I made a brief trip (briefer than expected) to DeAnza Springs, in Jacumba, CA, last weekend.

In the latest N Magazine, Nicky ends an editorial comment (the bulk of which I don't agree with, and told her so, but this I agree with) by saying "has anyone been to a nudist trailer park lately that advertises itself as a 'resort'"? That sentence summarizes the experience of my friends and me. DeAnza Springs is a quite nice nudist RV park, but their web site and their being part of the ultimate nudist resorts makes it sound like it should be more than that and that's the expectation we went with.

Their office is that of an RV park, not a resort. They're open during business hours only (you get a machine if you call any other time) and are primarily involved in checking in and out people who are coming in their RVs. They do rent RVs, but it seems they do so "as is". If you need an extra pillow or more shading on the windows, you need to provide it yourself. If the satellite TV breaks, they'll call a contractor, who'll come at some point. Unfortunately, they are almost an hour from the nearest shopping, so getting things yourself is not easy.

Communications was also an issue. They say "Wifi throughout park", but both my friend and I had unusably-weak signals in our RVs and had to use the clubhouse, which isn't open 24/7. I had very marginal and intermittent cell reception (AT&T) and my friend had none (T-Mobile). We were told by a resident that AT&T is supposed to be on site in a few months to improve internet and/or cell access, but we didn't get any details.

The web site made a number of us believe there were a large number of hiking paths throughout the resort's boundary with some leading into the nearby park. That's not the case. There are no hiking paths within the resort. There are six trailheads on the periphery of the resort. None are well-marked (we only four four of the trailheads, despite having a "map"). All of the trails are of the "out and back" kind. According to a book in the clubhouse, they're mostly meant for "guided tours", which are offered from time to time (though not when we were there). They don't prohibit people from using the trails outside of the tour, but not a whole lot of people do. We did go down the four trailheads we could find, but didn't get too far because the trails weren't well marked and we were a little concerned about going on trails with not great footing while nude in the desert (indeed I slipped once, but just ended up with a few scrapes). They also warn about moutain lions (they suggest nudists wear bells around their necks) and rattlesnakes.

The web site also advertised a "DJ Dance" on Saturday. There was a DJ but nobody was dancing at least until we left at 10 PM. Although it's possible the party started late, a place where the restaurant closes at 7:45 PM and where the main posting on the bulletin board is instructions on how to detect the signs of stroke isn't likely to be a late-night place.

Despite these comments, though, I give the resort fairly high marks in everything except how they set expectations. If you come knowing what to expect, bringing what you need (e.g., bring flashlights), aren't looking for too much in the way of support and activities, and don't mind the typical demographics of a nudist RV park, it's a nice place to visit. They have two pools, one indoor and one outdoor. Both are nice and they provide floats and "noodles". The hot tub is nice. The clubhouse is large and well-maintained. There are some activities (such as bingo) that are well-attended. There's a small store there to sell staples such as food, toiletries and RV repair parts.

But the main attraction of the resort, I think, is its location. It's in the desert, so it's reliably sunny. It's in a valley with mountains all around, making for spectacular view and some easy hikes out to the surrounding area (check out the derailed and damaged Amtrak cars to the NE). I just wish their web site would set the proper expectations.