Our trip was almost over but on the way from Salmon back to Idaho Falls there is an amazing natural wonder called Goldbug Hot Springs that we could not pass up. It's in the high desert; sage brush land; my favorite. The trail starts with a series of switchbacks on the side of hill that is all covered in sagebrush. It then runs along a beautiful clear stream. Junipers appear among the sage brush and those rugged Idaho outcroppings are visible all around. There are camp sites along this stretch. Elizabeth and I talked about coming back just to camp there.

After a while the trail becomes quite steep again. It's worth the climb though because at the top is a collection of pools all on different levels with the water flowing from higher to lower via little waterfalls. Some of the pools are hot because they are fed by a hot spring and some are cold because they are fed by snow melt. Some pools are fed by both and are a pleasantly warm. It's a magical place and made for the perfect finale to our trip (or so we thought).