Lake Berryessa - Napa County, California

Visited on 3/24/2018 while Jeff and I along with our two dogs, Summer and Skye took a Saturday drive from our Ranch over to Napa Valley.  This is a lake that we have taken our boat and spent a few weekends on the Lake because it is only about 50 minutes from our home.  Lake Berryessa is a 20,700 acre lake in Northern California located at 443 feet above sea level.  It is approximately 15.5 miles long but only 3 miles wide. It has approximately 165 miles of shoreline.  This reservoir is in the Vaca Mountains is formed by the Monticello Dam, which provides water and hydroelectricity to the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area.  Lake Berryessa supplies water to several communities such as Vacaville, Suisun City, Vallejo, and Fairfield as well as Travis Air Force Base located south of Lake.

Lake Berryessa is a monomictic lake, which means that the waters of the lake turnover once a year. For monomictic lakes that turnover time is somewhere in the Fall. Lake turnover happens when the warmer surface water starts to cool to match the lower cooler water. Once the lake is all the same temperature, water can freely circulate all around and oxygen replenishes parts of the water where it has been diminished. Fishing during the turnover time or after can be difficult because the monotone temperature and oxygen level of the lake allows for the fish to go anywhere in the lake.

The reservoir was named for the first European settlers in the Berryessa Valley, José Jesús and Sexto "Sisto" Berrelleza (a Basque surname, Anglicized to "Berreyesa", then later respelled "Berryessa"), who were granted Rancho Las Putas in 1843.

Near the dam on the southeast side of the reservoir is an open bell-mouth spillway, 72 feet in diameter, which is known as the Glory Hole. The pipe has a straight drop of 200 feet , and the diameter shrinks down to about 28 feet at the bottom. The spillway has a maximum capacity of 48,000 cubic feet per second. The spillway operates when there is excess water in the reservoir; in 2017 after heavy rains it started flowing, for the first time since 2006.  In 1997 a woman was killed after being pulled inside the spillway.

When we visited the lake level was about 7-8 feet from going over the Glory Hole.  The picture below was taken in February 2017 after we had tremendous rainfall and the Glory Hole was dropping water to the bottom.

The spillway at Monticello Dam, Lake Berryessa, in operation, February 19, 2017.

Prior to its inundation, the valley was an agricultural region, whose soils were considered among the finest in the country. The main town in the valley, Monticello, was abandoned in order to construct the reservoir. This abandonment was chronicled by the photographers Dorothea Lange and Pirkle Jones in their book Death of a Valley. Construction of Monticello Dam began in 1953, completed in 1958, and the reservoir filled by 1963, creating what at the time was the second-largest reservoir in California after Shasta Lake. The Monticello Dam with Lake Berryessa, Putah Diversion Dam with Lake Solano, and associated water distribution systems and lands are known collectively as the Solano Project, which is distinct from other water projects in California such as the Central Valley Project.

Monticello residents opposed the government and the Solano Project but were unsuccessful. Residents abandoned their homes, the Monticello cemetery had to be relocated, and houses were destroyed. Monticello ranchers were evicted as equipment was auctioned away and the fertile land destroyed and flooded.

The discovery of gold in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada caused an influx of people to the central valley. Communities in Solano County grew quickly in the gold rush. More water was needed to accommodate the rising population, so around the 1940s the Solano County Board of Supervisors organized the Solano County Water Council to search for the best place to develop a water project. Monticello Dam and Lake Berryessa were the result.

Monticello, a small farming town was founded by Ezra Peacock in 1867. By the time of the evacuations for the dam it had a population of about 250 with some scattered on the outskirts in the valley. Putah Creek was the town’s life source, it provided them with close access to water for both crop and livestock raising. Cattle and grain were the main products but orchards, pigs, and sheep were among some of the other things that belong to Monticello residents. Monticello was a small but relatively sustainable little town, connections with nearby towns such as Winters, Dixon, Vacaville, and Davis help completed life for the residents at Monticello. Though at the time, Monticello’s residents began to decline. Despite a small population, residents of Monticello along with Napa County fought against the creation of the dam all the way to Washington D.C. All evidence of a little town in the valley were demolished; either removed or destroyed except for one. For reasons that is yet to be known the Bureau of Reclamation they left behind a bridge crossing over Putah Creek although that bridge is far deep under water by now.

Just a few years after the completion of the dam, Governor Edmund G. Brown proposed a new project to build an even bigger dam and a larger lake. The “Greater Berryessa Project” was envisioned to be a Goliath of the original project; the 304 feet dam would be replaced with a 600-foot dam that would be capable of holding ten times the amount of water, expanding the lake to three times the current size, flooding productive farmland at the time. The cost would have been substantial to say the least. Governor Brown’s plan to enlarge to lake was to take water from northern California and share it down south to southern California. The proposal definitely caught attention but was too big to become reality.

The lake is fed by the head waters to the 576-square-mile Putah Creek watershed. It has a storage capacity of 1,602,000 acre feet, making it one of the larger reservoirs in California.

A study in 1986 showed that it is highly unlikely that Lake Berryessa will overflow. Few times has it actually gone over 440 feet, but did on February 17, 2017.  In the study, the probability of the lake level reaching 450 feet. is about one percent and probably only to happen once in a hundred years. The highest water level ever recorded at Lake Berryessa was 446.7 feet. Raising Monticello dam is highly unlikely but one possible way to increase water storage at the lake is to raise the height of Glory Hole.

In 1969, the lake became the site of one of the infamous Zodiac murders. On the evening of September 27, Pacific Union College students Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were picnicking at Lake Berryessa on a small island connected by a sand spit to Twin Oak Ridge. A man approached them wearing a black executioner's-type hood with clip-on sunglasses over the eye-holes and a bib-like device on his chest that had a white 3-by-3-inch cross-circle symbol on it. He approached them with a gun, which Hartnell believed to be a .45. The hooded man claimed to be an escaped convict from Deer Lodge, Montana, where he had killed a guard and stolen a car, explaining that he needed their car and money to go to Mexico. He had brought precut lengths of plastic clothesline and told Shepard to tie up Hartnell, before he tied her up. The killer checked and tightened Hartnell's bonds, after discovering Shepard had bound Hartnell's hands loosely. Hartnell initially believed it to be a weird robbery, but the man drew a knife and stabbed them both repeatedly. The killer then hiked 500 yards (460 m) back up to Knoxville Road, drew a cross-circle symbol on Hartnell's car door with a black felt-tip pen, and wrote beneath it: "Vallejo/12-20-68/7-4-69/Sept 27–69–6:30/by knife", the dates of the killer's first two crimes and the date and time of the crime he had just committed.

At 7:40 p.m., the killer called the Napa County Sheriff's office from a pay telephone to report this latest crime. The phone was found, still off the hook, minutes later at the Napa Car Wash on Main Street in Napa, only a few blocks from the sheriff's office, yet 27 miles (43 km) from the crime scene. Detectives were able to lift a still-wet palm print from the telephone but were never able to match it to any suspect.

After hearing their screams for help, a man and his son who were fishing in a nearby cove discovered the victims and summoned help by contacting park rangers. Cecelia Shepard was conscious when law enforcement officers from the Napa County Sheriff's office arrived, but lapsed into a coma during transport to the hospital and never regained consciousness. She died two days later, but Hartnell survived to recount his tale to the press. Napa County Sheriff Detective Ken Narlow, who was assigned to the case from the outset, worked on solving the crime until his retirement from the department in 1987.

Lake Hennessey - Napa County, California

Visited on 3/24/2018 while Jeff and I along with our two dogs, Summer and Skye took a Saturday drive from our Ranch over to Napa Valley.   Just to the north of the lake is a nice hiking trail that leads up Moore Creek.  We took our dogs for a nice little hike up the trail about ½ mile, we met others on the trail and they have a horse staging area at the parking lot.  Lake Hennessey is a 790 acre reservoir in the Vaca Mountains, a few miles east of St. Helena and the Napa Valley, within Napa County, California.

The reservoir located at an elevation of 322 feet above sea level is formed by Conn Creek Dam, built in 1948 across Conn Creek. Construction of the earthen dam was authorized by the United States Congress when it passed the Flood Control Act of 1944 in order to mitigate flooding downstream in Napa, California.

Funding for the dam was never appropriated by Congress, so in 1946 the City of Napa took on the project and built it at a cost of $550,000 dollars plus $250,000 for the land. The cost of laying the 36 inches diameter pipeline from the dam to the city of Napa was $1.7 million. The 30 miles of pipe for the project was manufactured at the Basalt Rock Company plant located south of city of Napa.  The design of the dam did not include a way to drain water from the reservoir when it comes close to full capacity. Once the lake is full, water drains from a spillway causing potential flooding dangers downstream. The reservoir and pipelines are maintained by the city of Napa, and it is its primary source of water. When the reservoir reaches its capacity, outflow reaches San Pablo Bay via Conn Creek to the Napa River.  The lake was named after Edwin R. Hennessey. Hennessey was a local civic leader who played a role in the development of the Conn Valley reservoir.

