Wednesday evening, I had planned on camping out at Miðjanes campground… but then I noticed that a nearby campground happened to have hot springs and a nature trail. Advantages of a chill roadtrip – I can change plans on the fly!
I pulled up, set up camp, and… wasn’t able to use the hot springs, because they were actually a public pool. Which shouldn’t have been an issue, but… Okay. Awkward thing to admit. I didn’t have a bathing suit. I know, I know, how could I have forgotten to pack it… but you know what? I was planning on either huge spa resorts where I could buy a swimsuit, or small back country hot springs were I could just wear my boxers. I hadn’t been to a big resort to buy a pair yet, and Grettislaug was connected to a school, so I wasn’t going to rock the boxers.
Instead, I had a relaxing evening, and then explored the nearby nature trails on Thursday morning.
They were super cool!
I’d made a good choice, no doubt – The trails around Grettislaug weren’t too extensive, but they wound around a few natural hot springs that were especially picturesque, and came back to camp again via a bird-blind that afforded some excellent views and birdwatching opportunities.
It was relaxed, enjoyable, and… you know what? A continuation of this roadtrip being exactly the chill experience that I had been looking for.
And seriously. Look at that photo I got of the pallet by the water. Just… Sometimes, my artistic-ness… it scares me. Just so beautiful!
Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday – 03-Mar-2024, 04-Mar-2024, and 05-Mar-2024
I’ve known about Breitenbush for a long time. Maybe not as long as I’ve been in Oregon… but it’s pretty close, if I had to guess.
Now that I’ve transitioned from full-time work to full-time trip-and-move-planning, I figured that it was the perfect opportunity to disconnect from the internet, soak in the hot springs, and at least attempt to re-center myself out in a luxury version of the wilderness… and since Breitenbush has been on my radar for so long, well, now was the time.
I booked my stay, and headed out.
The drive out was absolutely perfect – with how chaotic everything had been, I hadn’t had the opportunity to take a long quiet drive in quite some time. It’s meditation for me, I’ve learned, to take long drives. Listening to music, letting the asphalt and miles pass under the wheels, and letting myself succumb to the dissociative fugue of the monotonous road… it opens up my brain to wander and think and connect dots that I wouldn’t normally be able to connect.
The drive wasn’t too long, thankfully, nor was it particularly snowy… I didn’t have to toss the chains on the car, though I did definitely slow down a bit as the Mustang and I got higher up in elevation. I stopped to appreciate a river, I took my time, and soon enough found myself checking into the welcome hutch at the resort.
For those who haven’t heard of it, Breitenbush is a hot-springs resort up in the mountains in the Jefferson Wilderness of Oregon. It’s built around a natural hotspring, which has been capped off and cooled down to human-safe temperatures with a whole resort built up around it. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from it, though what I’d heard was mostly focused on the idea of “quiet contemplation”. Which, thanks to the turmoil of recent life changes, sounded perfect for me.
In the end, though, that quiet contemplation turned out to be a bit much for where my soul was at.
Instead of “quiet contemplation”, I frankly found it to be quite isolating… Interestingly, mirroring my overall experience in Oregon. The atmosphere was partially spiritual, but mainly solitary – I didn’t go into the retreat expecting conversation, but I also didn’t go in expecting absolute isolation. When passing people on the trails, it seemed a bit taboo to acknowledge them, and in turn I was treated as if I was invisible.
I can see the draw to that, for many people, and I don’t judge anyone for it. For me, though, it wasn’t the vibe I needed at the time. As the days went on, I found myself becoming lonely and looking for interaction but was barred from seeking it thanks to the norms of the resort.
Interestingly, I did end up finding companionable conversation from an unexpected direction – I’d booked a massage for my second day, fully expecting it to be a very quiet and disconnected experience. Instead, the masseuse seemed to be in the same boat that I was, and in a place looking for some form of human connection. We clicked surprisingly well; lightly chatting through the massage, and then unexpectedly reconnecting later in the evening while sitting and reading around a fireplace in the central lodge.
I was cautious, at first, making sure not to overstep the bounds of Breitenbush and the profession of a masseuse, but we made a point to check in about those, and were able to chat about that sense of isolation and upcoming change well into the evening. It was spectacularly unexpected, and absolutely appreciated.
Then, before bed, I strolled off for an 11pm soak in one of the springs, embracing the night and watching the snow fall into the pool. It was a lovely change of pace, and a beautiful switch in the whole experience.
Strange start to a post about a race day, but… bear with me, this is a good one.
The night before, we needed to figure out when to leave the house, so that Clara would be at the race on time. We plugged the addresses into Google Maps, and punched in the arrival time – 8:15am. It spit out our departure time – 8:30am.
What?
We had a nice rental car, to be sure, but we’re not talking a Delorian here. This thing could drive on gravel roads, but not through the tumult of time, right? We did a few double-checks, and Google kept spitting out the same thing – leave 15min after you need to arrive, and you’ll get there on time.
Finally, we noticed something – the race wasn’t actually in Montana, it was in Idaho! Across the state line… which also happens to be the time zone line! When we drove into Idaho, we went back an hour… leaving at 8:30 out time was, effectively, leaving at 7:30 race time.
Smart play, Google Maps.
Anyways, Clara also noticed some small print on the race flyer, reminding us that “all times are in mountain time”, meaning that we did actually have to leave at 7:30, instead of 8:30… but still. Interesting.
We got to the race on time. Clara started, and Brian and I read for a while. I napped a bit, and we generally relaxed and enjoyed the soft patter of rain on the car’s roof.
Soon enough the race was over, and Clara had finished her first high-altitude half-marathon! We celebrated, ate and drank, and appreciated the sunlight finally breaking through the drizzly clouds. It was nice – the energy around a race is always really positive, and I very much enjoyed soaking it in… especially while eating an exceptionally delicious bratwurst.
Our goal after the race was Jerry Johnson hot springs – one of the joys of this part of Montana is that it’s quite geothermically active, and many of the rivers and streams have natural hot springs pouring out into little pools. Most of them are, most likely, kept as family secrets or something… but we were able to track down a public pool that looked to be just far enough off the beaten path that we wouldn’t get mobbed by people.
We hiked in, found the pool, and slithered our way in!
There weren’t as many people as I’d expected, which was a nice bonus. The pools also weren’t quite as deep as I expected, which wasn’t so much of a nice bonus. The two bonuses kind of evened each other out though, leading to some gloriously relaxed times just luxuriating in the warm silty water.
After a while of soaking, we started feeling the need for food… and so headed back into town to rustle ourselves up some BBQ.
Along with the many hike details we’d looked up ahead of time, we’d done our research about places to eat. Brian, specifically, if I remember correctly… though forgive me if that memory isn’t quite as accurate as it should be. We had a place in mind though – the Notorious P.I.G., which both has an amazing name and an amazing location, being set up in an old oil-change garage.
We ate, we ate some more, and then we ate the rest of what remained. It was amazing.
After rather copious amounts of eating, we had some spare time… and slightly messy faces… so clearly the only course of action was to head back to the cabin and take a nice relaxed evening to enjoy some facemasks, pore strips, and a Disney movie or two.
It was a very good day.
As before, many thanks to my guest photographers! I now have some pictures of myself!
