Holtville Hot Springs (#0766)

A surprise for such a dry area -- a hot springs oasis. Headed east from Holtville to Yuma, when I came to the freeway (I-8) there was a sign saying the eastbound entrance ramp was closed due to construction. Per my map there was a road running east along the freeway the led to the next interchange, so I took that rather than following the suggested detour to double-back west. The backroad turned out to be too rough, but when I turned around and headed back to take the official detour, I saw that I had passed a wayside park with very dense palm trees. Pulling in, I discovered a large pond surrounded by a dense growth of palm trees, with a hot spring facility at one end, all part of a BLM campground. As is evident here, the hot springs are very close to the freeway.