Thursday, June 19, 2014

Trip to Kahneeta Hot Springs

Hi there!  Want to join us on a fun trip to Kahneeta Hot Springs?  It's located on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in central Oregon.  Dayle, our two grandsons Hayden and Caleb, and I headed out to pick up my blog friend Gracie at her house and then headed East over Mt. Hood and through the high desert to our destination.  We stopped at Government Camp and had lunch at the Huckleberry Inn to fortify us for a long afternoon of swimming in the sunshine.  We drove over Mt. Hood and through the desert and down into the canyon where Kahneeta awaited us and we quickly changed into our suits and entered the warm mineral waters.  Ahhhhhh.. lovely.  Dayle is in the hat and Hayden is to the left and back and Caleb is swimming towards the edge.  Both boys are wearing their swim vests of blue and lime green.


This is the whole pool, the deep end furthest in this photo.  That is where Gracie and I did our swimming exercise.  There are 3 slides, our guys aren't tall enough for the two big ones, but they loved the little one.


What is fabulous about this place is the fresh fragrant air and the view of the hills around the canyon pool.  They use the fresh cool water and blend in the hot spring water to make it warm.  


One of the wonderful parts of the pool are the three bear sculptures holding fish that squirt water through the air into the pool.  



Grandpa and the boys.


The guys.  OK, then I put away my camera and Gracie and I got in the pool.. oh my it was so warm!  



We were so intent on getting to and in the pool that we saved our photographing until we left the pool, all clean and refreshed and tired and happy.  This is the beautiful river that flows through the canyon and by the pool.


Once in the car we drove around so I could show Gracie the campground and teepee village.  You can rent these teepees and there is a fire pit in the center of each one.  


Each one is decorated beautifully, this one with visions of Buffalo roaming along.


Beautiful, isn't it?


Then we left the pool and headed up out of the canyon - I love the craggy rock formations that we pass beside.  If these rocks could only tell their story.


You drive along big curves until you reach the canyon rim - you can see for miles and miles.  Don't you love the red patches of dirt?


As you drive along the desert you are treated to incredible panoramas - this is Mt. Jefferson.  Mt. Hood is what you see when you turn your head to the right!  The desert was abloom with wildflowers.


I wanted to show you the desert meadows and the hardy small pines.


Zooming in on Mt. Jefferson.  :-)


Across the meadow..


We then got to the halfway point of the desert drive - the little Indian town called Simnasho, on the Warm Springs Reservation.  There is a sweet little old church that is being left to waste away.  Someday I will come by and it will be a pile of rubble.  Sad.


I drove down a road behind the church and got this shot and of the old pastor's house nearby.  


On down the road we spied a neat shot of Mt. Hood with a herd of wild Indian ponies and mustangs grazing in the meadow.  They run wild here, it's just wonderful.


On our drive back over Mt. Hood we would come around a corner and be greeted by this.. the majestic Mt. Hood.  I pulled over several times to try to get a good shot and this was the best of them.  What do you think?  :-D


Dayle snapped this shot of one of the many wild Rhododendrons on the side of the road.  


I hope you enjoyed coming along with us.  We stopped to fill up the boys with pizza in Sandy, dropped Gracie off and then stopped and got the boys some ice cream.  When we got home at 9 pm they said goodnight and thank you and promptly fell into an exhausted sleep.  NOW.. we're leaving in 20 minutes to take the boys on the Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge.  Having all this fun is exhausting.. but oh well!  LOL!!  I hope you're making sure to enjoy your summer!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

20 comments:

  1. You live in such a beautiful area. The pool sounds like a lot of fun. Sounds like you are enjoying your summer so far. Take care, Heather

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  2. Y'all go to the funnest places! That water looks so clear and inviting. I love to swim. The landscape is gorgeous there. Love the mountain photos. You are runnin' those boys ragged! Good for you! The more they are unconscious at home, the better! Ha-ha. Just kidding! Sort of.

