The Agua Caliente campground isn't all that pretty - I remarked to Joanie that some of the surrounding hills look better in the dark ... Get out and hike the surrounding hills and canyons and the beauty of the desert comes alive. 
The hot springs here have been developed and improved over the years. The indoor pool, which measures about 103 degrees, is enclosed by a metal framed glass building. Sliding doors open to the outside and the roof retracts, opening the ceiling to the sky.
Outdoors, a recently finished pool opened in November. This pool is "supposed" to be about 80 degrees F. One of the solar heaters was not functional, so it was a brisk 72 degrees. Didn't stay in there long!
During the weekends and on holidays the campground may fill. Weekdays we had it darn near to ourselves.
We hiked two of the trails that depart from the campground. Here Joanie checks the view and the trail ahead as we prepare to descend back to camp.
We hiked most of one day in the Blair Valley, seeing pictographs, bedrock mortars and prehistoric village sites. Here the wash pours off into Smuggler's Canyon, 100 feet below. And me without a rope! We turned around at this point.
Heading for home at day's end the temperature dropped significantly. We feel winter progressing. Since May, we've watched Jupiter move west each night. Finally, at Agua Caliente, on December 2nd, Jupiter caught Venus in the western evening sky. Soon we'll not see Jupiter at all. Orion is rising and Cygnus is slipping from the sky. Since November 1st we've been effected by the shortest days of the year, perhaps in much the same way as the ancient ones. Thankfully, daylight hours will increase December 21st!
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