Midway Crater
Less than an hour away from home is a geothermal spring, hidden in a 55-foot tall limestone rock! Two miles below
the surface, the earth’s interior heats the water to 90-96 degrees, while a hole at the top of the dome lets in sunlight and fresh air. So cool. We had to experience it ourselves.
Based on this internet picture (and others), this is what I expected to see:
But because of the big temperature difference between the freezing outside air and the hot mineral crater water, all we really saw was this steamy scene:
After experiencing the crater, we drove around Midway, a cute small town, founded by Swiss settlers and full of charming buildings and details. We stopped at one point to check out this quaint covered bridge:
And, of course, we stopped for some delicious food a la Jac. Always a good day when these little containers make an appearance!
We saw some wildlife...
...had some ice cream in a funky, cute little cafe...
And then it was time for our second big event of the day:
Ice Castles
Wow, this was cool! We'd both been to Midway's Ice Castles about a decade ago, but they have gotten significantly more awe-inspiring since then. What an experience. There were ice caves and slot canyons, frozen waterfalls, maze-like tunnels, a large igloo, little ice slides... And all throughout, hundreds of thousands of
hand-placed icicles make the scene look like one big drip sand castle. Such a unique experience! Here's some of what we saw:
What a fun day! Close to home but still a memorable adventure!