5,000 Star Accomodations

Roses are red, mud is brown,

Hot springs are better, than any night on the town!

Everyone needs a motto in life. I have several I try to live by. One of my favorites is “If you can't forgive and forget, pick one.” Another is “Of all the paths you take in life...make sure most of them are dirt.” This last weekend we packed hiking shoes and swim suits and headed off to soak in some natural hot springs, and

fulfill another motto: “Just add water.” Many people live without love or money—but there's not a single one that has ever lived without water!

There was more water—in the form of snow—than we'd planned for, so our hike in was more intense than we'd expected, but the best views always come after the hardest climbs—besides Hippocrates said that hiking was man's best medicine. Okay, so maybe he said walking—which would make hiking prescription medicine?

There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate. This weekend trip was for no other reason than this is the childhood my kids will remember. It's the reason we take less naps than we'd like and why we read “just one more chapter....please...” before bed.

We finally arrived at the hot springs. The sun shone brightly on what looked to be a recent forest fire. Small yellow flowers burst out of the charred logs, creating a stunning dichotomy of beauty. I stood there for a minute, soaking it all in. “That's a look,” my husband said, “what are you thinking?”

“Ever noticed how in nature nothing is perfect—the trees are burned, some of the bushes are dead, there is deer scat all over—and yet it's beautiful? Even more beautiful perhaps than some of the most manicured resorts we've been to...makes me think about make-up...” I sat musing aloud to myself. My husband just shrugged as he peeled off his shoes and slipped into one of the upper pools, near the hot waterfalls. His body went from 50-shades-of-farmer-tan- white to bright lobster in seconds. “Oooh ooh ooh!” he hollered, popping out so fast, he could have had Fred Flintstone's yabba dabba doo feet! “That one is hot!!” he shouted unnecessarily. We quickly found another pool that better suited our thermostats and slid into the hot bliss. The kids soaked for a bit, then began exploring other waterfalls and pools up and down the river—squishing their toes in the mud, stacking rocks, and playing with algae as it floated past. Nature is a kid's toy that never goes out of style.

Later that evening as we were enjoying the sunset, the brilliant reds and pinks splashing across the sky, my husband pointed to a shooting star. “We don't need a 5-star hotel,” he said, “this is so luxurious it boast 5,000 stars.” There was no wi-fi, or room service, or manicured lawns and infinity pools—our hair was messy, our feet dirty, and our clothes smoky—but I agreed with him. Dirt paths, water and 5,000 star accommodations—I think I just found a new motto.