Somewhere between here and Colorado Springs, Colorado there is a Travelodge Motel. My parents and my younger brother and I stayed at this motel on our way home from Colorado Springs in the summer of 1995. We stayed just one night but before we started the last leg of our journey home, Thomas and I took a morning swim in this pool. (Please keep in mind neither of us had proper swimming lessons.)
In addition to modest accommodations at a reasonable price, the motel sports a normal sized pool surrounded by white plastic pool chairs. Motel pools are grody at worst and unremarkable at best. This pool is unforgettable. It is rectangular in shape. One end is 3 feet deep; the other end is maybe 8. The floor and sides of this pool are tiled with blue and white ceramic tile--the slippery when wet kind and here is where things get a little dicey. I was 11, my brother 6 or 7. We entered the pool down the steps and instantly lost our footing. It was fun at first--where the water was waist or chest high. We'd joke around chasing each other and slide right under and pop right back up. But we quickly learned of a second danger lurking under the water.
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| Like this but steeper. So. Much. Steeper. |
The shallow end of the pool was actually a very narrow portion on one end. The slope of the pool down to the deep end was so sudden and steep. We found it the hard way. We would drift close to this slope and slide down on our feet and then struggle/swim to get back to where we could touch, continue to play but lose track of where we were and then panic/slide as we drifted back down. The pool quickly lost it's fun as we were in a constant fear or struggle for our lives. We didn't whine when my mom fetched us to go home.
The tiles of that pool were so dang slippery! Who tiles a pool with slippery tiles? What the heck?
We are taking a trip to Colorado Springs in May. I wonder if we can stay there on the way back. My kids are better swimmers.
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