There is always a sense of excitement driving in to the resort for the first time in the spring. Like visiting an old friend or a childhood home there’s a sense of renewing memories. “Look, there’s Cressman’s, let’s stop for something tasty”, “Hmmmm, Shaver Lake is looking pretty good”, “Wow, this is where the deer hit me last summer”…. a steady stream of internal commentary all the way in. Traffic slowly drops off the higher you drive, and once you go through the locked gate, you’re the only vehicle on the road (sometimes… sometimes there’s the surprise of SCE or USFS road equipment).
Feeling pretty confident I WAS the only vehicle on the road since it was a Saturday, I had time to stop at some of the most beautiful vistas and take a few photos to share.
This spring we’re seeing a little more snow up high, which is good in so many ways, and makes for jaw-droppings panoramas. My favorite hairpin curves just also happen to have the best views, and it was relaxing to not have to peer ahead to make sure there wasn’t another vehicle coming up the road.
Its still a long drive in, and I was ready to reach the dam at Lake Thomas Edison. I took a short detour to the Vista Point to shoot a couple of photos of the lake, since we’re getting so many questions about the water level. Well, here it is.
Not a lot to start a summer with, but its what we’ve got. It’ll go down as SCE pulls for hydro and other water needs, but there is a biological minimum that has to be kept to maintain the health of the fishery and the creek below. We hit that minimum last year and the year before, so if you were up in August or September, you know what that minimum looks like.
The resort wintered well. No trees came crashing down on to structures (always a plus), and the lack of snow makes the process of opening so much more straightforward. The water’s on, the generators are fired up, and we’re busy prepping for early hikers and our open on May 19th.
Behind the Scenes at VVR 