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As a surprise Mother's Day gift, Joe gave Cathy (and him) a 2-night stay at the Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa, located in the northern tip of the mysterious San Luis Valley, off CO Hwy 17 just South of Villa Grove, CO and North of Moffat, CO, between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the East and the La Garita and San Juan Mountains to the West. On Sunday, June 2, 2019, the 3-hour, 150-mile, drive from our home in Colorado Springs via US Hwy 24, US Hwy 285 and CO Hwy 17, took us through some of the most beautiful scenery in Colorado. (see map)
The Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa offers accommodations in the form of camp sites (with and without electricity) for tents, cars and RVs, tipis, yurts and full service hotel rooms. Lodgings include soaking in the three naturally earth heated mineral hot spring pools - cool at 98°, medium at 104° and hot at 108°. Each square tiled pool is 3-5 feet deep. The healing waters are loaded with natural minerals, except for sulpher. So, there is no rotten egg smell like many other hot springs. Also, for additional fees, they offer full spa services - various massages and facial treatments. Cathy had a wonderful massage the second evening we were there.
The staff were all very friendly and accommodating making us feel welcomed and comfortable. Both the owner, Elaine, and General Manager, Theo, were on premises and were friendly and engaged with us several times during our stay. In fact, Elaine joined us and the other guests during our evening soaks.
Be sure to view the VIDEO of our trek through the Joyful Journey Labyrinth.
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#1 - After about a 3 hour drive from our home in Colorado Springs, we arrive at the entrance to Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa, off CO Hwy 17, just south of Villa Grove, CO and north of Moffat, CO.
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#2 - They have various accomodations, including tipis...
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#3 - Cathy outside one of the tipis with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the background.
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#4 - Inside a tipi with fairly sparse accomodations - dirt floor, plastic chairs, cots for sleeping, wifi, but no electricity, no lights, also no heating, no cooling and no insulation.
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#5 - They also have yurts, which are a bit of an upgrade from the tipis.
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#6 - One of the yurts.
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#7 - Inside one of the yurts, which is an upgrade from the tipis, with a wooden floor, real furniture, a real bed, electricity, lights, a heater, a fan, and, of course, wifi.
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#8 - We chose to stay in one of the lodge hotel rooms with a king size bed, real furniture, full bathroom, electricity, lights, heating and cooling (which we never had to turn on), and wifi, but no phone, nor TV (which we did not miss).
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#9 - Cathy sitting on the wall out in front of the lodge wing where our room #107 is located.
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#10 - The lawn and trees in front of our room in the wing to the left and in the back, on the left is the door to the small dining room for breakfast and dinner, and the conference/meeting room is on the right.
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#11 - Our room is the first on the left with the two red chairs.
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#12 - Our room #107 is named Chipeta, after the wife of the famous Ouray, Native American chief of the Tabeguache (Uncompahgre ) band of the Ute tribe in Western Colorado in the late 1800s.
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#13 - Joe relaxing and enjoying a glass of wine on the veranda in front of our room.
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#14 - Cathy relaxing while readng her Nook on the veranda in front of our room.
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#15 - The view from the veranda in front of our room looking West towards the Joyful Journey office and spa building with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the background.
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#16 - The Joyful Journey office and spa building with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the background. The building contains the registration desk, small gift shop, spa treatment rooms, and shower/changing rooms. The three hot spring spa pools are on the right side. They are tiled pools from 3 to 5 feet deep with the cool one at about 98°, the medium one at 104° and the warm one at 108°
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#17 - The Joyful Journey office and spa building with Electric Peak (13,621 ft. elev.) and the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range in the background.
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#18 - They have a geodesic dome green house where they grow fresh flowers, vegatables and herbs.
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#19 - Inside the geodesic dome green house where they grow fresh flowers, vegatables and herbs.
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#20 - A view of the tipis and the Sange de Cristo Mountains on our way to walk the Labyrinth and Meditation Hill.
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#21 - The trail leading to the Labyrinth (to the left) and Meditation Hill (straight ahead).
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#22 - The Joyful Journey Labyrinth.
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#23 - The Joyful Journey Labyrinth. A labyrinth differs from a maze in that there is only one path from the outside to the center target. Be sure to view the VIDEO of our trek through the Labyrinth.
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#24 - This is the target center of the Labyrinth. People leave tokens of rememberence. The toothpick in the left hand of the angel was ours. Be sure to view the VIDEO of our trek through the Labyrinth.
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#25 - Cathy and I legitimatly reached the center of the labyrinth by walking the entire path, which took about 10 minutes. We must confess, we cheated on the way out. Be sure to view the VIDEO of or trek through the Labyrinth.
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#26 - After leaving the Labyrinth, Cathy and I walked the trail to Meditation Hill, where we found these stone benches and stone cairns left by other visitors.
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#27 - One of the benches on Meditation Hill.
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#28 - One of the stone benches and stone cairns left by other visitors at Meditation Hill,
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#30 - This, and the peaceful soaking each night in the mineral hot spring pools, was what this trip was all about for both of us!
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