Sign at the Boat Launch at Lake Hennessey.  Only small boats, canoes and kayaks allowed on this lake with a maximum speed of 10 mph.

 

Just north of Lake Hennessey we found Moore Creek Park and hiking trail.  We took a nice little 1/2 mile hike along the creek.  We stopped and took a little break on these cool stools made from tree stump pieces.  Great little hike and they have a horse staging area as well.  Napa County maintains and funds this great little gem.

 

 

Rector Reservoir - Napa County, California

Visited on 3/24/2018 while Jeff and I along with our two dogs, Summer and Skye took a Saturday drive from our Ranch over to Napa Valley.  Rector Reservoir is a 82 acre reservoir in Napa Valley, California. It is located at 374 feet above sea level to the northeast of Yountville, and southwest of Lake Berryessa and supplies water to City of Yountville. The Silverado Trail leads to the reservoir passing it from north to south to the west of the lake and Rector Canyon.  To the west is Silver Oak Cellars and Oakville.  They apparently want people to stay away from this water source lake.  No trespassing signs are posted at the gate to the Water Treatment Plant and all of the adjacent properties along the south side of this lake.  In order to get close we would probably be arrested for trespassing.  I tried to convince Jeff to accompany on a hike up the hill from Silverado Trail along Rector Creek and scale up the spillway, but he convinced me not to chance it!  Maybe another time...

The waters of the reservoir are impounded by Rector Creek Dam, which was built in 1946 across Rector Creek.

While driving around the Silverado Trail area of Yountville in Napa County we drove through this beautiful winery and vineyards.  This pergola was made with grape vines....kind of cool!

These beautiful California poppies were just growing in clumps along the roadside at the roadside of Rector Reservoir.

Picture taken while driving through Napa Valley to visit Rector Reservoir.

Another great view of the hills to the north in Napa Valley.  Beautiful and peaceful sight.

Duvall Lake - Napa County, California

Visited on 3/24/2018 while Jeff and I along with our two dogs, Summer and Skye took a Saturday drive from our Ranch over to Napa Valley.  In order to locate this remote lake we had to drive down a winery driveway to a residence and vineyard to access the muddy pathway to the lake.  Duvall Lake is located at an elevation of 1,615 feet above sea level in Pope Valley, east of the Napa Valley. It is a small lake, which only covers 17 acres and was completed in 1940.

The ranch was settled in the late 1860s by the Duvall family who came to California by covered wagon. During the construction of the lake, the owner of the ranch was Donald Duvall, but it was sold in the late 1950s.

On our way to find Lake Duvall we drove through Pope Valley and were welcomed to this beautiful site of yellow mustard plant, which grows wild and in abundance in Northern California.

Lake Solano - Solano County, California

Visited on 3/24/2018 while Jeff and I along with our two dogs, Summer and Skye took a Saturday drive from our Ranch over to Napa Valley.  We drove to the day-use area and through the campground to check out the camping spots for a later visit.  The campsites along the lake are premium price.  Located at the Lake is a really nice Lake Solano Nature Center.  Lake Solano is a reservoir located at 202 feet above sea level formed by Putah Diversion Dam impounding Putah Creek, located in the Vaca Mountains within Yolo County and northern Solano County, California.

The reservoir is 1.5 miles long with a capacity of 750 acre-feet. It serves to divert water into the Putah South Canal to supply agricultural and urban users. It is 6 miles downstream from Monticello Dam, also on Putah Creek. The city of Winters is 5.3 miles downstream from the Putah Diversion Dam in the western Sacramento Valley.

Picture taken from the middle of the bridge looking west toward Lake Berryessa.

Lake Solano Nature Center is located at Lake Solano at the entrance to the Campground. The Lake Solano Nature Center is a 5,000 square foot nature exhibit-interpretive learning facility.  This multi-use interactive exhibit hall and ranger station is housed in this modern state of the art building.  We will visit this nature center on our next visit to Lake Solano.

This Peacock greeted us at the campground while we were driving around the campground.  He stayed perfectly still while we drove by.  Our dogs barked, but he didn't move a muscle!

