mountain soak, through and through


it's pretty clear that these are little photos i took with my newfangled ipod thingie i got for my birthday.
i actually like them!
i like the gritty weirdness of them...so here are a few pics from our trip, taken from my gadget.

darin in our cozy room at the lodge.

a bath at the bathhouse. these are private; the water comes flowing in warm from the mountainside into a turquoise tiled tub.
we soaked early this morning.


a look out the window above...

darin soaking.

we met two lovely friendly cats, here is one handsome sturdy guy who nuzzled and nuzzled.


and we did some thrifting on the way home.
both shops in penn valley had 50% day, whooppeee!


the little old west wooden village at the town of rough n ready. yes that is a real town's name.


and now, for some REAL pics.




the lobby...as soon as you walk in you can tell you are in a warm, cozy, inviting place
 all about healing, relaxing, and rejuvenating...

and this is what you'd see out our room window.
a beautiful setting for a beautiful experience...

our cute little starry room, complete with mucha painting on the opposite wall...so dreamy...

walking the pretty little path down to the meditation pool.
it is the only one of the hot springs that is completely out in the open, thus my favorite.

there are no photos allowed due to the "clothing optional" element of soaking here. we were the only people we saw in bathing suits, ha! maybe next time we'll "free" ourselves a bit more!


it is such a blissful feeling soaking in these waters. at the meditation pool you are surrounded by tall slim aspens, who seemed like a family of sisters to me singing soft songs in the wind. behind them taller, grander pines in widespread families over the hills. pure magic.

the following photo is the Temple Dome. what a wondrous place. inside that dome is a hot pool where the natural water can reach up to 110 degrees. there are twin cold pools for refreshing oneself (wooooo, icy blast!) and then a big warm pool outside in the elements that is like an actual swimming pool but with very warm spring water. also a large redwood deck for viewing the wildlife, moonrise, sunset, or just for hanging around.


this cat lives in the lodge. we called him "minnaloushe" after the cat in the yeats poem darin read aloud to me on this trip. what a handsome fellow! he would wait at our door and want to come in and chill with us a bit.


later in the evening we hung out by the fireplace to read. it was supreme coziness all around.
and i practiced using my tarot and reading about the sacred feminine.

next day, after the soak in the private baths, we headed out into this countryside:

seen in the neighboring town of sierraville (freaked me out at first!)

you pass through the most breathtakingly quaint and charming towns, like they are a hundred years old and forgotten and yet somehow still bustling and alive.
this is downieville, where we stayed for our first anniversary.

my mister, distinguished gent...

we stopped at a river spot for darin to smoke his old-fashioned tobacco pipe he got in sedona.







i wanted an outfit pic in this gunne sax skirt gifted from my dear girl ryann, with a frilly vintage blouse i've not worn yet and new boots from mama for my birthday.
...but i got cold quick!

we had the most perfect little escape!


hope you all have a great weekend.
we've got a big storm blowing through, and an outdoor wedding to attend!

Comments

Teeny said…
Oh, this place looks so romantic and mystical! I am glad that you find such happiness in all the natural beauty around you. It suits you for sure! That Sierraville mannequin; don't you love freaky moments of surprise like that..I know I do. I hope you guys have many wonderful adventures. x
Thank you for sharing this amazing place.
okay, your hubby looks like my dad's twin (my dad circa 1984) in that picture of him smoking his pipe in that jacket. and i love your outfits. perfect little house on the prairie meets isabella rosselini in the 70's.
Andrea said…
very pretty photos! i can't believe they were taken with an ipod? You're red blazer outfit is the best, and the two of you together are so adorable!
Thanks ladies! Only the first few little square photos were taken with the ipod Andrea, all the normal-looking photos are from my good old Canon Rebel T2I.
Cel said…
That looks absolutely fantastic! Lucky you :)
Milla said…
I do have such love for you two beautiful people you guys are the luckiest to have each other as travel companions and partners in crime. Thanks for taking us along for the adventure.

Also, my cat's trying to swat at the picture of the lodge's cat. She's clever like that.
Crystal said…
I have a friend who has been trying to get me to that hotsprings for years- somehow the timing never works out. Now that I've seen it I'll try a little harder.

It looks like you had a lovely time- you two are too cute. Yay for relaxing vacations!
Starr Crow said…
oh my gosh, darling! i've been searching for a blazer like that the past few weeks. i did find a corduroy one in a pretty wine color but yours looks so regal in that bright red! is it velvet?

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