First visit

Well, I made my very first visit to the springs this past Friday morning. I pulled up to the Bowen Ranch at about 8:15 and after paying my $4 and parking at the end of the road, I wondered "where are the rest of the cars?" I looked around and spotted a trail sign so I headed out. Would have been nice to have someone to walk in with on the first trip, but I figured what the heck, I was a Boy Scout once years ago, I can figure this out! As I'm tooling along I'm beginning to wonder "Did I ever get a merit badge for finding my way along an unknown trail?" Anyway, I get down to the bottom of the trail and come up to a beach like area and wondered if this was it? I walked back and forth over rocks around boulders, back up the trail aways looking for the springs. Well now I'm starting to get a little frustrated cause I can't find the danged things. So I holler out hoping there is someone already soaking who will take pity on this poor soul and take me by the hand and guide me in to where I need to be - no luck! So I figure I'll just take a little break and wait for someone else to come along since I appear to be clueless. As I'm sitting there cursing my luck I wonder to my self "What is that steam coming up right over there just across the water?" Aha - I have found them!!! Now, how do I get over there? Well, I decided I hadn't come all this way to just sit here and look at them so being the brave soul that I am I forded across that frigid little creek. What a wonderful treat!!! I'm the only person in sight and I have this great place all to myself. Now I don't know the names that have been applied to each of the pools so excuse me if I don't use proper terminology. I started off in the first/lowest one and was really enjoying myself. Then I thought, ya know, on that Deep Creek web-site forum they talk about several pools. So I started exploring a bit and found a second larger pool. This one being real deep and a bit warmer. Ahhhh, this is wonderful! I sat in there for about 20 minutes somewhere in between asleep and awake just enjoying being alive. Then I heard something so I look up and there's someone on the other side of the creek asking how I got over there - another first timer. I told Chuck to just come on over. So after he worked his way across and we had exchanged pleasantries, we both just sat there enjoying ourselves. I mentioned to him that I had read that there were several pools and that one of them is supposed to be REALLY hot. So he starts scrambling up and over the rocks and finds another pool up top. So I followed him up and we sat in there for an hour or so just talking. Anyway, to wrap up this long rambling story, I had an outstanding time and can't wait to come back! Note to self - got to stop smoking cause that hike back out nearly killed me!!!

By the way, is it always deserted on Fridays like that? Outside of Chuck, I didn't see another soul the whole time I was there.