Rio Grande Hot Springs
Jeff Moore, Alan Cressler, Doug Strait, Paul Aughey, Manuel Beers
11-10-06 Rio Grande Hot Spring, TX
Brewster, Rio Grande Village
Park: NAD27 291038.22 1025955.91 +-13
GPS: NAD27 291045.54 1025942.54 +-12
We then drove back to the hot springs finding many more cars this time. We found the bathing pool packed with people. Many reds swam and floated in the water. I also saw many of them standing on the Mexican shoreline. I noticed one hot girl in a white shirt. I continued hiking down the trail alongside the river. The trail soon left the river and climbed higher up the canyon. I snapped many pictures as the fading sun painted the landscape golden yellow. I really liked the reeds beside the river.
As I neared a bend away from the river and canyon, I met Jeff and gave him a light; he worried about traversing the trail in the dark. I took more pictures and a crazy idea formed in my mind... Later, I climbed back up to the trail and walked back toward the spring. On my way, I heard voiced from the reeds. I bo’d to confirm my group lay within then tried to find a way inside.
After several failed attempts and many accumulated cacti spines, I finally walked back up the trail to an obvious off shoot, GPS: NAD27 291055.97 1025932.91, which led directly to them (Doug’s earlier description gave me the impression that the secret spring lay better hidden). Reeds now surrounded me on all sides. As I approached, the group said the spring was closed but let me enter anyway recommending I undress where I stood since I had to crawl to enter. I stripped an stooped ahead to a brief crawlway into a waste deep pool completely entombed by tall reeds. The secret hot spring measured 12’ long and 4-5’ wide, GPS: NAD27 291054.75 1025931.63 +-38. On the far right end, I found the vent. I could feed my leg into it and feel the sand give way as it sucked in my leg. I fed my leg until I felt warm water on my neck. After 8 minutes, I got back out, toweled off, and dressed.
We hiked back to the main trail and quickly found an unhappy Jeffrey menacingly positioned in the dark. No one had let him in on the little secret. He complained that my POS light died and I ask him if he really expected me to give him my good light. We hiked back toward the cars passing the hot spring. I happened to spot something black scuttling across the ground below my foot and almost stepped on a large scorpion. I called everyone around me in and Bo’d for Alan. After Alan and Jeff finished photographing, I followed Jeff to the hot spring and we bathed in the warm water. We noticed the wind pick up considerably as we lay bathed in warmth beneath shining stars.
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Rio Grande Hot Springs
Rio Grande Hot Springs
Rio Grande Hot Springs
Rio Grande Hot Springs
Rio Grande Hot Springs
Rio Grande Hot Springs
Rio Grande Hot Springs
Rio Grande Hot Springs
Rio Grande Hot Springs
Rio Grande Hot Springs
Rio Grande Hot Springs
Rio Grande Hot Springs
Rio Grande Hot Springs
Rio Grande Hot Springs
Rio Grande Hot Springs
Rio Grande Hot Springs