San Antonio Hot Springs or Bust!

   Being out on the road has been rejuvenating, fresh scenery around every corner just waiting to be explored. We finally left the comfort of Aunt Terry's home, almost reluctantly, only our anxiousness to break new ground motivated us to load Dharma back up and roll down the road. On the way out of Oklahoma we stopped and stayed the night in Cordell with some old friends of Ty's. Ricky and Chambrey had taken Ty in 2001, after he had gotten stranded in Oklahoma on a cross country road trip. Ricky and his girlfriend April invited us into their homes again no questions asked. They welcomed us with shots of Crown Royal and we all became quick friends while Ty and Ricky reminisced. The next day Chambrey invited us over to her home for a cookout and we had grand time grubbing on hamburgers and hot dogs and drinking beer. Chambrey was very generous and not only purchased several bars of soap from me, but also sent us on our way with bags of canned and dry foods for the road.
  
  Our spirits were fresh with curiosity, and our bodies well rested and ready for a challenge. The first night we ventured onto BLM land to find a free campsite, since we are on a budget we plan to take advantage of our right to camp on public lands so we figured we'd start outside of Albuquerque on our way west. A large portion of the land outside of Albuquerque is tribal land, but we checked with the BLM office for a map and were able to find the patches of BLM where we could camp. It was not easy to find, but after turning around in the middle of the highway several times we located a gate that appeared to lead to BLM cattle land, so we ventured off into the desert towards a stunning mesa. The road was a little rough and after trudging through a few sand beds it just ended. We decided to throw on our backpacks and hike to the base of the towering mesa to set up camp for the night. There were timid herds of cattle everywhere that responded to us like foreign invaders, staring us down with their wild bovine eyes. We set up our tents as the sun was setting, and settled into our camp feeling like cowboys sleeping under the stars of the wild west, a priceless experience far richer than paying to sleep in a cookie cutter state park campground.

  We ventured back into the Jemez Mountains after camping in the desert, determined to find the San Antonio hot springs now that we had warm weather on our side. This time our efforts were a success! There were several undeveloped free campsites about a 5 mile hike from the hot springs where we set up camp for a few days. We finally got to relax in our hammocks as the sun shined through the forest and the wind rocked us to sleep. And the hot springs, well they were well worth the renewed effort, some of the most amazing we've been to yet. The length of the hike was a bit tiring because we are all still out of shape, but it was easy walking and the reward of the springs made it more than worth the tired legs and blistered feet.

   San Antonio hot springs consists of four descending pools of various temperatures nestled in rock outcroppings on the side of the mountain face, with the most spectacular view I've had the pleasure of enjoying in a hot spring thus far.  While soaking we met Alex, Rachel, and Erica, three very interesting individuals. We really enjoyed their lively personalities and since they were camping in the area that night as well, we invited them to share our campfire with us. We polished off a cheap bottle of Brandy as we played drums around the fire and told stories of past adventures. It was really a joy to run into like minded peers that we could share some of our excitement with. In the morning they went on their way after buying several bars of soap. Alone once again at our campsite, we had a lazy day in our hammocks. The wind was relentless though, and we decided to move on the next morning.

   Now here we are at a Denny's in Camp Verde, Arizona, about thirty miles from our next destination, Verde Hot Springs. Apparently Verde Hot Springs is an abandoned hot springs resort near the Verde river that you can still soak in. Their is supposed to be an unofficial campground about a mile from the springs which is where we are headed tonight, wish us luck. Sadly, Denny's only offers a single hour of free internet, which is why this post is a week late, sorry for those who have patiently waited.  Love to you all.

Peace, Love & Road Dust
Shawna

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained"