Dave Stamey, award-winning Western singer and songwriter will be singing exclusively for us at Mercey Hot Springs the evening of Saturday March 12, at the campfire.

Adventures

Ghosts of the Bandidos

A Weekend Adventure of Discovery and Understanding at Mercey Hot Springs. led by Sandy Lydon.

March 12-13, 2011

 

The Panoche:

Land of never-ending vistas and ghost towns, where you can still hear the hoofbeats of the bandidos who sought refuge in this country. We will show you the country as you may never have seen it, and tell you the stories of its past, present and even its future.

Special Musical Guest Dave Stamey, Award-Winning Western Singer

Dave Stamey is an award-winning singer-songwriter whose music evokes the American West present and past. He has been a cowboy in the widest sense of the word, from mule packer to dude wrangler, and when he sings of horses, dust and sweat, he knows of what he sings.

Dave also has a deep-rooted sense of the history of the American West, and his more history-centered songs treat the Mexican and Californio traditions with sensitivity and respect. Vaqueros ride again through his songs and the sounds of his guitar.

Beginning in 2005, the Western Music Association has stuffed his saddlebags with awards, including Entertainer of the year three times (2006, 2008, 2009). In 2010 he received four more awards, including Outstanding Songwriter and Outstanding Individual Entertainer. His most recent album, "Come Ride with Me," received best Traditional Western Album by an Individual last year, and the title song of that album received Best Original Song.

As with most of the Lydon events, there is a connection. It just so happens that Annie Lydon (wife of Sandy) sings backup on Dave's most recent CDs, including the award-winning "Come Ride With Me."

As an added treat, as they have done very rarely, the two will sing together later during Dave's performance. Click here and you can see and hear their recent performance of "Come Ride with Me" at Don Quixote's in Felton in January.

Youtube video here

Dave Stamey's website: www.davestamey.com

Tiburcio was Here! Special Presentation by John Boessenecker

Story-Telling and Book signing by the author of the amazing new book: Bandido: The Life and Times of Tiburcio Vasquez, University of Oklahoma Press, 2010. John Boessenecker is a San Francisco Attorney by trade, but has found the time to produce an impressive list of books on California history, including Badge and Buckshot: Lawlessness in Old California, and Gold Dust and Gunsmoke: Tales of Gold Rush Outlaws, Gunfighters, Lawmen, and Vigilantes.

His book on Tiburcio Vasquez is a monumental work that takes care of all the mythology, rumor and legend about Vasquez once and for all. The truth is that Vasquez DID spend a lot of time in the Panoche, and Boessenecker will help illuminate the places and players in Vasquez's incredible career.

 

The Setting: Mercey Hot Springs

We have reserved the entire property, and guests who sign up for the Entire Enchilada and the Daytime Enchilada (see below) will have access to all the resort's tubs, pool and sauna. There are clothing-optional tubs available for your use as well.
Mercey's website: www.merceyhotsprings.com

 

The Details


Tentative Itinerary


Upon arrival you should check in at the historic office buildingsubject to change due to weather and unforeseen circumstances and opportunities

Saturday, March 12

8:00 AM – 10:00 AM – Check in, set up campsite
10:00 – 11:00 AM – Overview presentations of the history of the Panoche
11:00 – Depart on day's field trip – Our field trip will begin with an overview of the solar project just south of Shotgun Pass: then into New Idria country and the ghost town that was partially destroyed by fire last year, and surrounding area that sheltered Tiburcio Vasquez and other bandidos. Our special guide in the New Idria will be Ray Iddings, the historian who knows this country better than anyone.
5:00 – Return to Mercey – Time to relax and take the waters, wander
6:00 - Barbecue dinner – Prepared by Cheryl and Larry Lopez of the Panoche Inn
7:00 Special Program Around the Campfire:
John Boessenecker, Tiburcio Vasquez, the Myth and the Man
Dave Stamey – Around the Campfire: Songs of the West – including "Joaquin"
Joined later in the program by Annie Lydon, back-up voice on his recent CDs

Sunday, March 13

8:00 AM – Continental Breakfast – Those staying over are encouraged to use the morning to partake of the various hot springs facilities. There may be other discussions and conversations on Sunday.

12:00 PM – Check-out – Note, there's every possibility that the conversation might continue throughout the day.

Fees:

The Entire Enchilada
$120/person - Includes Field Trip, Barbecue Dinner, Program Saturday nigh camping/RV accommodations, complete access to all of Mercey's amenities (tubs, pools), and Sunday Morning Continental breakfast.

Note: There are a limited number of campsite/RV spaces! And when registering please be sure to let us know how many are in your party and their names. Specific campsites cannot be reserved prior to arrival. First-come on the campsites and RV spaces.

RV sites have very limited power hook ups (don't run heaters), water and sewer.

