the trail does a few switchbacks down the hill, crosses a river, then climbs back up a little higher than the parking lot on the opposite facing hill where the spring is found. the spring lies at about the center of this photo which is looking from the lot.
the trail was beautiful, but very muddy because of melting snow. the sloppy clayey orange soil really stuck to my shoes.
the fifteen minute messy hike was well worth the destination. when i got to the hot springs, some other people where just leaving and i had a couple minutes to enjoy it by myself. i crawled into the little cave at the source (hjohn and libby, this must be the spring you mentioned to me!).
a bunch of others came to relax for the several hours that i spent soaking in the water and the sun. there was a guy from minnesota who now lives in a nearby town, who was showing his visiting parents around. there was a retired marine who soaks naked in that spring about once a week and had plenty to say, especially about the many places he'd been. another guy soaked bare-butted carried a fare amount of the wait from those conversations. two girls from canada hung around for a while. three people had a dog. another couple from who knows where joined as i left. and there were others. yikes, i just realized that's a lot of people - but it was never over crowded.
ahhhh...
when i left the spring, i took a twisty route on the mountain and then went through santa fe to get back to albuquerque.
it was too late to explore the cliff dwellings near the bandelier national monument.
this sign on a gate in santa fe cracked me up
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