Mini Trip to DeAnza Springs

Recently I had the opportunity to do a quick road trip with my family from Phoenix to DeAnza Springs Resort, which is in Jucumba California. My aunt who resided there passed away, and asked that her ashes be spread in the desert near the resort.  Myself, John, my Dad, two sisters and two uncles caravaned on a Saturday morning to meet the rest of our family members at the resort. Several of them actually live there, and some flew in from various parts of the country.

There’s a lot of cool things about DeAnza. It’s located in a high desert region in San Diego county, and is a great place to observe nature. It feels quite remote, I’m not even sure there’s a grocery store within a half hour. There are lots of hiking trails and desert critters. Some folks like to put deer feeders outside, and even a bobcat was once prowling the grounds! They have an outdoor and indoor swimming pool as well as a hot tub. There is also a restaurant and a full bar! The interesting thing about DeAnza Resort is that it’s a “Clothing Optional” facility, so there are many choose to be nude while there.

Saturday night the whole family hung out at the bar and on the clubhouse patio. The bar had awesome prices, I think I only paid two bucks for a draft beer. We shared a meal on some outside picnic tables, and it was a lot of fun. John and I played several rounds of shuffle board inside (I’m the champion) and enjoyed the DJ’s music choices. We slept in one of the hotel rooms which was very comfortable. The shower was exquisite because I felt very dusty after walking around on dirt paths.

On Sunday the family gathered to hike to my late aunt’s favorite spot to spread her ashes. It was an emotional affair, because she was well loved and died young and unexpectedly. The place we stopped was beautiful, there were so many cool rock formations and the view was fantastic. It’s no wonder she loved that place! Afterwards we all hiked down to enjoy a breakfast at DeAnza’s restaurant, and it was really yummy! They had small but satisfying menu that included omelets, breakfast burritos, French toast, among other items. Shortly after breakfast we said goodbye and started our journey home.

On our way back we stopped at Dateland, which was directly on our route back. Dateland is pretty much a tourist stop that sells many varieties of dates, and date milk shakes! Ever since I found out they sold date shakes I’d been itching to try them. John and I bought a pound of dates and a shake to share. It was really good! The date flavor was obvious and delicious, and small date pieces were in there too. I want to stop every time we pass from now on!

All in all, it was a short trip, and for a sad occasion, but I’m glad I got to have some new experiences.

More info about DeAnza Springs: http://www.deanzasprings.com/

More info about Dateland: http://www.dateland.com/