California Dreaming

My brother-in-law and his family live in Placerville, CA which is about an hour north of Sacramento which is where we headed once we had landed in the US. The number of covid cases had hit an all time high in California just as we arrived so it made sense for us to keep a low profile and bunker down with family whilst we got ourselves organised.

Given we had only been able to bring two suitcases each, shopping for basic items was high on the agenda (toiletries can be very heavy so only had brought a minimum). We had also arrived just as Winter was setting in and, having just left Summer in Melbourne, neither of us had much Winter clothing so it was fabulous being able to wholly justify a massive shopping spree! My favourite stores; TK Maxx, Nordstram Rack, Marshalls and Ross are large clearance stores offering up to 90% off a wide range of brands (including high-end designer). The pandemic had impacted stock levels somewhat as there weren’t a lot of exports coming in but we were still able to adequately stock up on what we needed (and then some!)

US and Covid-19

At the time of arriving in California, the Covid-19 pandemic was reaching it’s highest level of infections and deaths since recording had commenced in March. A color-coded county 4-tier system had been introduced to provide steps to re-opening.

The four tiers introduced yellow, orange, red and purple.

• Widespread (purple): Counties with more than 10 daily new cases per 100,000 residents – In the early stages of the four-tier system, pretty much all non-essential business had to close in the purple tier.
• Substantial (red): 6 to 10 daily new cases per 100,000 residents
• Moderate (orange): 2 to 5.9 daily new cases per 100,000
• Minimal (yellow): Less than 2 daily new cases per 100,000 – allows for nearly all businesses to reopen indoor operations (as long as physical distancing and face-covering requirements are in place.¹

Although CA had now moved into it’s toughest restrictions since the pandemic had begun, unlike Australia, we were still allowed to roam freely around. Unlike the draconian lock-down rules back home, some of the following was allowed to continue in California during it’s toughest restriction period;

• Hotels were still open to the general public with only a few operating adjustments (i.e. breakfast boxes in place of hot breakfasts and dining rooms closed, hygiene seals on doors, remote controls etc )
• Restaurants could still offer dining outside, usually in an enclosed marquee (lol) along with take-out services. note: Outdoor dining was suspended briefly from December till about mid-Jan when El Dorado County moved down a tier
• Gyms to offer outdoor option only – which meant setting up a marquee outside (but still undercover so I think we can all see the irony of this one)
• All retail stores continued to operate with the introduction of store capacity limits
• No restrictions of movement with regards to how far you could travel
• No curfew imposed

So whilst we were in perhaps a more vulnerable position with regards to the amount of reported covid cases, we were still allowed to make future travel plans, stock up on retail items and generally enjoy our new surroundings – albeit with a little more caution and consideration of others when in public (wearing mask at all times, use of sanitiser etc etc)

By June, the county tier system had been replaced with a national one and by 23rd September 2021, there was no longer county tiers, capacity limits, or physical distancing requirements, partly due to the speed at which America had responded to vaccinating a large part of it’s population. Cautionary measures remain (i.e. those attending a concert must show vaccination card or clear covid test within 24 hrs, mask wearing in certain indoor locations and mega-events) and tighter restrictions apply to those that are still unvaccinated.

Lake Tahoe, CA

For those not familiar with Placerville, it is located north of San Francisco right at the ‘foot’ of Lake Tahoe and, being Winter, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to visit this Winter playground in all it’s white glory…..and we weren’t disappointed. Such a beautiful area and highly recommend a visit.

If you Google Lake Tahoe, you will find the search engine provides the generic description as follows “Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, straddling the border of California and Nevada. It’s known for its beaches and ski resorts.” Wikipedia further adds that it is “the largest alpine lake in North America”. South Lake Tahoe is the largest city on the mountain and, being close to the border of Nevada, the gambling capital of America, the region is a mecca draw-card for tourists. In winter peak season, there is a hive of activity with snow sports during the day and restaurants, bars and casinos that come alive at night.

