Blue Heart Springs

Blue Heart Springs stole a little piece of my wanderlust heart. 

After tossing and turning all night, accumulating about 2 hours of interrupted sleep, we were all up and at it by 7:30am and on the water by 8:15am. When we talked to the front desk assistant at Banbury about possibly renting a paddle board (instead of using the kayaks we brought), we noticed that most of their rentals were booked at 10-11am... so using some logic, we decided it would be best to hop on the water as early as possible. 

Arrow was in my kayak with me while Zeplin and Matt shared our other kayak. Arrow named our kayak the "Moose Flower" because of some stickers I had on placed on it. The Mortensen's acquired 3 kayaks from a friend to add to the 2 they already owned. 

We took our time down the Snake River as we ooooo'd and awwww'd at all the birds, Bald Eagles, waterfalls, cliffs, Box Canyon and fishes jumping. 

 

 

    

 

 

Less than an hour going down the river, we finally made it. We crossed over the (icky, smelly, gunky) water that accumulated, dividing the Snake River from the crystal clear blue waters of Blue Heart Springs and my breathe was taken away at it's clarity and frigid cold temperature. 

We were the only ones there as we paddled around, in awe, of the beauty. We saw all the way to the bottom of the spring, where the ripples of sand bubbled & danced from the fresh water pushing its way up from the earth. 

We giggled at the sight of a slender, brown mink running through the collection of rocks by the water. Zeplin looked through the water for any fish before pulling off to the side to get out and taking a dip in the water. 

 

  

 

As I said, the water was freezing. It was a huge temperature drop from the Snake to the Spring. Absolutely amazing. We took a few pictures and did our best to hang out in the water but it was stinging our skin so it wasn't too enjoyable. By 9:45am, people started to show up, so we hopped back in our kayaks, took a few more pictures of the water and headed back. 

 

 

   

 

Arrowlyn fell asleep on the way back which made it super hard to paddle. My shoulders and triceps were burning from the awkward way I had to paddle. I covered her face with my shirt so she wouldn't burn to a crisp from the sun. 

We were thrilled when we saw two bald eagles swoop down and catch fish, then carry them to the rock ledges to eat breakfast. They were magnificent to see. 

We also passed about 100 people, all headed down to where we had come back from.... We were feeling extra happy that we went as early as we did so to beat the crowd. It would have been a bit demotivating to travel with so many people. 

We were so happy with our trip and how well everything worked out!!

 

We had just enough time to eat some food and pack up our stuff before our 12am checkout. Before we left, we decided to cross the highway to Miracle Hot Springs and check out their alligator, Lola. She almost looked fake, or dead, until she blinked her eyes a few times. It was neat to see her so close up, enjoying the natural hot water that was being pumped directly into her little habitat. As we started to walk away, we realized our little ones, with their faces pressed against the fence, were not ready to leave yet. We had to usher them back to the car. 

We took one more stop the see the Fossil Museum in Hagerman before heading home. It was a neat little space and Zeplin soaked it all in. Even Arrow was excited to see all that it had to offer. 

Since we didn't have the camper, the drive home felt light and quick. Including cleanup, once we were home. 

 

I hope my kids enjoyed this adventure because I really did. It was a magical little gem that I praise God for. 

Thank you, Jesus, for creating such beauty on this broken earth. You are the ultimate creator!! Goodness and beauty just pour out of you through your love; for your creations are great in your eyes. Thank you!!!

(John 1)