Don Sennevile and Jim White
It takes a lot of coffee to-go, in order to go to Castle Hot Springs. Expectations were high as five of us convoyed the 40 miles (the last 7 of which is dirt and gravel) to this oasis tucked in the sheer canyons that guide the Agua Fria River to the depths of Lake Pleasant. Our mission today was to make contact with these remote humans and understand their ways.
The encampment (a 5-star resort) consists of the perfect blend of organic gardens, large, comfy bungalows tucked among the indigenous palm trees, creeks and pools of hot mineral water, an amazing restaurant, and an environment that is enchanting and invigorating. However, now that we are here, we realize that we cannot be here unless we’re guests staying here. Also, realizing that most guests beam in, we instantly knew we were out of our league.
It’s like the Biosphere, completely self-sustaining, environmentally conscious, socially comfortable, and a model for others.
Thanks to the staff who resonate with pride in the environment they have created. We’ve never seen such cheerful staff! Thank you to George, Dickson’s Dad, and to Mike and Cindy, the founders and visionaries of this forward-looking project. Good vibes and good coffee too!
We were really lured to Castle Hot Springs by nine-year-old Dickson. He is the left winger on the Coyotes Soccer team in Cave Creek. He’s home schooled and comes to town to practice for soccer games, ju-jitsu, and basketball. This is one amazing kid. He’s lucky to have such solid parents, George and Casey, who work and live at the Springs. Feels like a sit-com: Leave it to Beaver, Lassie, or Little House on the Prairie. It was Dickson who invited us, and thankfully his very kind parents agreed to let us make our foray into the desert mountains of remote AZ. Dickson’s dad buzzed us in the gate. Somehow they have electricity.
We followed the long row of huge palm trees into the heart of the Springs, past vast herb and veggie gardens, agaves, citrus, real grass (a fantastic expanse with pickleball courts), and flowers galore. In the desert! We were treated to a fascinating tour by George, who explained the Native American history and the evolution of the Springs over several hundred years. The very 1st telephone in Arizona was at the resort and is still on display in the bar.
This was the 1st golf resort in Arizona. No more golf courses, but the restaurant serves the most healthy and delicious lunch we have enjoyed in many moons. Everything is grown there and served with pride and gracious humor. The whole world should be like Castle Hot Springs for a few days, just relaxed.
We did not see one cell phone, but we saw 150 chickens, and a voluptuous organic garden. The bar has a TV, but it’s hard to find. There is top-shelf tequila, and they will be making their own mescal in six months. No metal buffaloes — just little javelinas for protection. No dogs or bumper stickers or coffee to go! Be here now.
As we Gordon Lightfoot our way back on the Carefree Highway from Castle Hot Springs to our local Coffee Row, thoughts prevail as to how lucky we all are to live in such a wonderful place on planet earth. We are surrounded by a rich diversity of human endeavors. We humans do such incredible things, and we’re most probably fueled by coffee. The ‘Bean that Bonds’ humans throughout history and inspires creativity and joy could be a common denominator for world peace. The $10 coffee door at ROC2 in Cave Creek is a prime example of such global cooperation.
Remember the coffee houses of Boston in early America and later the ‘beatniks’. Marco Polo hauled beans back from Yemen to Italy. Thank you, Marco and Dickson. Let us know what you’re drinking – The CUP, sonorannews.com.
