Cascade Presbyterian - A Work in Progress

February, 2008 brings a lot of work to the facilities at Cascade Presbyterian. Much planning, prayer, and sacrificial giving has laid the predicate for the interior work at the Church.

A shot of a rare snow day in Eugene and Cascade Presbyterian.

A lot of work had previously gone into fixing up the Nursery.

One area of the Church that had to be brought up to code (ADA and Eugene) was the restrooms.

Access to the restrooms had to be changed. Here you see the handicap inaccessible entrance - straight in, sharp turn right, sharp turn left to enter. Updated, the entrance is now straight in.

Once you got in, you would find more needed renovations.

Here are some before and after shots of the work that was done.

Another area that needed work was the Fellowship Hall.

This old tile needed to be replaced. After removal, it was replaced with a cork flooring.


First Presbyterian, Hattiesburg helped out with the cost of this new flooring. It really looks good now.







The Kitchen also got new flooring and a fresh look.



The tile in the halls had to be removed and replaced.

The Vestibule (front entrance) needed to have the carpet removed and the stairs reworked.

Completed, this area really looks good now.



This metal stairway has pulled away from the building and must be removed. Plans call for it to be replaced with a deck and ramp.

Idaho - 09/2007 Hot Water Everywhere

Got Chris on his plane and headed home. It's Sunday, so I look up the PCA church in Boise.

Attended services here and met the pastor, Brad Chaney. The Church was doing well, having just resolved their Federal Vision issues. Left Boise after services and headed up toward Atlanta.

First stop was Loftus Hot Springs. Right on the road, but elevated above it, so one can't see it from the road. Partook of the waters here, and they were very good. There are many, many hot springs along this road to Atlanta.

Next stop was Chattanooga Hot Springs.

Chattanooga Hot Springs is a great soak, right next to a river.

The source is up the hill and cascades down to the pool.

The pool at Chattanooga is a great soak.

Another nearby great soak is Atlanta Hot Springs. This one has hot and cold running water too.

The road to Atlanta is a long way, and as I was heading back to Boise, it was getting late and I was hoping to find a place to lay my head without having to drive all the way back to town.

I came upon Twin Springs, which has been around since 1898, as the sign shows.

The rock house was available, and I checked in. Each room and cabin had its own private hot water soaking area. The tub for this room was right behind the screen.

Ahhh! Doesn't that steam look inviting.

Twin Springs also had a steam room. Very neat. I head out in search of more hot water, before having to return to Boise and catch my flight home.

Here is the Baumgartner Hot Springs pool. It is part of a State Park, as it was a gift from the owner who loved kids and welcomed friends and travelers to his soak. Didn't qualify here.

This is Preis Hot Springs. Yes, it is as small as it looks, barely big enough for one. Right next to the road, no privacy. Didn't soak here, but would be good for someone who needed to wash his feet.

This is one of the pools at Worswick Hot Springs. This is a very active geothermal area. The guide books seem to indicate that the soaking is better than I was able to locate. Didn't take the waters here. Getting late, so I'm headed back to Boise for Northwest to take me home.

Idaho - 09/2007 Day 4

We began the day, driving higher and higher up into the mountains. The area was originally settled by Emile Grandjean.

There was a good bit of fresh snow.

We come down out of the mountains and look for hot water.

This is the Elkhorn Hot Springs. We didn't qualify here. Although it is a great soak, it is located right next to a paved road, so it is quite visible and busy and not much privacy.

Next, we stopped at the Sunbeam Hot Springs. This is the old bath house, which is not in use any longer. Not much of a soak here next to the river, which is down the hill from here, we passed on this one.

Our next stop was at the Slate Creek Hot Springs. This is one of my favorites. Many friends have enjoyed the waters here with me: Josh, Kyle, Ricky, and now Chris. It has hot and cold running water, very neat. Dee has been here, but declined the soaking opportunity.

It's almost ready!!! Close your eyes, don't look, we're getting in.

This area has always seemed to have a lot of wildlife. Dee and I saw a cow moose with her baby. Chris and I come across this one, which is either a sheep or a goat. Maybe a commentator will opine which it is. My bet is a sheep.

The next springs was located on the banks of this pretty creek.

Here is the Bowery Hot Springs. Although it looks quite developed, the site is very remote. It was a very good soak.

There were other soaking options in the area, but we just explored and did not partake of the waters here. The day is about done, and we head back to Boise, where we will spend the night and get Chris on a plane for home.

Idaho - 09/2007 The Sawtooth Lodge

At the end of the road, just a half mile or so up from Sacagawea Hot Springs, we come upon the Sawtooth Lodge.


This is a neat old outfitting camp. We checked out the place and checked to see if they had any vacancy. They did, and we decided to spend the night. This was the last week they would be open, as they were closing for the season.

This is the original building, with the chimney, along with a more recent addition for the dining area.

Here's our cabin with smoke coming out of the chimney. The only heat was a wood stove. The wood was no extra charge, but it was very dry and burned very quickly. So if we wanted any warmth in the room, we had to keep the fire stoked. A load of wood would last less than an hour, so we had to restart the fire several times during the night. The Lodge was off the grid and made its own electricity. While we were there, the juice was provided by a diesel generator, but for years the electricity came from a water source just up the hill from the back of this cabin. The water was used to turn a pelsor wheel that made electricity. This system finally just wore out. We understand that this quieter means of electricity generation will be back on line for this summer.

This is one of the older cabins. Very cute, perhaps a good honeymoon cabin for our friend, Dee.

The Lodge was and still is a staging area for pack trips up to the high country.

Riding a horse or backpacking???

We took our meals here in the rustic Lodge. The evening meal was OK, as they were trying to use up their food supplies. Breakfast the next morning was pretty good.

I head out in the morning for a good soak.

And we bid farewell to the Sawtooth Lodge and hit the road in search of more hot water.