It was a windy one with the Santa Ana winds blowing through town for a few days starting on Tuesday, January 7. Tecopa had two short power outages during that afternoon when gusts were forecasted in the high 30s. But as Dan Leseberg noted on Facebook, “It’s not windy in Tecopa unless someone loses a roof.”
Soak it Off
Some residents have taken to calling Delight’s Hot Spring Resort by the acronym FKAD – Formerly Known As Delight’s. Spencer, the remaining brother-owner, and his wife Brenda, have taken over and renamed the whole place Death Valley Hot Springs. Recently, they were overheard talking about bad reviews, saying they “can’t please everyone,” likely grousing about complaints regarding the state of the resort. While their cabins have been renovated, visitors have grumbled of dirty tubs and non-existent water and electricity at certain RV sites, even the one stand alone bathroom has been shuttered all season. Some have even complained that they removed the bathhouse murals, but management says it was to make repairs and create a more high end experience for bathers.
The new owner of Tecopa Cabanas (no relation) goes by many different names, one of them is “Pahrump Annie” and while the water in her cabanas comes from FKAD, her visitors do not have soaking privileges at Death Valley Hot Springs pool or private tubs, making them a hard sell over the newly finished cabins offered there.
After Hours Tecopa
We’re told that some folks have after hours soaking privileges at Tecopa Hot Springs Campground’s bathhouse, which has been closed from 10pm-7am since the pandemic to the dismay of locals. This could contribute to why they have never returned to 24 hour operation post-pandemic.
Project Funds
TecopaFest! organizers are tired after their last big hurrah in November; they may do a spring flea market and keep it simple but also might skip it. Southern Inyo Fire Protection District organizers say it is in good financial shape and needs to focus on organizing themselves.
Paperwork has been holding up the SIFPD from fully receiving their grant money and taking over their new home. As it turns out, in order to collect it, they will need a copy of their land lease with the Bureau of Land Management, which expired in 2020, and BLM has been unresponsive to their calls to renew it. The Southern Inyo Fire District Fire Stations Project was awarded a grant of $1.5 million from the federal government in 2024 to construct two fire stations in Tecopa Hot Springs and Charleston View.
The Nevada Current reports that the BLM will be prioritizing the Rock Valley Solar Project in the Amargosa Valley, “which would produce and store enough renewable energy to power about 360,000 homes in Nevada and California.” Foes of the plan say it will use too much water during the construction phase.
National Park News
During a recent surprise storm, the Death Valley National Park received 0.36″ of rain at Furnace Creek, with snow falling higher up in the mountains.
Scotty’s Castle has already sold out their walking tours through March 2025 and no other dates will be added this season. Over $66 million will be invested in repairs at the Death Valley National Park site which they expect to be completed in 2026.
Did you know that Scotty’s Castle could have had a totally different design? Albert M. Johnson, the owner of Scotty’s Castle, originally commissioned the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design his desert getaway. Wright was a young and relatively unknown architect at the time, and Johnson rejected his designs.
The National Park Service is seeking help identifying the person or people who illegally drove on Eureka Dunes in late December or early January. The vehicles caused significant damage to rare plants that are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
“I’m saddened that someone would disregard the survival of a rare species for a few minutes of joyriding. There are multiple areas on BLM land nearby, such as Dumont Dunes, which are set aside for this type of recreation but the sensitive dune systems in the National Park are set aside to be protected,” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds.
An NPS biologist documented damage to Eureka dunegrass (Swallenia alexandrae), a plant species that only grows on sand dunes in Eureka Valley.
Eureka dunegrass is classified as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
One Eureka dunegrass plant was directly damaged by vehicle tracks, while eight additional plants were likely affected by root damage due to their proximity to the tracks. Over two miles of vehicle tracks were left on the dunes, suggesting that further damage to seeds and other rare plants is likely.
Information from visitors is often very helpful to investigators. Call the NPS Tip Line 888-653-0009 / Email nps_isb@nps.gov or visit the online form.
Deep Doo Doo
Rumor has it that the septic tank at the duner dump station on Old Spanish Trail is actually an old school bus buried in the ground and that it is leaking into Amargosa River but nobody can prove it.
Sheriff Racing
Twice in six days Sheriff’s vehicles raced, sirens blazing towards the Heights from Tecopa Hot Springs. First at 2:13pm on New Year’s Day and again almost the exact same time on Monday, January 6. Then on January 11, around 3:20, an ambulance raced in the same direction. No word on where they were headed.
Inyo County Sheriff’s Office quarterly stats (October 2024 – December 2024) show 109 misdemeanor and felony arrests and 2907 incidents overall in the county.
Stuck Luck
James Fisher pulled out a driver stuck in the riverbed a ways past the mud hole on Tecopa Hot Springs Road. Then “Better Call” Paul Carter got another out of the same spot days later, pulling out a truck that made a mess the local road crews cleaned up.
Pastor Frank’s car broke down on his way to Pahrump and he was also saved by “Better Call” Paul, who got to have a nice long chat with a man of God.
Shoshone Village now has EV charging stations with pull-throughs for large vehicles and trailers courtesy of Rivian Electric Adventure Vehicles.
Geode tracking
Rock star Kiko sold the glittering contents of his van to someone at China Ranch but then took off on a mission to fill it back up again with copper.
The “black stripe” is a road cut in Shoshone that exposes a band of volcanic glass called vitrophyre, which is located in a part of the Miocene Resting Spring Pass Tuff, according to experts who conducted a walk there on January 12.
Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin Director at Center for Biological Diversity, and his partner Naomi Fraga announced their engagement with a lovely ring on Facebook.
We heard…
Jack and Carlo of Villa Anita have purchased 100 acres in Upstate New York.
The folks behind the Mojave Center in Charleston View are building in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
The infamous Jenna called around town to ask whether she should return, and was universally told no.
The family who shares a name with a former president was accused of feeding kittens to their dogs.
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