We came at Bryce Canyon on the day that there was going to be a big storm.  So right after our hike down in the canyon we had to get back into our RC and leave before it started to snow.  
 
After Bryce Canyon we drove down to Death Valley.  Death Valley is part of the Mohave Desert and is located in central California.  It has the lowest point in North America of 282 feet below sea level. It was very dry, hot and windy in Death Valley, but not as hot as it gets in the summer.  There were many sand dunes that we climbed and slid down. It was very fun! 

My sister Sarah did a post on Bryce Canyon and Death Valley. Click on the links to learn more about these places.

Keough Hot Spring pool
Keough Hot Spring
Since it was so hot in Death Valley, we decided to drive to swim in the hot springs near Bishop California.    Hot springs are ponds, portions of a lake, or pools in which water has been naturally heated underground. Rocks and minerals trap hot springs and allow the water to be warm. We went to the Keough Hot Springs which directs the water from the hot springs into a man-made pool.  We played in the water and my dad let us do tricks.  He would throw us in the air and we would jump off his shoulders.  My little sister Hannah did a flip when my dad threw her.  My sister Sarah also did a flip.  It was a lot of fun.  The main pool was 90 F because it was mixed with cold water. The smaller pool was 104 F degrees which is the temperature of the hot spring. After spending time in the warm big pool we went to the small pool to warm up even more.  We spent the night at the campground near the hot springs. It was located right on the bottom of a large mountain.   On the way home, we drove past Mt. Whitney.   Mt. Whitney is the highest point in North America. Our drive home was through really rainy weather. We had an adventurous trip and were happy to be home.    



Swimming in the pool

Our campground for the night



Have you ever visited a hot spring?