The Famous Vichy Hot Springs

April 9 2010

Our reward for helping out with kids ed was having off Friday and Saturday. We combined our free weekend with a celebration of my birthday. Perfect timing. Instead of heading to San Fran we decided to stay a little closer to home. We headed to the Vichy Hot Springs in Ukiah. We have three natural hot spring areas in Mendocino County but I chose the one that had actual hotel and cottages available for rent. My real motivation and gift I wanted for my birthday was one night with indoor plumbing!!! Also, this resort was only 20 minutes away and we needed to be back on Saturday because we are taking a biodynamic gardening workshop on Sunday.

After our community meeting with the interns Friday morning we packed up the car and headed out. God was on our side because the sun was shining and had 70 degree weather. I was in heaven. On the way we stopped for some lunch and necessities (wine and cheese) for our poolside soakings. When we arrived we were welcomed by the lush green grounds and babbling stream running through the site. The resort was founded in 1858 and frequented by FDR, JFK, and Jack London. Once we checked into our room fully equipped with a real bed and bathroom we checked out the pools. Before taking a soak we decided to get in a hike to the waterfall. About 30 minutes we traipsed through the woods on a well marked path along the perennial stream. All we had to look out for were rattle snakes and poison ivy!! Good thing I had on long pants and shirt because I am deathly allergic to it. The hardest part was making sure where you put your hands. In many spots we were walking at elevation and it was narrow and a bit slippery from the rain. The first instinct is to use your hand for balance. Thankfully I can say I did not mistakenly put my hand in a bunch of poison ivy or a snake hole!! With the snow runoff and the tremendous amount of rain we have had, the five stream crossings we had to make proved challenging to try and stay dry. Unfortunately my luck ran out on the return trip. I slipped off one of the boulders in the stream and proceeded to test out the icy water. The balance of the hike I had two cold feet!

I knew all was good because I would be heading to the heated springs to warm up. We started in the hot tub and quickly felt like we were in heaven. Although it was still rather warm outside the water felt incredible. No chlorine or chemicals so you could sit in there for hours albeit for the pruney skin. While soaking we met some very interesting people from neighboring communities and had a lively conversation. Once they took off, Roby and I headed to the only naturally carbonated springs in California similar to the ones in "Vichy" France. The water flows from the upper hillside into these 150 year old soaking tubs. We wanted to sit outside but they were all taken so we got an indoor private room with two tubs. Once you remove the stopper the fresh water continuously flows and continuously drains through a hole near the top of the tub so it never empties on you. We jumped into our tubs and immediately noticed the "champagne" bubbles on our body. I learned the water creates carbon dioxide which has a curative effect. Many people drink it and it helps alleviate stomach ulcers or soak in the tubs to alleviate arthritis. The carbonation releases and opens up your capillaries and stimulates blood flow. It was a cool experience dunking our heads under the water and feeling the bubbles on our faces. Invigorating. We ended the evening with a second soak in the hot tub. After a quick shower we headed into town for a great sushi dinner. Then we snuggled up in our bed under the warm down comforter and had visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads!!

I was so excited when I got up at 3:00 am and I did not have to put on clothes and shoes and climb down the ladder and pray it was not raining outside; instead I could jump out of bed take two steps and be back in bed likety split. What a great birthday present!