join a rolling nudist colony for a natural hot tub tour - Ibis Cycles

I:I-I-0J:0J:~CZI:l-I-0J:0J:~CZI:I­o• J:hold out.After an amazing meal of Cajun­'style fish and numerous forms of tastycarbohydrate prepared by our guideson a pair of Coleman camp stoves, weall took a bath together in a giant hotspring-fed pool. Naked. Sure, we pretendedto not be checking each otherout, but we did. I did, at least. The mostcurious part of my curiosity, however,was how quickly it ebbed. Once thenovelty wears off, nudity seems prettybland compared to the diversity ofclothing. Frederick's of Hollywood wasno dummy. We soaked until the starscame out, then stumbled, pleasantlyexhausted, to our tents. .GROOVIN'It was frosty cold when I awoke----rwicalhigh-desert weather. I mad(La nakeddash for the hot spring p901 and metseveral others wh 'd ueen similarlyinspired. A later arrival brought a singlecup of coffee and shared it with us. Itfelt good to stretch in the warm waterafuJr yesterday's ride and a night's sleepon the ground. Mist rising from the hotsprings gave the valley a priII).evalappearance. A grazing brontosauruswould not have been out of place. Idressed and went looking for more coffee.After 2 cups of Harley'S espressoand a bran muffin, I was primed for thegroover."What's a groover?" you say.One of the moral conditions of operatingbackcountry tours in the West isself-containtnent. That means carryingout everything you carry in, except tliewater filtered through your Kidneys.That's right, used food must be carriedout. Thus, the groO\i8Ii.The groover is a fixture commonlyused on river trips. Conveniently located100 yards downwind from camp,it's an ammo can with a plastic garbagebag liner. It's called a groover becausesitting on it puts grooves in one's buttcheeks. Although ours was a deluxemodel with a toilet seat, it was nonethelessa groover and, as such, governed bythe "Groover Rules of Engagement."Rule number 1: no peeing.I've never considered simultaneoussphincter relaxation a luxury until thismorning. But there's plenty of incentivefor one-at-a-time control. Anyonecaught peeing in the groover hassuck the air out of the bag T"h"n~'T"apack up and move on. At leaswhat Lu said. I'm not OIle to takechances when the stakes are that high.That mastered, we break camp andcontinue west along the Little SmokeyCreek, as sing up a dip in Preis HotSprings at the 5-mile mark in favor of amore intriguing option farther along.At the confluence of Little SmokeyCreek and the South Fork of the BoiseRiver we hang a right onto the first singletrackof the trip. Our destination isSkillern Hot Springs, but it's the going,not the getting there, that's good. Weclimb northward for more than an hourand regroup in the shade of a pinegrove."The spring's dry," says Lu, returningfrom a high-speed reconnaissanceride farther up the trail. But that's okay.We still have a humdinger, return-tripdescent to play with.Buffed singletrack is a foreign surfacefor me. I'm more at home pickingmy way over the rocks and roots soprevalent on eastern trails. Such lowspeedriding carries little consequenceHOT TIMES IN IDAHO HOT TIMES IN IDAHO HOT TIMES IN IDAHO HOOT TIMES IN IDAHO-I-I:IJ:0J:0-I-I:IZCl>J:0J:0-I-I:Iz•Safer Power - Saner PriceJust ask "Masters" " Category MTB Racer Larry Hill:ombining, advantagesSPD pedals and)s and toe straps.o POWER GRIPS have)t going for them. Thiselusive product of Bicycle Partscific has won me over for its safety.cisncy. low cost. and adaptability,"Iy 1992PGWER,. GflIPS,.;V1ore /lower to · ,!Oflr jeddl.Fora free brochure, send a self-addressed stamped-envelope to:, )3ieyCie Parts Pacifippe'pt; B, P.O; Sol\4gS0 ' ".'Grand Jtmction, CO 81S02 " ,. .• Senq $1,00 for an IQformation pack induding a 'four~ c~lor brochure. copies of 'testimOnial letters, and reprints of magazine test ,eviews,