Trip Report 3-24-2020

Once in a while I sit up at night and worry about the world's situation. Yesterday I woke up at 4 am and remembered I have sat around my house for 8 days waiting for good news from a reliable source. Not happening. Then I realized it had been 3 weeks since I have been to my favorite hot spring. I put my long johns on and headed to D.C.HOT springs. I got to the Freedom trail head at 7 am. There was one van in the parking lot. I could not see any cars at the Bowen ranch or the new camp ground, The temperature was in the low 40's with no wind. I saw no one until I got to the springs. Darwin and Christine were in the Anniversary pool. Crossing the creek was the hard part. I walked across the creek from the main beach. The water was deepest at first. I sank up to my shoulders, after @ 4 feet it got shallower. Up to my waist then shallower till out. I had to shout out my anger from the coldness. It took a minuet to warm enough to start moving again. I talked to Darwin @ 30 minuets then he had to leave. He said 'they had gotten there the morning before and the big rock where the Arizona pool is was under water.' At that time it was almost 2 feet out of the water. By sunset it was @ 4 feet out of the water. I could tell by looking at the shore line that the crest at the highest point was about 3 feet above the spring source at the Arizona pool. Darwin told me that the day previous they had the springs pretty much to themselves. He said '@ ten people showed up at the beach but none swam across. I was the first to do so. And that only a few came from the Bradford ridge path.' After they left I had the place to myself for @ 3 hours. I got the blue hose out and spent @ 1 hour getting every piece of dead algae and trash out of the Arizona pool. Then a family came down the mother was very happy I was cleaning the place up and showered me with gifts and praise. It made for a very nice day. I told her husband that he IS a very fortunate man. He said 'I know.' Through out the day about 30 persons came down. The road to the Bowen ranch is in very pour condition. Then it gets much worse going to the freedom trail head. Where there are many pools of water standing in the road.
And yet it is SO worth it !!!
P.S. - I noticed as I drove out that the D.C.H.S. camp ground IS showing movement again. There were car and truck tracks going in and out the gate. Also I saw a place where the trailers that were moved into a valley have been set up for who ever is staying there with cars parked nearby. Maybe with this Chinese virus they are self isolating ? STAY AWESOME !



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2020 07:57AM by jobe.