Lake Arrowhead - San Bernardino County, California

Visited on 3/16/2018 while traveling on a work assignment to Pilot Rock Conservation Camp to proctor inmate examinations for the Drinking Water and Wastewater Operator Certification program.  Lake Arrowhead is an artificial lake located in the San Bernardino Mountains on Little Bear Creek, a tributary of Deep Creek and the Mojave River. It has a surface area of approximately 780 acres at an elevation of 5,125 feet above sea level.  It is surrounded by the unincorporated community of Lake Arrowhead in San Bernardino County, California.
The lake was originally intended to serve as part of a major waterworks project to provide irrigation water to the San Bernardino Valley, and construction of the Lake Arrowhead Dam began toward that end in 1904. However, the original project was halted due to litigation over water supplies to land owners on the desert side of the mountains. Construction of the dam was completed in 1922 by the Arrowhead Lake Company, a Los Angeles syndicate, as part of a plan to develop the area into a resort.

Use of the lake is currently controlled by the Arrowhead Lake Association, which maintains the lake for the recreational use of its members. The Lake Arrowhead Community Services District withdraws water from the lake for treatment and distribution to local residents for potable use.

 

Picture taken in late afternoon with a storm looming on the Rim of the World Highway 18 overlook with a 5,000 foot drop over the San Bernardino Valley.

Lake Gregory - San Bernardino, County California

Visited on 3/16/2018 while traveling on a work assignment to Pilot Rock Conservation Camp to proctor inmate examinations for the Drinking Water and Wastewater Operator Certification program.  Sitting at an elevation of 4,554 feet is Lake Gregory.  This 88 acre artificial lake is nestled in the San Bernardino National Forest of the San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino County, California. The lake and the surrounding area make up the Lake Gregory Regional Park adjacent to Crestline, California.

The area, originally known as Houston Flat, was developed by and named for its developer, Redlands citrus grower Arthur Gregory, Sr. Gregory bought and developed land in an area known today as Valley of the Moon. He erected a sawmill at Valley of the Moon to cut wood for crating his "Orange Blossom" brand of citrus fruit. Gregory was also instrumental in creating the Crest Forest County Water District (CFCWD), which, in turn, was necessary to acquire federal aid in order to develop the area. Although the lake is in Crestline proper, Crestline is not a part of the Crest Forest District, but rather the Crestline Water District, which purchases water from CFCWD.

Work began in 1937 under a Works Progress Administration (WPA) grant to dam the east and west forks of Houston Creek, whose waters drained into tributaries of the Mojave River, thereby "going to waste". The project was nearly completed by March 1938, but federal funds had run out. Gregory financed the completion of the project, lending money to the district for the completion. Heavy rains that March put the dam to its first test. It had been estimated that it would take three years to fill the lake. So heavy were the rains that the lake filled in only three days. An unconfirmed, but plausible urban legend claims that the construction equipment left on the lake bed in 1938 during the rains remains at the bottom of the lake today.  A road built over the dam (present-day Lake Drive) completed the project in January 1939.

Picture taken in late afternoon with a storm looming on the Rim of the World Highway 18 overlook with a 5,000 foot drop over the San Bernardino Valley.

Silverwood Lake - San Bernardino County, California

Visited on 3/16/2018 while traveling on a work assignment to Pilot Rock Conservation Camp to proctor inmate examinations for the Drinking Water and Wastewater Operator Certification program.  Silverwood Lake is a 990 acre reservoir in San Bernardino County, California, located on the West Fork Mojave River, a tributary of the Mojave River in the San Bernardino Mountains. It was created in 1971 as part of the State Water Project by the construction of the Cedar Springs Dam as a forebay on the 444-mile long California Aqueduct consequently inundating the former town of Cedar Springs.

Silverwood Lake is located on the East Branch of the California Aqueduct. It is operated by the California Department of Water Resources and provides a major water source for agencies serving nearby San Bernardino Mountain and Mojave Desert areas. Some 2,400 acres of recreation land surround the lake.

At an elevation of 3,355 feet, Silverwood Lake is the highest reservoir in the State Water Project.

The Pacific Crest Trail, "the jewel in the crown of America's scenic trails" spanning 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada through three western states, passes through the Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area, with trailheads for short or long hikes.

On the way up the mountain to Silverwood Lake this is the view from 5,000 feet above the San Bernardino Valley.  

Lake Yosemite - Merced County, California

Visited on 3/9/2018 after a work assignment giving State exams to inmates at Mount Bullion Conservation Camp I traveled west of Mariposa, California to one of the smaller urban lakes on my list.  Lake Yosemite is a 500 acre artificial freshwater lake located approximately 5 miles east of Merced, California, in the rolling Sierra Foothills. The University of California - Merced is situated next to it just to the south of Lake Yosemite. The university is bounded by the lake on one side, and two canals (Fairfield Canal and Le Grand Canal) run through the campus.  The University had several construction cranes and it appeared that they were constructing several new buildings on the campus currently.

