Day Trip to Lopez Lake
by
Ruth Ann Angus

The hills are green and the days are gradually getting warmer. It is spring and the perfect time to visit one of our county’s best attractions – Lopez Lake. The frenetic pace of the summer months when the lake is busting with boaters and water skiers is not yet upon us and there is a peaceful mood for you to enjoy the natural surroundings.

Pack a picnic and head out through Arroyo Grande Village into the countryside. Soon you will approach the beginning of the lake. Lopez came into being in 1969 flooding farmland, strawberry fields, and all, to become the water supply for the growing Five Cities area. Two Chumash villages located near the present dam are now under 160 feet of water as is the original ranch belonging to Juan and Jesus Lopez. Trees and buildings were removed in preparation for the flood. It wasn’t long though before area residents recognized that this was a great recreation spot and Lopez Lake became a popular county park.

There are 22 miles of shoreline and afternoon winds make the lake a perfect place for sailing or windsurfing. The lake is also a great place for a canoe or kayak trip. Good boat launching facilities are located adjacent to the marina and store and there are boat and equipment rentals here too. Waterskiing is especially popular.

Fishing is great at Lopez Lake, which is stocked with rainbow trout, bass, crappie, catfish, and bluegill. You will find fishermen quietly angling in the backwaters of the lakes many arms.
If you love nature then this is the place for you. More than 150 species of birds have been noted and 30 mammal species. Among these are mule deer that are easily seen browsing the oak studded hillsides. Coast live oaks with their acorn abundance attract the colorful and industrious acorn woodpecker. Masters at saving up for a rainy day, this bird goes about in a serious manner drilling numerous holes in the trees. Then they collect acorns and one by one stuff them into the prepared receptacles storing them for future consumption.

Many migratory birds find Lopez Lake a great stopping-off point. A flock of American white pelicans often resides at one end and eared grebes, cormorants, mergansers, and other waterfowl dot the surface of the lake. One of the best ways to see this is to take a ranger guided nature boat tour. Park rangers will take you out on a comfortable, stable pontoon boat that can get back into all the twists and arms of the lake. If you’re really lucky, you may spot a bald eagle perched in a tree or an osprey hunting.

Turkeys also love the acorn rich habitat at Lopez. They even have their own special trail named for them – Turkey Ridge Trail. This is their favorite roosting and feeding area and they are so accustomed to people that you can get pretty close to them. During mating season the big males strut their stuff, puffing up their feathers and fanning their tails. Turkeys aren’t aerodynamic experts, but it may surprise you to see them well up into the trees. Their large wings make flying between trees difficult and they’ll never do long distance trips. They roost in trees at night and make crazy, careening flights from the trees to the ground.

Hiking is a great way to experience the flora and fauna of the park. Just walking beneath the stately live oaks is a treat. In spring lupine, buttercups, popcorn flowers bloom among the hummingbird sage, swordfern and maidenhair. There are numerous trails available and most are relatively easy. Some bring you to views of the lake and others offer panoramic vistas. Along the way you may see evidence of prehistoric times in the shell fossils embedded in the Santa Margarita limestone. This was an inland sea some 26 million years ago and the remains of scallops and oysters stick out of the crumbly soil.

You can enjoy your picnic at one of the lakeside tables. You might even want to stay overnight at one of the tent or RV campgrounds rated among the best in the county.
For more information see www.slocountyparks.org or call 788-2381.

Road Trip - San Juan Bautista

Road Trip—San Juan Bautista
Text and Photos by Ruth Ann Angus

One wouldn’t expect California, our most populous state, to have some of the country’s smallest towns, but scattered throughout the golden state are many places with fewer than 2,000 people. One of those spots is not far from the Central Coast, and it is a pleasant drive to reach there. Take Highway 101 north and turn right onto route 198. You will ride past green rolling hills for a short while until meeting up with route 25— one of the most forgotten, but beautiful, side roads around. Farms and ranches dot the landscape, and as you amble along, all your cares will drift away. A jog through the town of Hollister eventually will bring you to route 156. Head west and you will soon arrive at your destination—San Juan Bautista.

This small town named after Saint John the Baptist is packed with history. The town was founded in the late 1700s along with one of the grandest of the California missions. A state park adjacent to the mission contains restorations of structures that were built in the 1800s. The buildings that are open to the public include the Plaza Hotel, hall and stables, a blacksmith shop, a livery stable with antique carriages, a granary, a jail and the C a s t r o - B r e e n Adobe. Rooms are furnished with antiques and period furniture and artifacts.
The Castro-Breen house was the original home of the Patrick Breen family, who survived coming to California with the ill-fated Donner party. Living History Days are celebrated on the first Saturday of each month with docents from the Plaza History Association in period outfits carrying out tasks such as basket weaving and candle making. San Juan Bautista was once the largest town in Central California, and its mission is considered the grandest of all 21 California missions. Founded in 1797 by Father Fermin de Lausen, who succeeded Blessed Junipero Serra, it is the15th in the chain and the largest. As with all of the missions, it was built with Native American labor. Members of the Mutsun, Ohlone Yokuts, Tulare and other tribe from the San Joaquin Valley constructed the grand edifice of bricks made from mud and straw. Approximately 4,000 of them are buried in the graveyard behind the church.
The mission originally had a nine-bell tower, but the church met with misfortune in the earthquakes of 1800 and 1906. It was restored first in 1884 and again in 1949, and now has three bells. This mission is the only one that has a three-aisle entrance to the altar. It is still an active parish, with daily masses. Many weddings are held here as well as the Quinceanera, a young Latina woman’s celebration of her 15th birthday.
The historic walking tour will take you to 48 sites within the five downtown blocks. Highlights are the Glad Tidings Church, built in Greek Revival style; the Crane house, which reflects a Cape Cod influence; the Masonic Hall; Honeymoon House; and the John Anderson House, a real Victorian structure.
The town retains a decidedly Hispanic flavor, with Spanish-style architecture and old adobes, and a smattering of ethnic eateries. Free roaming chickens will sometimes cross your path. There are antique stores to browse, as well as art galleries and tasting rooms featuring the wines of San Benito County.
Eating in San Juan Bautista will offer you a variety of world specialties. Stop in at La Casa Rosa for some fine food, and sample their array of fruit chutneys in the Victorian tearoom. There’s also the Mission Café for a sandwich and a look at a Mutsun clapper stick, which was carved from cured blue elderberry. The Cutting Horse restaurant for Angus steaks served in what was a 19th-century brothel, or yummy strudel at Joan & Peter’s German restaurant, or a cold margarita in the garden at Jardines de San Juan.
After a great day touring this historic old town, stay the night and sleep in peace and quiet to awake to a new adventure—perhaps hiking the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail on the Old Stage Road. A three-mile portion of this trail, which runs from the Mexican border in Arizona, passes through San Juan and is a marked trail for foot or horseback. Or you might wind up your weekend trip with a tour of nearby Fremont Peak State Park and Observatory. At 3,169 feet, the peak affords a 360-degree view of the surrounding area, and at night a wonderful stargazing adventure. The observatory is open to the public and offers group tours.