Curled in a blanket of its own steam along the banks of the mighty Clark Fork River of Northwestern Montana, Quinn’s Hot Springs seems to raise an eyebrow and tempt you to come closer and see for yourself as you drive up to it. Julie and I were beckoned into this steam laden temptation earlier this year and yes, we succumbed to overwhelming urge to let Quinn’s take our worries away if only for a night. The wizardry being concocted by Mother Nature’s own Houdini deep in the cauldron of the earth to create this life-giving water are nothing short of magical. Quinn’s did an epic job of dipping into this cauldron sprinkling its magic throughout the entire place.
As we pulled in, we were both a bit giddy, gently nudging each other and pointing opposite directions out our own windows trying to take in a share the excitement boiling over in each of us. We lavished in the opportunity to stay in one of their newer riverfront cabins and when they handed us our key, we bolted out the door like two kids whose mom just yelled “the mac and cheese is ready”! As we pulled in front of our very own river front log cabin, we grabbed our bags and scrambled up on to the front porch where we were stopped. We didn’t even get the key in the door before we were stuck with the details and thought which had obviously gone into each part of this cabin. We dropped our bags and turned our backs the front door to watch an osprey screaming at the river as if it had missed curfew by an hour! The river continued its meander as if unaffected by the constant screaming. Intrigued by the Naturevision channel we were watching live, we both sat down in the log swing chair gently swaying on the front porch. We both deemed to take a deep breath as if Meredith Grey just saved a young child on Grey’s Anatomy. The stress began to seep out and the magic began to seep in.
After silently watching our own personal programming from the porch, we stood up and went back to the door standing in front of us with the key hanging from the knob and turned it. The door swung open and our own oasis welcomed us with open arms! It was perfect! Cozy, cute, clean, romantic, and all ours. We each walked different directions looking at all the details. There were 3 rooms, the main room was comfortable with a nice couch, kitchenette complete with fresh coffee and a French Press, a flatscreen television mounted on the wall, and a table for 2 reached out and said “hello”. The bedroom had a soft and luxurious king size bed, with the ambiance of an electric fireplace on the wall casting shadows of flickering flames. It is a good thing magic dust is not salt or we would already have high blood pressure by this point in our excursion! The bathroom was just as welcoming as the rest of the cabin with a large walk-in tile shower on one side and a free-standing bathtub winking inappropriately from the other side. We took a moment and sat on the couch and smiled at each other, this was perfect! We had not even had a chance to soak yet, and Quinn’s had already completed their mission of making us relax and smile.
We decided to go explore a bit before we settled into dinner and soaking so we strolled out the front door, paused to watch a bit of pre-selected nature channel which seemed to be epic on repeat and began our journey around the resort. We walked carefully around the resort being cautious not to step in the magical pixy dust sprinkled all over this place as we had dinner plans and were trying to avoid all the natural distractions which we couldn’t help but notice and smile. This place was seeping into us and the thought was not only to explore our little cabin, but to explore the entire place. We took a few opportunities to stand on boulders and point as our inner Lewis and Clark guided us around the property.
After our Journey, we retreated to the cabin and got ourselves ready for dinner. The day was already perfect, so we were just a bit nervous about dinner as they had set the standard and we didn’t want anything to change that……………. It didn’t. Damn! We each had a different steak; I had a ribeye and Julie had the Filet. They provided a knife, but it wasn’t really necessary. Everything just melted in our mouths! Each bite seemed to flood the body with a little more serotonin. Kudos to the Chefs as they nailed this one. As we all know, food can make or break a trip and Quinn’s seems to know this too! MMMMMM, That is what I have to say MMMMMMM.
Now for the reason we came (almost seems like an afterthought at this point). Time to soak in what we love most, Hot Springs! The night set in and the cooler air crept down the canyon walls and rudely seemed to push us toward the seam cloud dancing on the pool. We tossed our towels to the side and hastily walked to the pool to avoid being pushed too hard by the cool canyon air. I let Julie climb in first and she took her sweet time, steeping slowly into the steam like it was silk sheets in cleopatras chambers while I waited patiently beside the pool for my chance! Finally, soak time! I plunged forward into the water like wilderbeast avoiding an alligator! Splashing water on Julie’s hair and whooping enough to make the pool fall silent and stare! With a large breath in, I let out a huge AHHHHHHHHHHHH. The rest of the guests fully understood at this point and with a smiling nod, seemed to say, “I feel you brother”!
Being as Hot Springs are our thing, we pay particular attention to the feel. The feel on the skin which was soft and silky. Obvious signs of potassium, sulfur, and calcium being present in the water. The almost instant relaxation in the muscles, joints, and nerves directed itself straight to transdermal magnesium being present in the water. What a treat! The perfect day, the perfect meal, the perfect soak, the perfect getaway with my perfect wife! What?……………………. you what to know more? Get your own damn room!