Lake Yosemite at an elevation of 253 feet above sea level is a reservoir built in 1888 for irrigation purposes. It is currently owned and operated by Merced Irrigation District, which supplies irrigation water to farms in Merced County.  Recreation on the lake is managed by the Merced County Parks and Recreation Department.

The lake is home to the Lake Yosemite Sailing Association (LYSA), which was founded in 1988 and currently has more than 90 members. The LYSA hosts sailboat races at Lake Yosemite Thursday evenings during the summer months and also organizes sailing trips to nearby lakes and bays in California.

The lake's tower is said to be haunted by the "Lady of the Lake". According to the horror stories, the ghost has long flowing white hair and wears a long white gown. She is said to walk around the tower catwalk and on the lake's surface looking for her lost child or lover. The ghost has also been reported to walk along Old Lake Road, occasionally stepping into the path of oncoming traffic.

Lake Naraghi - Stanislaus County, California

Visited on 3/9/2018 after a work assignment giving State exams to inmates at Mount Bullion Conservation Camp I traveled west of Mariposa, California to one of the smaller urban lakes on my list.  Located in the City of Modesto, California, Naraghi Lake was excavated in the 1980s as one of a planned series of water features for a large residential and commercial development complex straddling both sides of Oakdale Road. The lake is named after the Naraghi family, who were at one time large landowners in the area, and who planned the initial development. Shortly after excavating the lake, the Naraghi development was scrapped because of financial and market problems, leaving the lake as the only evidence of the plan that had been abandoned. The surrounding land was sold off and subsequently developed. The lake remains the property of the Naraghi family.

It was open to the public for fishing and recreational use until 2004, when liability issues and problems related to people dumping invasive species into the lake including a fish related to the piranha, finally prompted the Naraghi family to fence in the perimeter.

Over the years, numerous proposals for the land and the lake have been discussed, including converting it into a city park, building private residences around its perimeter, and building apartment or office complexes on the property. Most of these plans are hamstrung by the now-limited amount of land remaining around the lake, and have not been pursued beyond the discussion phase.

The surface area of the lake is 13 acres at a sea level of 102 feet.

Naraghi Lake is supplied from MID canals and pipelines. It was built by excavating a hole in the otherwise flat terrain and was lined with bentonite to eliminate percolation.

Ducks and geese enjoying the water on this 70 degree springtime day at Lake Naraghai.

Camp Far West Lake - Placer, Yuba & Nevada Counties

Visited on 3/3/2018 Jeff and I loaded up the dogs and took a nice spring afternoon drive to the sierra foothills north of our ranch to this wonderful lake.  Camp Far West Reservoir also called Camp Far West Lake, it is a small reservoir in the foothills of Northern California located approximately 8 miles east of Wheatland, California and 45 miles northeast of Sacramento. The lake also forms the meeting point of three California counties, Placer, Nevada and Yuba at what was formerly the confluence of the two streams, Bear River and Rock Creek.  Both Beale Air Force Base and the Spenceville Wildlife Area lay directly to the north of the lake.

The 185 foot high earth and rock dam on the west side of the lake was constructed in 1963 as part of the California State Water Project to control flooding in the Central Valley (California), and to provide hydroelectric power to the surrounding area. The facility is owned and operated by the South Sutter Water District.

Camp Far West is situated at an elevation of 280 feet above sea level. It is a fairly large lake, impounding 104,500 acre feet of water when at full capacity with a surface area of 2,000 acres and 29 miles of shoreline. The lake got its name from a gold rush era immigrant camp that was located just downstream from the present day dam site. Since it was the last camp on the immigrant trail before the 49ers coming from the east reached the Sacramento Valley, it was dubbed, Camp Far West.

In the spring when the lake is full, the hills are green and the oak trees lining the shoreline are covered with budding leaves, the lake is quite beautiful. In the fall when the water level is drawn down 60 feet or more, the grass is parched and the leaves have fallen, the visual impact isn’t quite as awe inspiring, but the camping and recreation can be just as good as the springtime.

This picture was taken from the bridge over the spillway from the Lake to the Bear River below.  This was right after a couple of heavy rains in the area, so the lake was full and water was being released over the spillway and thru the hydro plant which is a few hundred yards to the south.

Taken from the North Shore Recreation Area Campground.  Camping spot #7 and #14 were the favorite spots for future camping in our truck camper, when it warms up a little we plan to come back and stay over night.

Historical site of the old Graham Hotel is located at Camp Far West Lake and Johnson's Ranch is to the southwest of the Lake.  Jeff's ancestors and thousands of Emigrants and pioneers made this their first stop here when they arrived in California.