Within eyeball distance of I-8 between Yuma, Ariz., and El Centro, Calif., is BLM Hot Spring LTVA. Take exit 131 to Holtville and travel a little over a mile east on the frontage road to the Long Term Visitor Area (on the left). Spring is on the right with a day-use parking lot.
This “historic and still active hot spring attracts both local and winter visitors.” Many of those winter visitors are from Canada and the Pacific Northwest. On this visit, the neighbors on both sides of us were from British Columbia.
Yesterday morning on the way to the hot spring for a soak, we ran into a fella who had just arrived from Bend, Ore. He said when he left Central Oregon, a couple of days ago, it was in the 20s.
This part of Arizona-California is experiencing upper 60s-low 70s. Nice.
Photo: Jimmy Smith taking a soak in the hot pool (105-degrees) at BLM Hot Spring near Holtville, Cal. (Julianne G. Crane).