We’re in Hot Water Now!

Serendipity. What a gal! Things don’t always work out quite like you’d planned, sometimes they work out even better.  Our destination on Tuesday, 5/8, was a boondocking spot near the Buckeye Creek Hot Springs outside of Bridgeport, CA. 

We wedged the short bus into a small turn out along Buckeye Creek Road and took the CRV to investigate. Whew! Were we ever glad we did! The boondock spots were about 2 ½ miles up a dirt road. That wouldn’t have been a problem, except they were grading the road and had huge rocks and mounds of dirt kicked up that would have made it nearly impassible in the big rig. Ugh!  The spots that we could get into were already occupied, so that was a no go. Now where to?

Rog had noticed a few other potential spots on Google Earth, but no mention of them in any of camping aps we use. We decided to check it out. Score!! We drove a short way down a Forest Service road that was right across from where we’d left the rig and found two perfect boondocking sites.

Our excellent super secret boondocking spot!

We parked under a big Jeffrey Pine, right next to a small stream. We dubbed it, “Riley’s Creek” since he was into it, claiming it as his own, before we even had the rig set up. The site was totally private, our only neighbors a herd of nosy deer. The road dead-ended onto private property just past our site, so in three days we had only a handful of vehicles go by. Oh, and did I mention we had lovely mountain views too. It was perfect! (Ok, almost perfect. No cell service, otherwise we might never have left. Lol)

Riley's Creek.

View from our patio. Yeah, this is doable.

Checking on the new neighbors. :) 

Campfire evenings. 

This was Riley's all time favorite camping spot. For the next three days he had a total blast - in and out of the water, exploring the area, and finding bits of nature to nom. He had way too much fun.  

Riley playing in HIS creek. :) 

An endless supply of tasty pine cones to nom.

While we totally lucked out with our campsite, the real reason we came here was to get soaked. Several natural hot springs in the area are evidence of ancient volcanic activity. After setting up camp, we took the CVR back to Buckeye Creek Hot Springs. The hot springs are right on the edge of the creek so it’s a bit of a scramble down. Over the years, folks have built up a barrier to separate the springs from the creek. The pools were a comfy 100˚ or so and we enjoyed a soak. Unfortunately, the creek was running high and by early evening the day’s snow melt had made its way down river. The cold water seeping into the pools caused the temperature to drop quickly and we called it a day.  

Buckeye Creek is running high and cold!

Buckeye Creek Hot Springs - Oh yeah, totally fun!

On the way back to the RV we were treated to a spectacular evening sunset. Not a bad way to end the day - Happy Birthday Rog!

What a beautiful sunset....

... and it just keeps getting better. 

The next day we took Riley and did the scenic drive to the nearby Twin Lakes, I never get tired of the craggy snow-capped granite mountains. It’s such a beautiful area. We are loving the drive up Hwy 395. It's good road that continues to skirt the east side of the Sierras with interesting small towns and historical and natural wonders to explore. Highly recommend it for a road trip!

Hwy 395 - road trip worthy!

Upper Twin Lakes.

Love the craggy mountain tops.

A visit to Travertine Hot Springs was high on our list. Hot water seeping out of beautifully colored and contoured marble into perfect soaking pools. Oh yeah – Mother Nature hit this one out of the park! The main pools are stunning! Actually, a series of smaller pools with graduated temperatures – from a toasty 102˚ to a chilly 78˚.  The colors are just amazing. We soaked until we felt like noodles. Several groups came and went, but the pools are large enough that it never felt crowded.

Main pools at Travertine Hot Springs.

The color from the minerals is intense.

Hot water flows out of the seam in the rock.

They used to quarry the marble and you can still see areas where the stone was cut.

Alkali meadow visible from the hot springs.

We returned the next day to take advantage of a small private pool we’d discovered further down the trail. Let’s see…105˚ hot spring (check), mind numbingly beautiful view (check), and we get it all to ourselves (check). Doesn’t get much better than this!

The lower pool.

View from the lower pool.

The water flowing in was 113˚.  Very toasty!

It’s hard to leave, but we’re off to a lakeside campground near Carson City, Nevada where we can fuel the rig and stock up on groceries. Sigh. Can’t we just soak a little longer?

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.