Deep Creek Hot Springs

While still in the army in the 82nd, and looking through Lee Baxandall's World Guide to Nude Beaches and Recreation Areas, I read about another nude recreation site not too far from where I went to college in Riverside that I had not known about: Deep Creek Hot Springs. I had quite a bit of leave adding up, so after my first year, I decided to use all 30 days and fly out to see my sister in Dallas where she lived as a newlywed with her husband, spend a week there, then fly on to California to see friends and family, staying with my best friend. I also flew space A, and that is a story in and of itself, but after getting to California and enjoying time with everyone, I asked my buddy if I could borrow his truck to go hiking one Saturday because I knew he was going to stat home and have some family time. He had no problem with that (He was a "mi-casa-su-casa" kind of guy), so using the WGTNBARA, I followed Lee's directions up through Hesperia, down Bowen Ranch Road, paid my $5 and parked down at the parking lot. I should add that this was before BLM cut off access to this lower parking area (the road to get down there) and before everyone needed to park at the upper parking area ... though if you have a good four wheel drive, there is another route that even today, you can get to the lower parking area. Anyway, I parked, enjoyed the hike down, and had no problem finding the Hot Springs. I was going to cross the stream, but some dude yelled across that if I climbed back up to the saddle, I could come down the other side of the hill where I could step across on rocks, saving me an ice cold swim. There was a small crowd there of both dudes and dudettes, maybe about eight or nine folks, and I quickly stripped and climbed into the main pool. Back then, there was really only one pool big enough for a group of people to enjoy, and folks who go there today can now enjoy several pools that have been built, or built up over the years. Anyway, that day was fairly warm, the sun was bright with typical Southern California sunshine, and I engaged in casual conversation with others that were soaking. This was my first nude experience with other people who were also nudists and naturists at an official nude recreation spot ... so I was on that high for the duration that I was there. The experience remained pretty casual and I did not make any lifetime friends or anything like that, but I really appreciated the opportunity to explore another reference from Lee's guide. I probably stayed for about two hours since it was an hour drive there and would be another hour ride back, and I did not want to keep my buddy's truck for much longer, and I hiked back up the hill knowing then when I ETS'd from my period of service and moved back to California, I was going to be coming back to Deep Creek Hot Springs on a regular basis. It was a nude paradise. It is sad to report that when I was visiting friends at Glen Eden this past fall, I was told that Deep Creek Hot Springs had pretty much been taken over by the textiles, and people rarely used the place nude anymore. How sad.