Spring Break Decay-tion Santa Rosa's Blue Hole -

Momentary pause in the exploration of ruins off historic Route 66, this stop–Santa Rosa’s Blue Hole–has offered roadtrippers a retreat from the desert heat for decades. Santa Rosa’s blue hole is exactly how it sounds… it’s blue; it’s a swimming hole. A really deep hole of over 80 feet whose deep water caves are yet to be explored completely. You see, the entrance to the caves at the Blue Hole’s bottom had been fenced from the mid 70’s, when two young divers drowned within the tight crevasses of the underwater caves, to 2013 when it was finally opened up again for exploration.

Me, I just kicked about the soft earth around its perimeter, enjoyed its deep hue while enjoying my coffee.

I was also concerned about the peeling blue paint that was chipping off the structure around it. Hmmm. The hole itself regenerates fresh water, apparently pumping out 3,000 gallons of water per minute. (source) But at the time of my visit, the water level was low.