Taking the Waters

A couple of hours west of Charlottesville, hard up against the West Virginia line, is Bath County.  In Bath County you will find two little side-by-side towns, Warm Springs and Hot Springs.  Both names are quite descriptive because, well, they have them...springs.  Warm ones.  Not only are they warm springs but they're warm HISTORIC springs.  To wit, the one and only Thomas Jefferson soaked in these very waters in the 1800's.

At the Jefferson Pools you will find two wooden, octagonal structures, each housing a pool of spring fed warm water.  98 degrees of warm, slightly sulphuric smelling mineral water and it feels divine. 

My friend Pat, her daughter and my daughter (also old friends of ten years' standing) took off for what we hoped would be the cool of the mountains around mid-morning.  We drove through some scenic Va countryside and ended up at the pools just before 1.  We went in, paid our fee, and were rewarded with an hours' soak in that lovely mineral water. 

I had been up that way before with another friend a few years before.  The Jefferson Pools must have fallen on hard times since then, though, because they were more than a little down at the heels.  What used to be quaint and rustic is now close to falling down around our ears.  The facility is now owned by the far more elaborate Homestead and I do hope they have plans to improve the condition of the baths, what with the mold, the rotting boards and the general state of disrepair.  These places have the potential to be quaint and charming, but look like they are barely going to hold up for the next hour.

After "taking the waters" - or so it was called in Jefferson's time - we drove down into town and found The Homestead in all her glory.  We found parking and went on a brief tour. Then we availed ourselves of some pleasant alcove in the lobby and proceeded to partake of afternoon tea...served daily at 3:00 p.m.  It was a lovely interlude. 

After tea we were back on the road and made our way over to Staunton.  We found a nice little restaurant housed in an old mill.  We were attracted by their advertisement of the best ribs in town.  They weren't kidding.  Those things were quite tasty.  Come on over and I'll give you a ta...  oops.  Can't.  I ate them all and they were delish.

After a great and relaxing day there is only one thing left to do.  Night all.  I'm going to bed.