Hot Springs

Maicer Izturis has started at second base over Howie Kendrick in three of the Angels' last 10 games. Tuesday night against the Seattle Mariners, Manager Mike Scioscia dropped Kendrick, who opened the season batting second, to the ninth spot for the second game in a row. If Kendrick, who began Tuesday's game with a .236 average, continues to struggle, could it be long before the Angels consider benching him in favor of Izturis?

Law enforcement officials from nearly three dozen agencies have conducted a major gang sweep in this Riverside County town. Riverside County Dist. Atty. Rod Pacheco said Friday that the sweep was the largest in the county's history and involved nearly 700 officers from local, state and federal agencies. Officials made at least 120 arrests and conducted 185 probation searches and 100 parole searches, according to preliminary numbers from the Desert Sun newspaper. Police also served two gangs with a gang injunction notice.

The hike is long and dusty, across two miles of shrub-strewn desert, south of Apple Valley. But Lisa Fernandez, a Web designer and hot springs enthusiast, has often made the trek from the trail head to the pools of steaming water. She believes the payoff is worth it: a day of soaking in undeveloped, natural hot springs in the shade of pine and willow trees at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains.

Perhaps a greater health risk in hot springs is the danger of extreme temperature changes, from tepid to scalding in minutes. In general, the pools can hold temperatures of up to 140 degrees and hotter. The hottest hot springs in Southern California is believed to be Sespe Hot Springs in the Los Padres National Forest. One longtime visitor said the water is so hot, he once boiled an egg in the pool.

I'm getting myself in really hot water. First I got coated in mud hip-deep. Then I lay about indulgently for an eternity. Then I splashed about in a mini-water park. Now I'm sliding into scalding water to lie about some more. After that, I'll rest again. This wholly un-Puritan episode is by design.

Hugo Martin wrote about a true desert oasis ["Red-Faced at SoCal Hot Springs," On the Go, July 6]. But here's a needed splash of cold reality before hundreds of hikers begin swarming this Apple Valley Shangri-La. The Pacific Crest Trail follows Deep Creek and passes right by the springs. Some U.S. Forest Service rules concerning the springs: They're closed from sundown to sunrise. No camping is permitted within one mile of Deep Creek. No vehicles are allowed within one mile of Deep Creek, including bicycles.

"Do you have a problem with public nudity?" That's what a buddy asked before giving me directions to Deep Creek Hot Springs near Apple Valley, a clothing-optional oasis about a two-hour drive from downtown Los Angeles. Nudity? I was raised Catholic, I said. What do you think? Natural hot springs are rare in Southern California, mainly because of the lack of searing underground volcanic rock to heat subterranean water.