Central California still has areas where time has stood still since the days of the gold rush
Have you ever wondered if there are still parts of California that haven't been discovered or were once well known but has since been forgotten? We've all heard of, and most likely visited, gold rush towns such as Coloma, Jackson, Sutter Creek and missions like San Juan Bautista, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo to mention a few. And of course there are cities that have become famous such as San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles for which it is so easily forgotten that their existence can be traced back to the gold rush days of the 49ers. Tourists abound to these areas every year so that they can experience the era in California's history that brought thousands of early settlers to the west. However, there's still a part of California where progress comes at a snails pace and time seems to have stood still since the days of the earliest settlers.
Nestled in the west side of the San Joaquin valley foothills is a little known area containing two valleys - Little Panoche Valley and the main valley or "Big Panoche". Little Panoche is north and adjacent to the main valley and, (when combined) stretches for many miles in all directions. Accessible from J1 going west off of I-5 or east off of highway 25, this unspoiled region is rich with history and looks today much like it did 150 years ago. Located in Fresno, Madera and San Benito counties, these valleys share in the history of the area where there has been extensive mining and ranching for sheep and cattle ever since settlers first came to California.
Whether you're a visitor or traveler just passing through, this area of Central California has much to offer during all four seasons. If you're out on a spring trek, there will be green hills with wildflowers of several varieties scattered about for your viewing pleasure. And although there are many varieties of birds to be seen throughout the year, the winter months (and especially December) bring hundreds of bird watchers looking for one or more of the many species making their yearly migration. Fall
and winter also bring spectacular sunrises and sunsets as the sky is peppered with clouds of storms that typically skirt the area and only drop a small amount of precipitation on the arid hills. And, even though the total rainfall (and an extremely rare dusting of now at the higher elevations) only average 5 to 10 inches per year, the hills still turn a luscious green from the native volunteer grasses and give the appearance that you're somewhere in Ireland. Summer comes quickly as the green carpeted hills and small mountains turn a light blond in just a matter of weeks. Then as the hot and dry months of summer progress, the hillsides become painted with colors of native plants like tarweed, blue curl, buckeye and buckwheat.
It's easy to see while driving the backroads through these valleys, that not much has changed during the past century and a half. In fact, you can travel for miles on the same routes the stagecoaches took, (they're all paved now) without seeing anyone with the exception of an occasional car or truck. There's one place known as shotgun pass that connects the two valleys on J1, where the old stage coach road can still be seen since the paved road was diverted from its original route.
Mercey Hot Springs
Nestled in the moon-like landscape (which is what it looks like most of the year) of Little Panoche valley, is the once-famous resort of Mercey Hot Springs, which was first called Aguaje Panochita by the native Indians and was an ancient Indian rancheria.
The first European settler in Little Panoche Valley, John Nicolas Mercy (originally Merci and also spelled Mercey) emigrated from Alsace-Lorraine, France to San Juan Bautista where he opened the town's first public bakery. After marrying in 1850, John and his new bride moved to Little Panoche and settled in the area close to where the hot spring is which is also where the resorts' namesake originated. The Mercy's raised sheep and supplied mutton to the workers of the New Idria mine, one of the largest cinnabar (quicksilver or mercury) mines in the world. New Idria is about 35 miles east of Panoche Valley and can be driven to on a narrow two-lane road that passes through Griswold Canyon, the town of Syncline and follows San Carlos Creek. While no longer in operation since 1971, the New Idria mine still has old buildings and other remnants standing that attest to the size and success of the mine during its life span of 116 years.
While still using the same name, (but with the extra "e"), Mercey Hot Springs is now in the process of being restored by the current owners Lawry and Larry Ronneberg (father and son) and Grazyna Aust the younger Ronneberg's girl friend. "We've done a lot towards our goal of restoring the resort, however there's still a tremendous amount of work to be done" says the junior Ronneberg.
Wind and Sun at Work - Naturally
As you drive through Little Panoche Valley, you come to realize there are no power lines obscuring the horizon. When asked where power comes from for the resort, he tells me, "No commercial utilities were ever installed in this valley, which can be both a blessing and a curse. When we purchased the property, nothing really worked with the exception that hot water was still coming out of the ground. We've had to repair the entire plumbing infrastructure as well as install a hybrid electrical system consisting of a wind turbine, solar panels and a diesel generator for electrical power. Eventually, we want to have enough solar generated power to run the entire resort with no dependency on fossil fuels, as there's an abundance of sun and wind here. Plus, being at an elevation of 1,200 feet, we rarely get the fog that plagues the San Joaquin valley."
