Man, those springs are HOT!

Have I mentioned that I really miss Drive 105? Where will I ever get my alternative radio fix? I've resorted to listening to internet radio but I still haven't found a "station" that really floats my boat.

What is up with Paris Hilton? Why the huge fascination? I can't believe I was watching the morning news the other day and she was the #2 story! Seriously?! There isn't anything going on the world that bears as much importance as the fate of Ms. Hilton and her living accommodations for the next few weeks? Honestly, what happened to news programs being about news?

While we were in Lake Tahoe we visited a hot springs pool on the recommendation of a woman I work with. We went there on Wednesday, the coldest day of the week, and we had to go through the mountains to get to Carson City, which is where the pools were located. As we traversed to higher elevations the more it snowed - yes, snowed! I had to laugh as Julie is truly not a fan of the white stuff, particularly when we're on vacation. She would have much rather had white sandy beaches than white snowy roads.

We got into Carson City (the capital of Nevada in case you need to brush up on your 4th grade geography) and found Carson Hot Springs Resort. Let's just say the word "resort" is being rather generous, not that the place was bad, just not what you would picture when you think of a resort. They have a public pool and a half dozen or so private pools that you can rent for an additional $5 a person. We decided we'd take the private pool where we could dictate the temperature of the water.

We pull into the parking lot to find 1950's era motel rooms to our left, a Mexican restaurant in front of us, and a building surrounded by a privacy fence to our right. We locate the entrance of the "resort" and enter the lobby, which is really not much more than a counter you might find at a tanning salon. We had made a reservation for our private pool and asked that the temp be at 104 degrees. By the way, the water is pure hot springs water that keeps the pools at a constant 98 degrees.

She tells us our room number and we make our way through a winding hallway and find our door. We enter into what can best be described as what I would imagine a third-world prison cell to be, with a few upgrades such as the cedar door and bench. The room contains a "changing area" (the aforementioned bench) and steps leading down to the pool. The walls are smooth concrete, as are the ceilings (imagine an Army barracks) and the floor and walls of the pool are 1-inch tiles, many of which have fallen off.

There is a small window that is open and is similar to what you would find in a basement, about 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide. The window is open but is about 15 feet above our heads. The only natural light in the room is from this window and from the vent in the ceiling, which is probably 20 feet high. The pool area is about 6 feet wide and 12 feet long with tile "seats" in two of the corners. There are no jets like you would find in a hot tub, just standing water and a hole in the furthest wall that is supplying the water to the pool.

We each make our way to one of the seats and are happy to find the water to be as warm as we ordered - there was a thermometer in the corner. Now, you might be thinking this place sounds terrible, and from what I've written I can see why you'd think that. It wasn't what we had imagined, but it was very relaxing to have your own private hot springs pool to sit in.

After about 45 minutes in our private room (we reserved it for 2 hours) we decided to go outside and try the public pool, which appeared to be slightly smaller than an Olympic-size pool. The public pool is kept at 98 degrees which was perfect as the air temps were in the low 50's. We grabbed some "noodles" and just floated around the pool, watching the storm clouds overhead.

It was all rather surreal - from our vantage point in the pool we could see the mountains to the south and west and could see the rain/snow falling on the higher elevations. The winds were picking up and things appeared to be getting interesting weather-wise all around us, but our little oasis in the pool was rather untouched. It was a very calm and serene place to be, and was a perfect way to relax during our last afternoon in Tahoe.

If you are ever in Tahoe I would recommend visiting the Carson Hot Springs Resort. The cost is $10 per person for an all-day pass to use the public pool, or $15 per person to rent a private room for 2 hours. (If you go with the private room you still have use of the public pool for the entire day, 7 AM to 11 PM.) I would suggest just doing the $10 day pass unless you would like the experience (and privacy) of the private room.

That's the latest on today's installment of "Tahoe Weekly" magazine. I'm sure there will be more posted in the future.

Wow, who are THESE people?

Seriously?

Largest island on a lake on an island with a lake with a ... huh?

Cheer up, sleepy Jean.