Treebones Resort: See the Pacific Ocean and Central California Coast from a Yurt
Situated on ten acres just north of Gorda Springs, Treebones Resort is the culmination of almost twenty years of careful thought and planning by its owners John and Corrine Handy. After buying the land some eighteen years ago, the Handys were faced with strict regulations concerning the type of lodgings which could be built there. As a result Treebones emerged as a community of five traditional campsites and sixteen yurts.
Yurts are the modern version of the tents used by Mongolian nomads. With sturdy wooden skeletons and heavy duty fabric coverings, the Treebones yurts in no way compare to something set up at a Boy Scout camp. These yurts feature high gloss knotty pine floors, gas fireplaces and clear dome ceilings. They have hot and cold running water and the front doors lock when the yurt occupants venture to the main building for breakfast and/or dinner. The only true hardship is the hundred or so feet one must trek to the showers and bathrooms; a very small sacrifice in return for the enormous luxuries of silence and beauty.
Breakfast is limited to just one choice: Waffles which a person cooks for him/herself; when the waffles are this quick and good though lack of choice doesn’t matter. Recently, for an additional cost, a dinner menu has been added and even a vegetarian selection is available. However, despite an affable chef and the good humor of all the staff, the evening meal doesn’t yet measure up to its surroundings.
There is a small gift shop but the best postcards are the free ones given away at the front desk. Board games and books are available for loan. A heated pool and hot tub are open until nine p.m. all year long for adult guests and until eight p.m. for children under sixteen accompanied by an adult. During whale watching season one can peer through the telescope mounted on the deck of the guest services building or climb to Whale Watch Rock.
If awakened in the middle of the night by barks and grunts, don’t mistake them for the noises made by wild pigs; they’re just the sounds of elephant seals nestled on the beaches below. Once awake do take the opportunity to step outside and peer up into the cloudless night. Constellations many may have only read about will be readily apparent. A lucky night watcher may also be treated to a wide swath of Milky Way cutting through the sky. Sound sleepers should set their watches for a late night wake up buzz.
Those who roam after ten should remember to treat their fellow guests with consideration. One of the best things about Treebones is its return to long lost civility. Visitors are reminded to close their tent flaps after dusk and to speak quietly at all times, particularly from 9 p.m. until 8 a.m. No amplified music is allowed in any of the yurts or surrounding areas. Neither smoking nor pets are permitted in the yurts.
Not everyone will want to visit Treebones Resorts. No cell phone reception, no television news, communal bathrooms don’t signify vacation to everyone. Still, these modern nomad huts will lure many people back year after year.
