Saline Valley Hot Springs
Lone Pine was a cute town and we found a cheep hotel. We had never been on the west side of the Sierra Nevadas before and we were in awe of the size and scope of this range. The night before we debated if we should check out the cold mountains or go back to the desert. I showed Steph some pictures of Saline Valley Hot springs and immediately she knew she wanted to go there. The springs became popular in the 60's with nudists, free thinkers, and nomads who developed the area into an oasis in the desert.
We made our list for supplies to stay in the desert and filled our waters. We reviewed the route and checked it's condition and hit the road to get some extra supplies. On the drive in we passed an overland club coming out and bumped into other average but capable vehicles. We knew we'd be able to make it no problem when we saw the Prius.
We drove through the Inyo National Forest on steep windy roads, on sandy smooth roads on rutted and rough gravel roads. We passed through an old abandoned mining town, that probably was only 40 or 60 years old.
We turned off the main road and onto the sandy stretch to the hot springs. We had our first close encounter with the wild Burros as we reached the spooky sign with a bat on it welcoming visitors to Saline Valley Hot Springs.
We got lucky and set up camp with a little shade near the cold pool. We met some neighbors who had been coming out once or twice a year since the 1960's and they gave us advice on packing our coolers and bins in the car so the burros wouldn't kick them open at night.
We wandered around and found our satisfying reward for a bumpy desert journey, a soak in the springs. Over many years residents began creating several soaking pools made of concrete, rock, and tile. They built showers and dishwashing facilities, planted shaded grassy areas, and dug latrines.
