Hot Springs Tour - Nevada and California

 Even though we had camped on a breezy BLM hilltop at Lake Havasu, it was still a bit too warm for Hailey and I.  So we did what anyone would do - if they had wheels on their house - and pulled out of there!  We were headed back for California, so the first thing to do was to make sure the fuel tanks were all topped off at slightly less outrageous Arizona prices. :-)  I-40 took us westbound for a couple of hours before turning north again, into Mojave National Preserve.  Our favourite spot near Baker was completely empty, so that was where we ended up.  Even though it rained a bit one night, it was still pretty warm.

Having spent a couple of weeks in the area before Christmas, it didn't take long to get bored this time as well!

 This time, we headed north on 127, towards Tecopa and Shosone.  This highway meets the south-eastern corner of Death Valley National Park, and an interesting road led along the southern boundary of the park and looked to have some camping potential.  But alas, the washboard was pretty bad, so we backed out and continued on north.

It was time for more fuel, so the logical thing to do was to head over into Nevada where we only needed a small mortgage to fill up all the tanks and cans and propane in Pahrump.  Of course, the convenient pumps there had a maximum of $50 (!), so it took several go-rounds to actually fill up.

After a short leg north, we got onto 95 for the trip up through Amargosa Valley, Beatty, and Goldfield.

 It's pretty much wide-open country up there.  Light traffic, good roads.

It seemed that we were going to be passing close to Alkali Hot Springs which we had never been to, so it only seemed reasonable to make the short detour and check them out.  The springs themselves are apparently on private land, the site of a now long-gone resort of some sort, but are surrounded by BLM land for camping.

While the immediate area of the springs is not that scenic, the 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains more than make up for it.
 

Although there were a few random campers in the area, I had the choice of pools to myself for a relaxing evening soak.

In the morning, it was back on the road.  With plans to head back into California shortly, we did the prudent thing and topped off the tank again in Tonopah, Nv.

Lots of snow still on the high elevation mountain tops in the area, as we headed over the passes and back into California near Mono Lake.

A short scoot up 395 soon had us in Bridgeport, Ca, home of Travertine and Buckeye hot springs!

 

 

It was the middle of the day, and our 'usual' spot was empty - well outside the 'no camping' zone around the springs themselves.  So, it didn't take long to set up and head up the road for a soak. 

 

 

The rock formations created by the springs have made many of these long ridges, hundreds of feet long and towering 20 feet above the surroundings terrain; the water running in a small trench at the top of the ridge!

 

 

 

There are quite a variety of pools over a large area at Travertine, ranging from concrete tubs next to the parking lot, to small 'unofficial' pools that keep 'springing' up in various locations.

My favourite time to have a soak is first thing in the morning.  I'd get to the pools in the dark, when the stars were still out, and watch the morning sunrise from the comfort of the hot water.

Bridgeport, due to it's location (?) has some of the highest fuel prices I've seen, even before this latest price spike.  Luckily, I had enough to make it back to Nevada.

After about a week of hot water, and biking around the area, Hailey let me know it was time we got back in the truck and get gone!

Next time: Tahoe, Donner Pass, and back to the coast!