I scan the hillside and see a solar array pointing directly at the sun and a wind generator spinning quietly in the breeze. This is a perfect example of how clean, renewable energies can really work while producing no pollution or noise as by-products.
As my tour continues, I see small, old cabins that are being refurbished with new decks and fresh coats of paint while other buildings are also in various stages of repair.
"The cabins", I'm told, "were employee quarters built by the second owner of the property, a man by the name of Henry Bourn. Bourn purchased the property in 1890 from Mercy and constructed several buildings sometime in the early 1900's. One building, which was the main hotel, burned down sometime during the middle 1930's. The hotel had a kitchen, restaurant, and small parlor (for rainy days) that contained card tables, a bookcase and an Edison phonograph that used cylindrical records. Beyond the parlor were guestroom suites with private baths for those wishing to stay overnight. Many of the guests would stay for as long as three weeks for what was known then as the "prescribed" stay to be cured of almost everything imaginable."
Five of the cabins are now available for overnight guests and vary in their amenities - one has a small kitchen for those wishing to cook for themselves and another one has a fireplace for those looking for cozy evenings in the cooler months. The other three have simple interiors but still appear to be quite comfortable. All of the cabins have heaters, queen-size beds and beautiful, warm quilts and are supplied with linens and towels - bathroom facilities however, is a short walk down to the bathhouse. The sixth cabin currently being remodeled will feature a complete bathroom and its own private hot tub.
THE WATER
Having over fifty-two major minerals and 100 minor elements, the naturally flowing water exits the ground at 119 degrees Fahrenheit and feeds indoor tubs, an outdoor tub and a swimming pool. "The swimming pool was installed by the prior owner sometime during the past twenty or so years," Ronneberg tells me, "and the outdoor hot tub was built by us because we had so many visitors requesting a place where they could soak outdoors". Go figure, I think to myself since stargazing must be fantastic which I'm assured is true. We walk up a small path to the entrance of a rather large, redwood deck and, as we enter, I see a hot tub like no other that I've seen before. Handcrafted by Ronneberg, the tub is nine feet in diameter with seating all around and the water level is right at five feet deep allowing soakers to stand up in the middle. This is great! The water temperature is kept at an average temperature of 106 degrees, it's outdoors with lots of sun all year round with virtually no fog in the winter and a beautiful view of the moon and stars at night. With all of this within a few hours drive from the bay area, what else could anyone want?
Wanting to jump-in the steamy water, I'm somewhat regretting being ushered away to be shown "The bathhouse", a 1930’s vintage building that is separate from the hotel. The bathhouse has private rooms with tubs where overnight and day-use guests can soak their ailments away. Using mineral water that is stored in a tank and allowed to cool down, the temperature can be adjusted so that guests can get a perfect soak every time. While still using the old, original claw-foot bathtubs and refinished wood taken from the hotel, two of the five "soaking-rooms" have been refurbished with the other three in various stages of repair. One of the completed rooms has been done in white tile and the other with flat rock that has been gathered up from the dry creek bed that winds its way through the 160 acres of property the resort occupies. Also in the building are two restrooms with showers that are being remodeled, one of them is virtually complete and the other well on its way.
TESTIMONIALS
As my tour continues, we discuss some of the stories still remembered and re-told today by children and grandchildren of those who have been cured by the waters of the hot spring. One of the stories was about Lee Swatzel and her husband "Mugs", who was brought to the resort in an ambulance and couldn't walk because of arthritis. After only two weeks of following the rigors of soaking in and drinking the water, (the "prescribed" treatment), Mugs was well on his way to recovery. Being so thoroughly impressed with what the water did for him, he and his wife bought the resort and ran it for many years. "Many people are alive and well to this day and are "living testimonials" that will attest to the powers of the miracle water," says Ronneberg. "I've been living here for over 3-1/2 years, feel great and have only had two colds during that time," he says "so I guess you could say I'm somewhat of a testimonial too." Could be, I think to myself.
