Lake Berryessa - June 20, 2011

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
 A stately pleasure-dome decree:


Where Alph, the sacred river, ran


Through caverns measureless to man


Down to a sunless sea. “Xanadu - Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Where is your pleasure-dome, where do you find your ease? Is your sacred river the mighty Colorado, water source for the Southern West? The Sacramento, as she begins her journey from Redwood Park? Is your palace filled with luxury and every want fulfilled? Or is it a hot afternoon, in a dry place with enough water?

We sat in the scarce shade. Himself was washing his brain and, as I looked at the hot beauty of Lake Berryessa, Coleridge’s couplets came, unbidden, to my mind. We all name our own Xanadu.

Take me for a ride in the car. Take me away from home, if only for a few hours, and my batteries are recharged, my soul renewed. As the cheapest date on Monday, just a tank of gas and a destination, I chose vegetable shopping. We woke late after a lovely Sunday dinner with friends, slowly did our daily work, pulled ourselves together and didn’t leave the house till about 2:30. Our first stop was Larry’s Produce, a big truck farm just outside of Fairfield. My fantasies to the contrary, there were no worthwhile tomatoes, but beautiful peppers and even an edible cantaloupe were ours to be had.

From there, we headed up the lush and very leafy Wooden Valley. This is such a pretty drive, past low fields filled with grapes and those big fans that fight off the spring frost. The road is serpentine and the flora change as we climb, from the deep greens of irrigated farm land to the sparse scrub with narrow, tall pines natural to that place. And then, just before you wonder why you are doing this, Lake Berryessa appears on the right. This reservoir lake is a glorious sapphire set in the golden hills of east Napa County. It is a very democratic place, supporting many little private marinas and public lake-side parks equally. One of the public areas was our final destination, Spanish Flat public picnic area.

There is a concrete boat launch that stretches out into the lake, where the green, shallow water meets the blue, deep. When we first came picnicking at Berryessa, two years ago, the launch was dry all the way out. We sat in the clear heat and ate tomatoes and peaches. This year, the launch is underwater, the first fruits of this long, rainy, snowy winter. This water calls to everyone from the hot valley lands. From Dixon, Vacaville and Travis AFB, folks come with their food and children to frolic in the waters of their own Xanadu. Oh, and dogs. There was a blissed-out black Lab-mix, who desired nothing more than a stick thrown in the water. “Ok, guys, just somebody throw the stick.” Happy dogs are always good at a picnic. Even the very nice, hard working park ranger understood that a water dog wanted to be in the water. That’s hard to do on a leash.

The very best things at a lake picnic are water apes, especially the younger of the breed. They wear water wings of various kinds, they splash, they cry, they laugh and take care of each other. If you want a silent water experience, Lake Berryessa is not for you. But if you want to watch a mad young man (14 years?) try to swim after a dinghy that had escaped from a power boat, this is your place. After watching that boy test himself, a cooler head got in the boat and went after him. The afternoon current was strong, he couldn’t have caught the dinghy, but it was instructive to watch him try. Boys are strange and fascinating, I’ve thought so all my life.

We packed up our melon rinds, picked up some errant trash and headed home. On our way out, we saw three deer and two fawns, still with their white spots, heading up the narrow gullies. Birds sang and we got lost. We turned right rather than left on Highway 128 and headed over the hills to the Silverado Trail. It’s a beautiful drive, especially late on a summer afternoon. The light of the Napa Valley is very specific. On early foggy, spring mornings, it is pewter. And on early summer afternoons, it becomes golden. I appreciate the Napa Valley, it is deeply beautiful and a drive down its eastern side is a treat.

We all find our own pleasure domes. For my best friend, it lies in deep, drippy forests and cool ocean views. For me it is heat in the basin and range. Everyone knows about Lake Berryessa and many dismiss it as too common, too hot and too noisy. I just love it.

In Xanadu did Kubla-Khan a stately pleasure dome decree.