We are now in Clearlake, California and the lake is anything but clear. Actually, we are in Nice, California on the north shore of Clearlake. Since the lake looks like it's polluted, I did some research to determine what, if anything, the State of California plans to do to clean it up. There are many small towns scattered all around the lake. All of these small towns have businesses that depend on the lake to survive. There are no other landmarks around that these places can fall back on. Well, it turns out the lake is anything but polluted. With the onset of warm weather, especially the really hot temperatures in this area the past month or so, the blue green algae has bloomed out of control. This algae rises to the surface and creates oxygen during the day. It then sinks to the bottom and consumes oxygen at night. Some of these blooms die off during the day, and it's these blooms that give the impression of pollution. The lake and fish depend on the algae for food. It is this same algae that keeps the lake healthy. In the past two days we have seen a marked increase in the clarity of the water along the shore. Our host says within a week or so, the water will once again be clear. Regardless, the lake was very pretty, the sun shone every day and the nights were very comfortable in shorts and T shirts....
We decided to fill up with fuel before heading to the campground as the casino fuel stop had diesel for $4.15/gal. cheapest we had seen. Anyone who travels, knows cell phone service can be a challenge at times. I have Verizon service and Debi has AT&T. Her service has been non-existent the past two weeks, so she passed the time waiting for the pump to finish, catching up on her texts and emails while I walked Jasmine and of course, snapped her picture. She looks small next to the coach!
We checked in and set up our site. We have a view of the lake out the front window. Watching the water and the boats is very relaxing.
This is the view out the front of the coach. We drove around the lake yesterday and checked out some of the other "resorts"....we are glad we chose this particular campground.
We saw this guy fishing in one of the coves. You will have to enlarge this picture to get the full impact. That is an inflatable wader type boat that he moves with swim fins. What makes it interesting enough for a picture is all the fishing poles he carried with him. The fan like structure is all fishing poles...about 12 in all. I never carried that many on my boat..!!
This is one of the "locals". He would come down to the shore every evening. I tried to get close for a good picture but he would always fly away. He did not like Jasmine and let her know by screaming loudly as he flew away.
This is looking across the lake from our campsite at Mount Konocti, a long ago volcano.
Clearlake holds two distinctions: It's the largest natural fresh water lake in California, and has the largest surface area of any freshwater lake entirely in California. It is 19 miles long and 8 miles wide. While not proven, it is also believed to be the oldest lake in California. at nearly 500,000 years.
Here is another picture across from our site. The pilings are from a defunct marina that used to occupy what is now the campground. The launch ramps still remain. Fishing is one of the main recreational activities around Clearlake, which is also know as the "Bass Capital of the West". Many bass tournaments are held here each year as well as many fishing television shows.
The above picture is of train cabooses converted to a bed and breakfast. It is adjacent to our campground and was very interesting. For $190/night, one can stay in an authentic Southern Pacific caboose. The owner bought these from SP in Sacramento when the caboose became a thing of the past. He brought them here on his property and converted each one with a "theme". There is a Bogart suite, a Harley suite and many other interesting themes. Each caboose comes complete with a bedroom, a bath and a two person jacuzzi tub. The property also features a swimming pool. The grounds are impeccably clean as are all the facilities. What a unique idea!
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