I met my work compadre earlier this week at Sierra Hot Springs in order to have a little time to talk about projects, goals, ideas, whatever. It was a great place to meet and a lovely, relaxing evening. My only complaint is that I ended up with ankles full of bites that itch like crazy... fleas? chiggers? no-see-ums? Whatever... next time I'm taking the repellent more seriously.
This is the view from the parking lot; looking northeast at the valley. I LOVE the Sierra Valley. It is a gem of a valley; all cows and hay and water.
This is the lodge. And see that door on the lower floor? I used to have a cafe through that door. Needless to say this visit (the first since I closed the cafe) was a trip down memory lane for me. Both good and bad. Relief and regret. Nostalgia and visceral flashbacks.
We rented a room in the lodge but there is camping available and also the Globe Hotel in Sierraville. Rooms are funky but charming and it is all European-style with shared restrooms and showers down the hall. We had a room at the south end of the 2nd story that looked out towards the campground and hills and overlooked the struggling vegetable garden (I think the soil is very alkaline and challenging to garden in). It was all done up with polka dot sheets and comforters; and the curtains were a patchwork riot of color and texture - I wish I'd taken a photo but I didn't. Very gypsy-esque.
We arrived in the late afternoon and immediately thought that these chairs were calling our name and we might sit outside with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc but nope - there is no alcohol allowed on site. Our chilled bottle of wine had to stay in the cooler and never got uncorked.
And the chairs remained empty.
We moved on to massage therapy and hot water.
While SS was having her massage I filled one of the private baths and enjoyed a tepid soak. The water in these Phoenix baths could have been hotter - but the privacy was nice and the view couldn't be beat.
We each enjoyed a wonderful half-hour massage with Joanna and then retreated to the lodge where we prepared a simple dinner in the shared kitchen - great resource with everything one needs- and ate outside. I'm thinking this is where the bites happened.
I didn't take any photos of the warm pool or the dome bath but this is where the real soaking is done (in my opinion). We walked up the hill, stored our clothes in the spacious, clean bathhouse and went into the Temple Dome. The dome has a circular pool with a sand bottom and is very, very HOT. It is delicious. If you are inclined towards shock therapy there are two bathtub-sized cold water tubs in the domes, but we elected to cool down by going outside to the large rectangular warm pool where we floated and star-gazed in the silky, slightly sulphury water.
Back inside the lodge there is a comfy sitting area and wifi. When we got back we found the lodge to be bustling with people (where did they come from?) and more than one person was hunched over a laptop pecking away.
This must be the goddess of the wifi.
Great retreat, despite the bug bites, and we left the next morning feeling rested and rejuvenated. There'll be a return visit, I'm sure, and eventually my memories of the cafe will be replaced with memories of hot water, massage, great views and good friends.
