Healthy walk
My friend and I were hiking on the South Rim Trail in Alum Rock Park (San Jose, CA) when we encountered this beautiful stone bridge across a creek. On the other creek side there was a strange looking construction, like a big well. We decided to check it out, but when we were walking on the bridge an uninviting smell of rotten eggs greeted us. So far for our exploration.
We continued to walk back to the car when we saw similar constructions: wells with stone steps. Bath tubs?? Then we found information about the site. This used to be a health spa in the late 19th century - 1930's. There were twenty different springs containing magnesia, iron, carbonated soda and sulfur (hence the smell). The outside wells we saw were only to gather the mineral water. From there the water was transported to the bathhouses where the water was heated for the guests.
