Some Like It Hot

Linda Burton posting from Boise, Idaho – The Trolley stopped so we could see the carriage step, a charming bit of history that remains on Warm Springs Avenue. Our Tour Guide told us stories of the stately houses that we passed; the first bathtub in this one; the first dishwasher in that one; the geothermal heat in all. There’s a new house on the corner where the Natatorium once stood, it was a warm-water pool, geothermal heat. As we passed the capitol on our Trolley ride, it was mentioned once again – the only capitol in the United States with geothermal heat. So where, I asked, is this hot water? I’ve been to Yellowstone; I’ve seen the geysers and the steaming bubbling pools, favored spots for buffalo in winter snows. I’ve been to Hot Springs National Park; I’ve seen the bathhouses there, favored spots for people seeking soothing waters to ease their aches and pains. Magic waters, underground, where are they in Idaho, and how do people harness them? They come “right from Hades,” printed the Idaho Statesman in December 1890, referring to an artesian well just drilled west of Table Rock. » read more