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  3. Fabulous photos Teresa and quite an eye opener for me!!!! You live in a wonderful area of the States!

    keep well

    Amanda x

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  4. I have so many memories of time spent at Kah-Nee-Ta when I was a kid and older. Your photos were WONDERFUL, especially the ones of the teepees! How beautiful that area is during the springtime:)
    LOVE it!
    Blessings,
    Aimee

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  5. You captured it all, Teresa! I am going to link to your post and thank you for linking to my blog. I am nursing a bit of a sunburn...not painful...but the rest of me feels cold in comparison :) Thanks again for a
    wonderful day, I thoroughly enjoyed!!! xx

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  6. Oh wow what a fabulous time and those pictures are fantastic Teresa ☺☺ I had a lovely
    warm time joining you while it is cold here lol

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  7. Ive never gone swimming in a hot springs pool. How cool. I LOVE all your adventures and photos. THey are great.

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  8. This is such a beautiful trip! That pool looks like so much fun and I would love to stay in one of those teepees.

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  9. Ooooh, I am so, so jealous. To think that I was invited along and couldn't come. It looks like an absolutely wonderful trip. The memories you are making with the boys are priceless. What wonderful grandparents you and Dayle are. Thank you for sharing your day and the beautiful pictures with us.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  10. What a wonderful trip Teresa...so beautiful. Your grandsons are so lucky to have you and Dayle as grandparents x

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  11. Teresa, what an exciting full day you all had! Love the mixture of water park fun and scenery. Loved seeing the teepees and small reservation village, never have seen one before other then TV. Love the MT'S, so stunning and massive! More fun for you, have a blast my dear! xoRobin

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  12. Hello Teresa, wow, what super lovely photos, I would of loved to go swimming with you and Gracie in that very hot pool. It is huge. The surrounding area is very beautiful Oregon has so mNy beautiful places and ones never tries seeing Mt. Hood. Hugs Judy

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  13. Stunning countryside. Totally awesome. The pool looks very inviting but so out of place amongst those mountains. You should sell your posts to a travel agent - people would flock to see your beautiful state. xox

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  14. Hi Teresa, what a wonderful, beautiful place you live in!!!! And those teepees are just amazing!!! I would love to spend a night in one of those!!!! Enjoy your beautiful weather, right now I have the winter blues!!! Have a fab weekend!!!!
    Love
    AMarie xxx

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  15. Wow, what a fantastic pool, no doubt the boys absolutely loved it. We're hoping to be swimming in the sunshine tomorrow, but the pool we are going to is tiny in comparison. Still fun though. The canyon is very beautiful, what a lovely area you live in Teresa, I always enjoy seeing your pictures. I hope you and Dayle have a good weekend. CJ xx

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  16. OMG that scenery is BREATHTAKING! Thats not fair, my blog cant compete with that LOL !!!!! Seriously, your photos are totally amazing, the scenery in the US is just so BIG ! I've been to the Sates a few times, including a 6 weeks round trip coast-coast and back by Amtrak when I was a student. My favourite memory though is of visiting Yosemite with my husband, well it was before we got married or even engaged so he was my boyfriend back then !

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  17. Okay...don't know what's up, but I am having trouble posting here!!!! GRRRRRR!! LOVE this post. So pretty and fun. I remember when you went before too.
    The previous post, with the rainbow...wow....wow...wow! Gorgeous! And the food, the dining out, the kids....all of it. Love my visits here!
    xo Kris

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  18. What a fun trip and your photos are great. thanks for sharing and glad you all had a safe trip.

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  19. Oh my, what an amazing place - how I would love a relaxing dip in that pool! The surrounding scenery is astonishing, love the views of the mountains.

    Helenxx

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  20. It looks absolutely idyllic. I'm not a big swimmer but I'd really love somewhere like this. Can I come with you in reality and not just in blog land haha?

    The juxtaposition of Mt Jefferson and the desert is stunning too! You really have some beautiful landscapes Teresa, you are SO lucky :D

    Ohhh but that little church is just a little too creepy for me! It would be nice if it was restored though.

    xx

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