It’s refrigerator weather time again in the San Joaquin Valley.
There will be days in the next five to six weeks when the high and low temperatures will vary by 10 degrees or less.
The tule fog working in partnership with low cloud cover will sock in the valley for days, with the sun seemingly as bright as a dim light bulb in a 1955 Hot Point refrigerator.
Travel across the Altamont Pass and you can see sunshine and savor temperatures nudging the high 60s.
Head east into the hills to Sonora via Highway 108/120 on a day when the temperature range is 52 to 55 degrees in the valley and you can literally drive through the gloom into sunny skies with the mercury teasing 70 degrees.
The worst stretch of endless valley fog was in 1991 when the sun was AWOL for a dozen or so straight days that January.
So how do you shake the chill by staying in the valley?
There are two places where you can literally soak up the warmth and do so wearing swimming attire.
One is in Manteca.
The other is in Firebaugh.
The Manteca option, of course, is the 500-room Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park resort.
The air temperature is 82 degrees and the water a couple of degrees warmer.
The pricing is fairly decent as you can book for up to six for several hundred dollars.
Plus there are restaurants on site as well as various amusements.
However, there are the crowds.
And to be honest, it’s not much in the way of a change of scenery given it is in a building, although it is a big one.
The Firebaugh option is a lot more intriguing.
It can also be less expensive or even more expensive.
And it could end up be more soothing and relaxing than taking it easy on a lounge in a temperature controlled water park with noisy kids splashing around.
What Firebaugh — or more precisely the western part of the 93622 ZIP Code — has is one of California’s 97 hot springs.
Mercey Hot Springs is in the rolling terrain of northwest Fresno County in the Little Panoche Valley.
It happens to be the closest hot springs to Turlock and Oakdale at 65 and 88 miles respectively.
As for Manteca, in terms of miles Calistoga in the Northern Napa Valley is closer at 91 miles versus 106 miles for Mercey Hot Springs.
Mercey Hot Springs is by far the quickest for travel time given it is Interstate 5 almost all the way.
All while a dip only in the waters at Calistoga can take a good chunk of an average paycheck, half day access to the therapeutic outdoor hot tubs at Mercey Hot Springs is $50 per person.
The hot tubs are filled with natural hot mineral water that emerges at 119 degrees from the geothermal source and is a toasty 102 to 106 degrees for those soaking in it.
The $50 also includes access to the heated swimming pool where the water is kept at 85 to 90 degrees.
There are no age-based price breaks although those under 2 years are free.
The half day use is from noon to 5 p.m. and requires a reservation.
You can also pitch a tent ($75 a night), rent a cabin (starting at $215 a night), book an Airstream (at $345 a night), use an RV space ($75 a night), book a walk about for six ($505 a night), or stay in the tiny hideaway that features a private hot tub (at $595 a night).
All accommodations include hot tub and swimming pool privileges.
There is a hotel but it is currently undergoing renovations.
You can hike or bike on relatively short trails on the 144 acres surrounding the resort.
The resort estimates you can bicycle the trails in one to two hours.
A half mile away is Bureau of Land Management property with significantly more trails.
The vistas are stunning in a way that only the almost treeless rolling hills of the western San Joaquin Valley can be once you get past Patterson.
It is why the website promises that you can experience tranquility.
Los Banos 35 miles to the north – or a 40-minute drive away – offers the closest clustering of restaurants.
There are the usual fast food suspects plus local offerings with the most unusual being Woolgrowers featuring French Basque food and Espana’s southwestern grill menu.
Mercey Hot Springs was originally on an old stagecoach line.
Roughly 35 miles to the south is the famous Harris Ranch. It’s beef lover’s heaven with the cattle and meat company operating a restaurant and resort.
John N. Merci acquired the land where Mercey Hot Springs is located to raise sheep.
He “Americanized” his name by changing the spelling to Mercey.
A San Francisco real estate developer by the name of Frederick Bourn bought the property in 1912 and established a low-key resort.
He also bottled the water for medicinal purposes and sold it through Owl & Liggett pharmacies.
The website (merceyhotsprings.com) has a complete breakdown of the mineral content of the water.
You can reach the office during business hours from noon to 5 p.m. by calling 209-826-3388.
