This is kind of weird... maybe it was a coincidence brought on by the thrill of being on vacation in a new environment, but right after Wyatt gulped down a ton of salty hot springs water at the Hot Springs Pool in Colorado, he repeatedely and spontaneously asked for a "ball" and also began saying "door-key-go" when he wants to go out--which is a huge 3-word communication. Additionally, he now very clearly says, "itchy" when he is itchy and he has been spontaneously identifying cars, trucks (chu), and trains (chay).

And now for an ASD Travel Review on the Hot Springs Pool at Glenwood Springs:

Save money and go after 6 p.m. The entrance fee is significantly cheaper, the heat and sun are not as intense, and most importantly, the water slide closes at 6 p.m. Another bonus is that there are not nearly as many pool toys in the water. During the day at the pool Wyatt got a little overstimulated by all of the tube rings and beach balls, watching people jump off the diving board, and the waterslide activity--he wanted to hang out in the exit pool where it felt like simulated waves when people would emerge from the slide.

But at night we were able to really relax and enjoy the pool with Wyatt. The pool was much quieter and you could actually hear the mellow 1970's to the present tunes over the poolside speakers. When the pool lights came on it created an even more serence ambience. It was obviously summer when we visited, but we went in winter a few years ago and when the water is warm and the air is cold a very romantic steam rises from the water. If you stay at the pool from 6 to 10 p.m. you and your kids will sleep incredibly well.

Showers and Toilets: All that salty mineral water that Wyatt drank caused him to have a bowel movement. He was wearing a swim diaper which contained the mess very well, but we had chosen to leave expediently and quietly through the back exit rather than go through the showers and the main building. We felt that this would be easier for everyone (us and the other guests). But the unexpected diaper mess created a problem for us and we were not able to clean Wyatt off as thoroughly as we would have liked. They have upstairs, dowstairs, and downstairs handicap showers and toilets. We should have utilized a handicap shower room. Wyatt had an additional poo during the night and got a bit of diaper rash. But now he is spontaneously saying "itchy" so it isn't the worst thing in the world that he got a bit of a rash.

Special Needs: We only noticed one other obvious special needs kid and one person recovering from chemotherapy. Despite the long history of people going to hot springs pools for relaxtion and therapuetic reasons, this does not seem to be the case with modern day hot springs. In fact...

Celebrity Sightings: I swear I saw Jeff Goldblum and Jon Stewart there, plus another celebrity that I can't name because I only know him by his face. Don't you hate that? I pointed out one of the celebs to my husband and a little while later I saw security pointing at ME. I love celebrities but I hate the thought of intruding on their privacy. Who wants to be a hick bozo and ruin an entertainer's vacation? Not me. So I was annoyed at myself for pointing.

The Dog: We bring our dog on vacation with us and we had to board her at a kennel during the day due to the high temperatures. Most hotels and campgrounds do not like you to leave your dog unattended. When we visited the pool in the late evening, we were able to save $15 on kennels by finding a very shady parking spot and leaving the car windows down.