parts per million

I have been meaning to record this one for a while, but just haven't taken the time. I have a memory from my youth that always comes back to me this time of year. As a kid growing up in Rexburg, Idaho I was no foreigner to cold water. Public swimming pools, lakes, rivers, it was all cold. So imagine the delight when my parents would take me to Green Canyon hot springs to swim. These are my memories from Green canyon
1. Sharks. No there were not real sharks, but when I was a kid there was a very large drain in the bottom of the deep end of the pool covered by a rebar grate. All of the kids "believed" that sharks were held under that grate, so no one wanted to dive in the deep end. In the bad old days they would not put any chemicals in the pool-because it was naturally heated water they would drain the pool every night and fill it up again the next day. I remember hearing some years later that some government agency deemed that unsanitary and they started using chemicals and not draining the water. As Reed would say, it's all about parts per million.
2. Jolly Rancher sticks. They had a candy counter at the check in desk and I remember buying Jolly Rancher sticks (about 1"wide and 4" long, they don't make them anymore) for $.10. Usually when we went we took hot dogs and marshmallows and roasted them over the fire. There was a very large fireplace in the common area next to the pool, I believe for this very purpose. Sometimes we went with other families for a group FHE. On such occasions there would also be a jello salad present.
3. Juniper Berries. Outside the pool building there were juniper bushes. I remember at one time an older, wiser cousin (I believe this was Rob Neeley) told me you could dry the berries and make necklaces out of them. So whenever we went we would pick a lot of berries. No necklaces were ever made, but they did smell good.
4. Warm toilet water. This is the memory hook for me this time of year. The dressing rooms were always muggy. The water in the showers was hot, the floor was always wet (there were risers to stand on because the actual floor was nasty) and when you went to the potty the water in the toilet was hot and you could feel the heat. That is the way our toilets are in Phoenix in the summer. It is a weird feeling. Not sure if it is as weird as sitting on the loo in the middle of winter and being so cold you can't feel yourself sitting down, but it is different.
They have done a lot of remodeling to the place, I have been back once since they changed it, but it just wasn't the same. Sometimes you just want to keep the memories just how they are. Here is a link to their website, just in case you want a little trip down memory lane yourself. Just take highway 33 towards Newdale and turn off at mile marker 116. Or visit their blog www.greencanyonhotsprings.com