Chill in Sierraville

About once a year we take a 2-1/2-hour drive out of the city for a less-than-24-hour peaceful escape to the Sierra Hot Springs, in Sierraville, California. Sierraville is in the Sierra Valley between the Plumas and Tahoe National Forests of the Sierra Nevada range. It's about 55 miles west of Reno, Nevada, and a half-hour north of Truckee (40 miles northwest of Lake Tahoe). The coolest thing about Sierraville, and especially the hot springs, is that it is located in the foothills where the flat Sierra Valley Important Bird Area meets the conifer woodlands of the Tahoe forest. The Sierra Hot Springs is a non-profit, volunteer-run retreat nestled up Campbell Hot Springs Road just east of town, with forest on one side and grazed wetlands on the other. For a bird and wildlife enthusiast like myself, it's the best of both worlds.

In August of 2013, I was particularly anxious and stressed out. Sometimes I just get a bad case of the perpetual bad mood, and too much of life's daily pressures weigh just a little too heavy. That's when it's time to hit the road to Sierraville. We generally go on a Friday after work, have dinner in Auburn or Truckee--Java Sushi is usually our eatery of choice in Truckee--and check into the hot springs in the late evening. The lodge is open 24 hours for check-in, and $25/person plus a modest membership fee provides 24 hours of the use of the hot springs as well as camping. We have never stayed at the lodge; but it is in option, though likely requires reservations. Camping does not. Camping is not in a campground. It is a spot in the forest to pitch tents and set up some chairs. The lodge is equipped with a full kitchen, 2 refrigerators, stoves, and large public rooms with couches and tables where visitors cook, eat, socialize, read, play piano, or just lounge. The deck of the lodge overlooks the wetlands of the valley. The rules of this place and the vibe are very conducive to relaxation and meditation. There's no alcohol, people are considerate, and the atmosphere is chill. Clothing is optional in the pools, guests are urged to remain quiet, and no one gets annoying or out of hand. There are a lot of organic-meditation types of visitors, but all types of people come from all over the world. Not too many people know about the hot springs; but once they do, they keep returning.

Our routine after check-in is to set up our camp, and visit the Meditation Pool at night. This pool is near the camping area in the woods and is a natural hot spring of dirt and rock. I nicknamed it the "medicinal" pool, because its combination of hot water and minerals heal just about any physical or emotional ailment. I am also particularly fond of the forest at night. While gazing up at the amazing sky full of stars and comets, adorable little bats swoop down for a visit and catch the biting mosquitos. Screech owls or great-horn owls call to one another in the trees, and often coyotes are heard from the hills nearby. On one occasion when we visited the pool during the day, a cute little garter snake came up, kissed my arm, then joined us for a swim in the pool! Night is the most peaceful time, however, and generally has the fewest amount of people. Then after our refreshing, relaxing soak, we grab a midnight snack in the lodge before going to sleep in the forest.

In the morning, we visit the Meditation Pool again, then have breakfast in the lodge. Mid-morning to lunchtime is when we visit the other pools, which are a small hike from the lodge along a mountain ridge. These include the Warm Pool, a large swimming-pool of hot mineral water with a chair-lined deck overlooking the wetlands; the hot pool in the Temple Dome (too hot for me); and the sauna. Here, a combination of relaxing in the warm water, sunning myself on the deck, and watching birds in the meadow make it a pretty awesome day. On this particular afternoon, the grassland was providing nice foraging for quite a few ibis.

We either cook our lunch in the lodge, or order a delicious enchilada or burrito from Los Dos Hermanos in Sierraville. Then we return to our busy lives with half a weekend still left, feeling as revived as if we had been out retreating for a week. It's a magical place, and a truly spiritual and sacred experience. And it certainly does wonders curing the bad case of the bad mood.