Gandy Warm Springs Aug 31-Sept 1

Friends raved about this place and I have to agree, it's a true oasis in the middle of nowhere. Thirty miles down a dirt road off of the loneliness highway in America, nestled at the base of a marble hill in the middle of a valley tucked against the Nevada-Utah border emerge a half dozen crystal-clear springs. When we arrived there were a couple families enjoying the main pool. Usually such clear water would be freezing cold, but these pools were a refreshing 80 degrees Fahrenheit. We spent at least a couple hours swimming and exploring along the creek and venturing into the cave with a glowstick for light. The cave entrance is subtly hidden beneath a canopy of maidenhair ferns and dripping water. About 20 ft of low airspace leads to a slight chamber at the back. I attempted to dive further at the back but was limited by the strong current pressing against me and the faint light of the glowstick. For such a short cave it really was neat. Reminded me a bit of some of the caves in Niue.

We had a wonderful time enjoying this special place. We even had a fire up by the upper pool as we watched the stars- our own little burning man. We camped near enough to hear the light gurgle of the waterfalls and of course had to dip in the pool again in the morning. A very special little place. A true back of beyond secret place. Unfortunately even paradise have poison ivy. While crawling my way upstream I managed to get cut on my neck and arm and scratched against poison ivy. The weeping wounds lasted almost three weeks!