September 10th & 11th, 2014
This morning Captain and I load up Van and head north into the Gila Mountains to camp overnight…
…at Gila Hot Springs Ranch:
The Gila Hot Springs Ranch is located on one of the upper forks of the Gila River, where the water flows year round. Unfortunately, I seem to have neglected to take a photo of the river itself. The ranch is located below these rock formations:
In addition to its semi-developped hot springs and campground (a wonderful place to soak and camp), GHSR is a real working ranch of some importance, with horses, goats and probably other animals too.
Horses go by from time to time:
Located on this meadow, …
…Gila is a veritable village, with some nearby houses…
…including this one, with a small secondary dwelling, which is for sale:
Gila is a place with a spirit, and humor…
…that we see espcially when we drive out:
As said in the previous post about the cliff dwellings, we meet up with our friend Dirk. We find a campsite just next to his:
Dirk has been here since the previous day and his camp is already set up…
…and he’s very well equipped for camping:
If you look hard, on the left side of the picture, you can catch a glimpse of the Gila River.
Of course, the best thing about a hot springs resort is the soaking pools…
…which, at Gila, are relatively natural…
… for such a semi-developed facility…
…and are clean and well maintained…
Set under the many cottonwood trees that grow along the river, Gila is a wonderful place. We talk and soak and get caught up. Dirk makes a terrific fish curry for dinner, and we soak and talk and drink beer and wine and tequila (all in moderation, of course).
The grounds at Gila are lovely and many flowers grow here. Some are wild, like these wild sunflowers that I first saw at Pott’s Ranch hot springs in Nevada…
…and these too whose name I don’t know (but I’m glad to see that the Occupy Movement has come this far)
…and some not so wild…
In fact, the proprietor confirms that these morning glories are domestic. Wild morning glories can be found, though, in these desert regions. I’ll try to take some pictures.
The following day, after a leisurely morning of soaking and talking and an early lunch of mushroom omelettes, we get ready to leave.
Captain washes the dishes:
Dirk packs up his truck:
Dirk is leaving for the small community of Portal in southeastern Arizona where he has some land and is building a house. We’ll meet up with him again there.
I decide that I’ll come back to Gila on my own in the coming days. See the previous posts about that.
Right now, though, Captain and I are on our way back to Silver City, where the music festival Pickamania is about to begin.
