March 2023
We’ve wanted to explore some of the hot springs in Colorado – Mt Princeton Hot Springs best suited us. Hosting several pools and being close to outdoor activities, seemed like a winner. It can be difficult to coordinate having the dog and locating non-private hot springs within a reasonable distance. It does cost, but no regrets on spending. Searching for public springs may be in our future, but wasn’t this time around.
St Elmo (Chaffee County) resides at 9,961 feet, founded in 1880 during the gold and silver boom. The town reached a height of 2000 residents around 1890. The major decline of mining in the 1920’s impacted the town. The Mary Murphy Mine was the largest and most profitable mine, ceasing operations in 1922 with the last train service. In 1952 the post master of St Elmo died, resulting terming postal service to the town.
St Elmo is one of the many ‘ghost town’s that are best preserved in Colorado. Getting to the town is an easy drive for most vehicles, but tricky in the winter due to snow, if it’s not been plowed. Snowmobiles were out & about, along with cross country skiers and hikers.
Brian & I enjoyed a dinner at the Resort – I selected the Rocky Mtn Trout Roulades – served with wild mushrooms. Brian had a Thai Brisket with a cake of something. The menu has changed since March – to more deliciousness.
It was a great time for a short distance. We traveled on a Saturday instead of Friday night to get there. We got to check out the town of Buena Vista on Sunday, browsed through The Trailhead they had a packed restaurant next door, Simple Eatery. Of course, checked out a few Main Street shops: Rock Paper Scissors, Luna Vista Revival Consignment and the CKS River Supply store – they had more than just the water rentals in there. We took Monday off & were able to enjoy less traffic and the sunrise hitting the Collegiate peaks as we left for home.
SquirrelyGrl Tales 