Thermopolis, Baby!

So, yesterday marked the first time we diverged from our preplanned route, with fairly awesome results. The previous two days we had spent in Grand Teton National Park, and we previously planned to just spend yesterday driving across Wyoming. But then we decided to change our plans and take a route through Yellowstone National Park to see the one sight that we never saw when we were there three years ago -- Old Faithful Geyser.

(Don't ask me why we went to Yellowstone and not to Old Faithful -- in retrospect, I'm not quite sure why. I know it's kind of like visiting San Francisco and not seeing the Golden Gate Bridge or like visiting South Dakota and not visiting, er, the Corn Palace.)

For the record, Old Faithful is pretty cool. Thumbs up.


To be truthful, Kathy mostly got interested in this new route because it took us right through a town called "Thermopolis". The name itself is quite intriguing, you have to admit. But then Kathy looked at the AAA book description and was completely sold.

Thermopolis is a town in Nowhere, Wyoming that is home to the "World's Largest Mineral Hot Springs". Or so says the chalk writing on the mountain in town:


They've basically built the town into almost an amusement park, with a couple thermal "water parks" that have steam rooms, water slides, multiple pools and spas, with cheesy '80s music blasting over the speakers. Oh, and a dinosaur museum. How could we resist?

Kathy was insanely excited. Much more excited than about seeing Old Faithful. As we got closer and closer, the anticipation grew to epic proportions. Every 20 minutes or so, she would randomly exclaim "Dude, Thermopolis!" or "Aww yeah, Thermopolis!" or "Thermopolis, Baby!" I think it's more excited than she's been on the whole trip.

And in the end, Thermopolis did not disappoint. We got to soak in mineral water until we smelled nice and hydrogen-sulfidey, we got to ride some water slides, we got to eat dinner in a restaurant filled with stuffed bears, moose, and sheep. Oh, and we got to see some dinosaur bones in front of cheesy backdrops. That's a pretty unbeatable combination, don'tcha think?