We have about a 2.5 hour drive ahead of us to Wilbur Hot Springs. It is run with solar and doesn't have TV, hair dryers, wifi....just back to nature. I saw this post on facebook and it fits this place perfectly...
We're getting close....and of course, there is road work ahead...
Cute sign overhead....where the Skunk Train run ends from Fort Bragg, so this is the end of the line smell-wise, I guess.
Had to take this photo...who does a Tina Turner Tribute????and I thought Paperback Wriiter was a song not a band...and who gives a flying turd anyway?
Yep....more roadwork...they seem to see us coming.
We cannot get over how many Indian Casinos we've passed on our trip...I kind of like this logo...
We wondered, is this pronounced "nice", "neese", or "nee-chay"? Either way, still trailerville.
Look at the scum in the water...yuck...I don't think it's changed much since the last time we were here. Too many boogers being dumped in the water, Poor fish!
The last part of the lake looks much better, for some reason...not as many houses (ergo boogers) nearby...
I liked this water tank...nice to turn something bland into a piece of art...
Look at all the burned out trees...so sad...
We've now turned on to the gravel road that leads to the hot springs...I think we've entered Texas chainsaw massacre area...I'm not sure where Norm is taking me...
Does this washboard gravel Hell ever end????
Finally, we've found a sign....Yay! Norm's intentions are honorable after all.
These are the sulfur and salt deposits left over from evaporation....
These are photos from their website and show the pools:
The following five photos were captured from the Wilbur Springs web site. Photos are not permitted inside the bath/pool area in consideration of unclothed guests so we couldn't use our camera in there.
This lodge is the one that was recently in a fire that engulfed the second story. The lodge is encased with chain link fence and workmen right now trying to reconstruct it. We hardly heard any of the hammering or machinery - We saw the men but they must be working really quiet. The rates are reduced during the construction period so it was a win-win for us.
It wasn't green grass like this today, it being September now, but the rest looks the same:
This is the flume area - quiet area - no talking (thank goodness): three flumes, three temperatures--98/99 degrees, 104/5 degrees and 110 degrees. Hot mineral water enters continually at one end of the flume and exits to the nearby creek at the other end.
Ourdoor pool is maintained in mid-70's. Outside mineral spa, just out of the photo in the right foreground, is the same temperature as the first flume - about 98/99 degrees.
The entrance to the mineral baths:
This is the registration office and kitchen facilities - but you bring your own food and beverages and do your own prep/cooking.
You can see the hulking presence of the photographer (Norm) between the two flumers.
This is the dining area that is available for everyone to use - in addition to the kitchen:
Up ahead are the solar rooms the whole buiding works off solar. We stayed in room #5...they were built partially into the hillside:
I love this room - it has a loft with two beds - the whole place is decorated as if we're in the 70's...everyone was naked in hot tubs in those days...or be square!
This is the loft in our room:
The bed in the upstairs loft...
Looking down on the main room:
This is the lobby for the 10 rooms in our solar complex.
Here we are having dinner of wine (two bottles). cheese, crackers, apples, and tomatoes....yum!
Norm says the camera loves me...says that takes the burden off him (followed by a cuff to his head, followed by his "just kidding" about the "burden" part and three air kisses.)
This is a painting in the lobby...Norm says this is him...I say it is not because of the dorky sweater.
I can see this on facebook....
This sign is posted on the doorway to the rooms...we should have posted a sign like this when we moved into Gold RIver...not all of our friends appreciated that we wanted them to take their shoes off (before the tile and wood).
Slept really well last night - woke up a few times but fell back asleep. Felt like it was late morning when we finally got up but it was only 8:15am....early for me...we grabbed our towels and headed for the mineral baths again. They are open 24 hours. The hike from the solar rooms to the baths is a bit long...wouldn't want to walk this in the rain. These are the only photos I could take: inside the springs/pool enclosed area is much nudity, us included, so taking photos would be in poor form.
It being morning, there were fewer people in the pool/spa area than the previous afterrnoon - in fact, we had the entire area almost to ourselves. So relaxing. We relaxed in the flumeria and outside spa and read a book in the lounge chairs. Finally felt that we had our fill so hiked back to the room to pack and carrry our stuff to the "staging area". There is so much dust in that area...our car is filthy...poor Honda.
The roads in and out of the hot springs are dusty and gravely and it amazes me that someone built this operation out in the middle of nowhere.
This gate was open yesterday but I had to open and close it today:
This is the bridge that we crossed from the"main" road:
However, when we pulled back on the highway, a sign said that we were only 50 miles from Woodland/SMF Airport. We've now been to a mineral bath in Oregon and in Washington and we like this one the best. The clothing optional is a nice touch. A couple of older women wore bathing suits but the rest of us didn't. Have to admit that clothes, on some people, were made for a reason (wink), but with others birthday suits are ooh-la-la.
Arrived back in Gold River at 12:45pm today and headed straight for bagels and Starbucks - so Norm could catch up on the Sac Bee and I could finish the blog...and we're stretching our trip as long as possible. When we get home I have LOTS of laundry to do, linens to change, etc etc etc - and look at the dirty car...will Gold River let us in the gate?
2,630 miles .... wonderful trip! The Honda Fit did us proud...