We enter a long building that looks like it could’ve been an old schoolhouse but am told that it was called the Annex before the main hotel burned down. "Originally the building had 12 rooms, each with a wash basin and was modified after the main hotel burned down to have a small restaurant on one end and a manager's quarters on the other. Sometime in the 1940's, Klang's cousin added bathrooms to the building. Since the rooms are rather small, our plans are to modify the interior of the building so that it will have 5 rooms (rather than 10) with full bathrooms, fireplaces and private outdoor hot tubs." I see the gleam in Ronneberg's eyes as he describes the plans to me and I realize that this man has a vision and will give a re-birth to the dream that Bourn must've had as well.
I feel excitement building as a picture is painted in my mind of the history this oasis holds. Just as I find myself wishing that I could travel back 80 years to experience the resort and the people back then, Ronneberg shows me three postcards that were sent to him as a gift by Bourn's daughter, Phyllis Klang who now resides in Seattle, Washington. According to Klang" he says, "the pictures (for the postcards) were probably taken in the 1920's". My imagined painting is now complete as I see the buildings as they were originally built with guests sitting comfortably on the open porch of the Annex and standing outside the Spring House.
After walking down a long hallway that used to be the open porch, we exit the hotel and approach another building that Ronneberg refers to as "The chapel". "Although that's what it resembles," he says, "it's the oldest building of the resort and was built by the Owl & Liggett pharmacies in 1908. It was originally known as "The springhouse" and was constructed for the purpose of bottling the water to be distributed to the pharmacy's retail stores. Once bottled and labeled as "La Mercy Water", the medicinal elixir was touted to be a cure for everything from gout, arthritis, rheumatism and even a woman's PMS."
FUTURE PLANS
With ambitious plans ahead, the current owners have accomplished a lot towards restoring the resorts' facilities and are now in operation albeit limited. There are campsites, RV facilities and a resurrected airstrip that saw movie stars such as Roy Rogers, Bing Crosby and Walter Beery fly in to get away from the hectic life of Hollywood. For sure, the resorts' remoteness would ensure an uninterrupted holiday due to the fact that needing a phone back then meant a trip all the way to New Idria.
Open 365 days a year, Mercey Hot Springs can be accessed by cell phone (which works but isn't completely reliable) so a call may not go directly through to the resort and will be answered by a voice mail system. Researching the requirements for installing state-of-the-art microwave equipment is in process now. When the equipment installation is completed, it will not only provide regular phone service, but also Internet access for many of the resorts' clientele that come from the bay area or surrounding cities of the Silicon Valley.
Construction plans include renovating an old house that was moved onto the property by the previous owner. When completed, the building will have a library and conference rooms which will be available for off-site business meetings, anniversaries or other events. Although the intended theme of the resort is to be that of the 1920's era, it is quite evident that modern day technology is being applied where necessary.
A PRIOR LIFE
Ronneberg spent a total of 23 years in the world of high-tech with 5-1/2 of it in the Silicon Valley running an Information Services department for Western Digital. "Although purchasing a resort like this was never part of a big, life plan," he tells me, "ever since I was a teenager, I dreamt about having a place out in the country where I could really put my creative side to work. Many people think that I’ve retired, which in a way, maybe I have. For sure I’m doing what I want, but I’ve also never worked so hard in my whole life. There’s a completely different set of rewards a person gets out of doing something like this which many people want but never achieve in their life. A lot of my friends in the Silicon Valley that knew what I was doing thought I was crazy. Maybe I am! But I’m sure a lot happier than most of them and will probably live longer to boot."
Yes, I believe he’s living the dream many of us would love to have, but I’m curious about both the "up" and "down" side Ronneberg and his girlfriend have had to adjust to after leaving a life in the fast lane of the Silicon Valley.
"There are many aspects of this venture that are very rewarding and as many that are very frustrating." he says. "On the down-side, the single biggest change we had to make personally, was selling our log home in San Juan Bautista and adjusting our lifestyle to that of being much simpler and living on a much smaller income. In fact, because the resort was in such dismal shape when we purchased it, it’s taken a substantial amount of funds to get it operational, and we still have a long way to go. Contrary to what some people believe, I didn’t leave the Silicon Valley with huge stock options so we’re having to fund the renovations through self generated revenue, which results in projects moving forward rather slowly. And, although we’ve spoken to several banks, they haven’t been any help since none of them seem to understand this kind of business and for sure don’t see its true potential."
