The full-service resort, which caters mostly to golfers, equestrians and well-heeled San Diegans in search of spa pampering and weekend getaways, is a bona fide Old West landmark. A stroll through the lush, landscaped compound yields a new piece of Western history at every turn: Kit Carson's house. John Fremont's house. The real thing, right down to the two-foot-thick adobe walls. The monoculture hasn't found this place yet and given it a slick makeover. And, God willing, it never will. The older haciendas -- some more than 100 years old, most circa '30s and '40s -- are plain, and some are downright Spartan. But this is exactly the kind of refuge a PCT hiker needs 100 miles into the journey. Yes, there are a lot of rich folk walking around in silly golf clothes (do they really look any sillier than some PCT thru-hikers?) but the resort itself is about as comfortable and unpretentious as an old pair of favorite slippers.

Consider that people have been partying and behaving badly in the Warner Adobe (now the Cantina) since 1844. Consider that the compound has operated under the flag of three different sovereign nations. And that the springs have been in use since 1795. If you choose to stay overnight, be good to yourself and get a drink in the Cantina. The life-size murals tell the story of the region's more colorful eras.

It's not entirely clear why the management of Warner Springs, which is a private time-share operation owned by many hundreds of families, would extend itself to PCT hikers, but it has. The Ranch is very, very good to thru-hikers, with a lodging discount just this side of outrageous. The dining room is a bit tony and I didn't get a chance to try it because it was booked for private parties the weekend I took a zero here. The Golf Grill, on the other side of the highway, is a more affordable, more casual room overlooking the golf course. It's open to the general public, whereas the dining room and cantina within the gated compound are accessible only to overnight guests. The grill will be remembered for serving the first truly great burger of the PCT journey.

As if you needed another excuse to take a full zero day at this oasis, there is the Olympic-sized 105-degree mineral pool, itself a landmark of Southwestern architecture. To float in there at midnight, just grooving on the stars above and the low hum of the desert all around, is to know true contentment.

Warner Springs Ranch gets our higest recommendation for both value and service.