The Full-Day Enchilada
$100/person - Includes Field Trip, Barbecue Dinner, Program, and access to all of the hot springs amenities on Saturday. Does not include overnight accommodations nor Sunday breakfast.

The Dinner & Show Only
25$/person – includes the BBQ Dinner and Program. Kids under 12, $10.

Register Here

Alternative Accommodation:

If you absolutely are not able to bring an RV, or car camp, and there are no cabins available, you might consider purchasing a Day-Enchilada pass, or BBQ-Show ticket, and then making reservations at a motel in/near Firebaugh (just off Interstate 5 about 40 minutes drive), or in/near Santa Nella or Los Banos which are about one hour away. You will have to do that on your own, and we have no specific recommendations. The website www.traveladvisor has reviews of most regional motels.

Getting There Ahead of Time – Staying Over

If you want to extend your stay at Mercey Hot Springs on either side of our event, we recommend it. You will receive a 25% discount off Mercey's regular rate to stay either Friday or Sunday evening or both. If you were to stay over on Friday evening, you would be assured of your camp/RV site for the weekend. Reservations for Friday evening can be made by visiting the Mercey Hot Springs website, or telephoning them at 209-826-3388. Always be patient when calling or contacting the hot springs as Larry and Grazyna are often out working on the grounds.

Friday Evening Do It Yourself

There will be some do-it-yourself alternatives if you come in on Friday evening. We will have a barbecue fire available as well as some make your own tortilla set-ups. We'll send details out as they develop.

List of things to bring:

• Chair – for the Campfire Program
• Warm clothing – It can get quite chilly in the evening – Blanket/comforter/opened up sleeping bag might be appropriate.
• Hiking Boots
• Rain Gear – Hopefully we won't need it, but…
• Binoculars – the birds!
• Camera
• Water – Drinking water is limited at Mercey – grab a five gallon container of water and bring it with you.
• Firewood – there are fire pits at most of the campsites
• Flashlight – essential as the place gets pretty dark at night
• Lunch – If you're registering for the Saturday daytime event, you'll need a lunch
• Beverages of your choice – We will have water and sodas available, but if you have particular beverages that you enjoy (alcoholic or otherwise), bring them
• Cooler – good idea for beverages or snacks or whatever…
• Camp lantern

If you plan to use the sauna, tubs, pool:

• Bathing suit
• Bath towel/beach towel
• Wrap or Robe
• Sandals/flip flops

Conditions:

Children under 18 are not permitted in either the Whole Enchilada or Day – Enchilada programs. The field trip materials are not designed for children, and the facilities (tubs, pools, and sauna) are not supervised and are not appropriate for children during our stay.

However, children are welcome to attend the Barbecue and Show.

Not Included:

• Transportation to and from Mercey or on the Field Trip – encouraged to carpool
• Saturday lunch – you are encouraged to bring lunch – for the Field Trip
• Cell phone coverage – there isn't any cell phone coverage at Mercey

A Note about Wi-Fi

There is free Wi-Fi at Mercey, but please don't be downloading large files as the capacity is limited. Checking e-mail is OK. But, why would you want to? This is supposed to be a getaway!

Inclement Weather Contingency – We're going to do this event regardless.

An outdoor experience. Mercey Hot Springs is a camping, outdoor experience and participants need to be prepared to walk on gravel and dirt walkways. The place is still under construction, but the quality of the work being done is astonishing.

Where is Mercey Hot Springs?

Mercey is located on the edge of Fresno County on its border with San Benito County. It is actually in the San Joaquin watershed and fairly close to Interstate 5 near Firebaugh.


View Larger Map 

How far is it?

The approximate drive time from Santa Cruz County or the Monterey Peninsula to Mercey Hot Springs is about 2 hours and we advise traveling via Hollister, south towards the Pinnacles on the Airline Highway (Highway 25), and then turning left at Paicines on New Idria Road.

How is the word Panoche pronounced?

I've heard it pronounced two different ways. When Larry Lopez answers the telephone at the Inn, he pronounces it Pa-no-chee. In fact it seems that if there's a word following the name Panoche – such as Panoche Valley – it's pronounced Pa-no-chee. However, when describing the country generally, such as "I'm going down to the Panoche," the last syllable is truncated and pronounced Pa-noch. I recently asked Charlie McCullough, rancher who has lived in the area since 1943, about the pronunciation: "Well, sometimes the 'e' is silent and sometimes not." But he hadn't really thought about the "when" of the silence.

The green landscape.


Sandy Lydon photo with an assist from Jim Christmann.The Panoche had quite a bit of rainfall in November and December, and the countryside is greening up nicely. We might even luck out and get some wildflowers by mid-March. But, check out THIS photograph taken just south of Mercey Hot Springs, April 2010 from Jim Christmann's airplane. An amazing wildflower year, and who knows, we could get two in a row.

Register Here