"Our first big challenge was defining, engineering and building a reliable infrastructure. As you can imagine, in most businesses, when you want a phone, electric or gas service turned on, you call up the company, order the service and within a few days you’ve got what you need. Not only have we had to (literally) build all of our utility services from scratch, but we also have to maintain them and keep them running."
"Our biggest expenses are phone (because it’s cellular) and fuel (because we still have to run a generator) that supplements the electric we get from solar and wind power. Together, they account for about one third of our operating costs. Installing microwave equipment will resolve the phone issue not to mention the fact that it will also give us the ability to fully utilize the Internet. Even though our communications capability is very limited, implementing our website has done wonders for us.
Shopping for groceries or materials and mail service is also a hassle - Los Banos is the closest town with decent shopping centers but it’s a 70 mile round trip. Our zip code puts us in the Firebaugh district and the post office won’t deliver mail to us, (at the resort) so we have to drive out to I-5 which is 26 miles round trip."
It sounds a lot tougher than I expected, but you’ve got to be doing this for a reason, I ask? Ronneberg smiles a large grin and says, "You bet, on the up-side, we get to give something back to people that is in a constantly diminishing supply - a bit of nature and history that so many people miss, especially city-dwellers. Quite often, we have guests that actually admit to not seeing stars in so long, that they felt like they had forgotten what they look like. Others are so hyped up by the relentless hustle-and-bustle of the city, that they hike up-and-down the hills a few times just to unwind. Seeing them so completely relaxed at the end of their visit and hearing them say that they’ll be back, (many of which have already kept that promise) is the best reward we could hope for. In a way, it seems strange to me, but many of our guests have actually made a specific effort to personally thank us for our efforts in restoring the resort and making it accessible to them."
"All things considered, we’ve learned how to adjust and found ways to be more efficient - we make lists, consolidate our traveling and buy in bulk when it makes sense to so. As time passes and we see our clientele base increase, we know that we’ll be successful. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that we have something here that is wanted and needed by so many people and that its just a matter of time and continued hard work to put it all together."
As I’m saying good bye and good luck, I too know that I’ll be back to check their progress and especially relax at this forgotten oasis.
PANOCHE VALLEYS / MERCEY HOT SPRINGS TRAVEL PLANNER
There are many routes a traveler can take to see the Panoche Valleys and Mercey Hot Springs. A complete, round trip can be made in a single day using highways 152, 156, 25, Interstate 5 and the back road J1.
From I-5, go west on the J1/Shields Ave/Little Panoche Road exit. Mercey Hot Springs is 13 miles on the right (west) side of the road.
From U.S. 101, take highway 152 east to I-5 and go south 24 miles to the Little Panoche road exit. DO NOT take the Mercey Springs road exit.
THE SCENIC ROUTE
An alternative, and much more scenic route, is to take highway 25 through Hollister towards the Pinnacles. Go past Tres Pinos into Paicines and make a left onto J1 for 35 miles. After passing the Panoche Inn, go left (which is still J1) for 8 miles. Mercey Hot Springs is on the left (west) side of the road.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Camping, RV space, cabins, swimming in their mineral pool and soaking in the indoor and outdoor hot tubs.
Cabin - $60 to $90 per night depending on the cabin - rate is for 2 people.
Camping and RV - $20 per person -includes use of the mineral pool and outdoor hot tub.
Day use - $15 per person
Group discounts offered
DINING
Due to the ongoing renovations, the resort’s restaurant is not yet open. However, there are some fine dining establishments to be experienced along the way no matter what route you take.
In Tres Pinos, The Feedlot can provide you with a great steak dinner or, for more elegant dining, try The Inn (the only 4 star restaurant in San Benito County) run by Proprietor Mike Howard. For an excellent breakfast, try Flapjacks Country Café (also in Tres Pinos) run by Father and daughter team Dave xxx and Chelsea.
Established in 1908 along highway 152, Casa de Fruta has a family style restaurant, fruit stand, miniature train and zoo. In Gustine, about 35 miles north of J1 on I-5, the well know restaurant of Pea Soup Anderson is conveniently located just off the freeway.
ATTRACTIONS
The Panoche Valleys and the entire surrounding areas have something to offer for everyone. There are excellent roads for bicyclists, hiking trails at the Pinnacles, fishing at the San Luis reservoir and Little Panoche detention dam and birdwatchers have virtually unlimited areas to seek out their favorite feathered friends. Photographers and artists will find views of unspoiled mountains and valleys to capture on film or canvas.
