I plan to be at the CABAL meeting on 2/25, hopefully with Kelley.<br><br>I have a potato and leek soupmix that is gluten free and could be dairy free also if the milk were added by the user (not the cook). Are you intrested?<br>
<br>I've been several times to the hot springs in Gilroy. I helped to have family that's been in the Valley since to early 1920's, when this kind of thing was more common. I doubt I'd be a very good hiker now, but I have hope that my hip and back can be repaired - all caused by oncologist asking about why I was limping. Strange.<br>
<br>Margaret<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Feb 23, 2012 at 4:22 PM, Rick Moen <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:rick@linuxmafia.com">rick@linuxmafia.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
Lookie what gcal says:<br>
<br>
$ cal<br>
<br>
February 2012<br>
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa<br>
1 2 3 4<br>
5 6 7 8 9 10 11<br>
12 13 14 15 16 17 18<br>
19 20 21 22 23 24 25<br>
26 27 28 29<br>
<br>
That means this Satuday will be a CABAL day. I'm likely to have a bunch<br>
more hardware to play with. Les Faby was talking about bringing<br>
supplies for some homemade pizza, including one with a gluten-free crust<br>
so that Deirdre can have some. I'll be thinking about other additions,<br>
but garlic bread is a given.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Anyone also want to join me for a special hike, some weekend? California<br>
has a lot of hot springs (driven by underground volcanic forces; part of<br>
the plus side of being on the Ring of Fire). Some remain natural,<br>
others got included during Victorian days into formal spas.<br>
<br>
1. Here's one that's fascinating but closed to the public for now:<br>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilroy_Yamato_Hot_Springs" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilroy_Yamato_Hot_Springs</a><br>
It's very close in to the South Bay and a very attractive and historic<br>
site, but needs renovation before it can be opened again. Only members<br>
of the Friends of Gilroy Hot Springs (volunteers attempting to fix the<br>
site) and state park rangers are permitted for now.<br>
<br>
2. Tassajara Hot Springs is a bit further out, and part of the Zen monastic<br>
complex. During the season, a modest fee and trip down a scary dirt<br>
mountain road permits day trips, and it's said to be very scenic and<br>
worth the trouble -- but this isn't the season.<br>
<br>
3. The one I'm talking about is a bit further still, Sykes Hot Springs,<br>
which is a completely natural site next to Big Sur River. Drive south<br>
of Carmel, 1/2 mile past Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park's main entrance, to<br>
Big Sur Forest Service Station (buy a parking permit, $5/day), enter the<br>
parking lot, park at the far end. The trailhead of the Pine Ridge Trail<br>
is there, and it's the one you take.<br>
<br>
The hitch is that it's 11 miles of hiking up and down, inlands into the<br>
Ventana Wilderness in beautiful but rugged parklands. This takes four<br>
hours. Everyone says it's do-able even for middle-aged duffers,<br>
provided you're in reasonable shape.<br>
<br>
Upon going down trail switchbacks to the Big Sur River, the hot springs<br>
are findable a few hundred yards downstream on the same side of the<br>
river, as a set of three natural pools marked by rockpiles people have<br>
left.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.verber.com/mark/outdoors/destinations/sykes/" target="_blank">http://www.verber.com/mark/outdoors/destinations/sykes/</a><br>
<br>
I have in mind to soak in the hot tubs for an hour, and then hike back<br>
out, which takes about two to three hours.<br>
<br>
<br>
4. The near part of the Central Valley, not too far southeast of<br>
Livermore, includes the somewhat developed / privately owned-managed but<br>
very laid bad Mercey Hot Springs, <a href="https://merceyhotsprings.com/" target="_blank">https://merceyhotsprings.com/</a>, $20 per<br>
person for 4 hours of day use, etc. Would make a pleasant highlight for<br>
a bicycle ride.<br>
<br>
<br>
There are _many_ hot springs in the eastern Sierra where Deirdre and I<br>
were a couple of weeks ago, some of the undeveloped/free and some<br>
developed/private, but we didn't have time to visit any:<br>
<a href="http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/casierraactivities/a/hot_springs_eastern_california.htm" target="_blank">http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/casierraactivities/a/hot_springs_eastern_california.htm</a><br>
<br>
<br>
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</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Margaret Wendall<br>mwendall-at-gmail-dot-com<br>"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" - Juvenal<br><br>