site of manson family picnic

hot springs

Once upon a time, a few members of the manson family camped at crabtree, however, I didn't know who they were at that time, as they didn't exactly say, although, they did play a cassette tape, on their portable stereo, that they said was a recording of Charles Manson singing and playing the guitar. I couldn't tell if it was him or not. Anyway, they knew how to picnic, and I saw them several times, at the hot springs, throughout the summer. They were fun loving folks, and claimed to be vegetarians, for health reasons, but yet smoked plenty of cigarettes. The last time I saw them at the hot springs, they wanted to borrow $20.

It wasn't until a few years later, when I saw them all on a television talk show saying how even Charlie needs a family, that I recognized them as members of the manson family.

The hot springs are entirely on private property, however, all of the previous landlords wisely realized that there was no commercial value to owning the hot springs, due to its very remote backcountry location, and consequently didn't live on their land and allowed unlimited public access to the hot springs.

Then the new and legal owners of crabtree arrived, and are living large in their bus that's now parked, just barely off the dirt road, on the second hairpin turn going up the steep hill that rises above the hot springs.

APN: Address: Community: Jurisdiction: Area (Acres): Zoning Districts: General Plan-Land Use Designation: Redevelopment Area: Focus Area: Degrees Minutes Seconds: Decimal Degrees:

00201312 18367 TWIN VALLEY RD UPPER LAKE CA County 153.73 RL-WW RL; RC NO NO Latitude: 391724N Longitude: 1224916W Latitude: 39.29 Longitude: -122.82111

The first time that I saw the new owners, their bus was in the parking area on the south side of the creek, and they were sitting in the shade next to the bus, drinking beer, while counting the number of vehicles driving by the creek crossing, and adding up all the money that they would be making from owning the hot springs. They seemed quite pleased with themselves, and offered me a beer to help celebrate their good fortune of owning the hot springs, but I said "no thanks" and left them alone.

Anyway, these legal owners have closed crabtree for now, as they enjoy owning the hot springs, but maybe one day they will decide to move, and maybe then crabtree will revert back to its primitive state.