The drive from Placerville to South Lake Tahoe is just over an hour via the US50 E / El Dorado Fwy, and, given we were spending the next two months before heading to Cabo and it was Wintertime, it made sense for us to take a brief trip to explore Tahoe for ourselves.

Planning on just spending one night, we had booked a room at Hotel Becket by Wyndham which was right in the heart of South Lake Tahoe and walking distance to all the restaurants, bars and casinos. Given we arrived late afternoon, we took a quick stroll up to Heavenly Village Lake Tahoe which is an assortment of bars, shops and restaurants surrounding the Heavenly Village Resort. Seating was social distanced outside only which wasn’t ideal given the freezing temps so we downed one drink at the Gunbarrel Tavern before taking the 10-minute walk back to the warmth of our hotel room.

The next morning we wandered up and down the main street which was fairly quiet given ‘stay-at-home’ orders had just been issued across the state. Multiple casinos, hotels and restaurants tended to dominate and we got the sense that it would be more lively in January after the Christmas period was over.

After checking out of our hotel we headed to Lake Tahoe National Park to get a close up view of the lake itself which was larger than I thought it would be and very windy the closer you got to the water. Combining the wind with the sub zero temp and seeing the warning signs of black bears and mountain lions, I more than ready to head back to the car when I received a text on my phone from the State of CA reminding me of ‘stay at home’ orders which kind of freaked me out a little as I hadn’t registered my phone for any text/covid warnings. Someone is always watching it seems…..

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Although our trip was brief, it was lovely to spend some real winter time in a popular ski resort town and to introduce Taco to snow for the first time . We plan to head back for a longer stay once we have the RV on the road, hopefully some time in 2022.

Salton Sea, [Bombay Beach],CA

Tourist Hot Spots of Salton Sea;

Bombay Beach – Niland, CA 92257, United States

Salton Sea Beach Marina – 317 El Centro Ave, Thermal, CA 92274, United States

Salton Sea Visitor Centre – 100-255 State Park Rd, Mecca, CA 92254, United States

Salton Sea Communities;

Western Shore: Salton City, Salton Sea Beach, and Desert Shores

Eastern Shore: Desert Beach, North Shore, and Bombay Beach

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Based in Southern California near Palm Springs, Coachella and Joshua Tree, the Salton Sea is a high saline land locked lake that holds the title of California’s largest body of water. At it’s peak, the Salton Sea in the 1950’s was the second largest tourist destination for holiday makers next to Yosemite National Park.

Nowadays it has a somewhat eerie presence with certain areas locked in time from when it was a popular holiday park. Driving through the streets you see a mixed bag of derelict homes, art and craft dwellings and artwork erected to honour it’s once popular success.

The history of the Salton Sea, from it’s inception, meteoric rise and spectacular fall from grace, is well documented across the internet and what remains is somewhat of a curiosity that leads tourists like us to swing by a check it out.

In 1905, the Salton Sea was accidentally created when water from the Colorado River spilled out of an ill-constructed California Development Company irrigation system. Over the duration of several years, the lake expanded until people put a stop to the flow. By that time, a 400-square-mile body of water formed on the basin. With no water outlet, it is referred to as an endorheic lake, where the water either seeps into the ground or evaporates contributing to an extremely high salt level. ²

During the 1950s and 1960s, the Salton Sea was a magnet for tourists during the warmer months and Bombay Beach was established as a tourist town on the northeastern side of the lake. Accommodation exploded with a large camping ground and holiday bungalows sprouting up along the shoreline. Swimming, boating, water-skiing and fishing were the more popular activities on the lake but by the 1970’s, saline levels became more toxic with fish less able to survive and populate. This was further exacerbated by fertiliser from nearby farms leaking in to the lake until the area began to resemble a ghost town.

One community of Salton Sea is Bombay Beach which is actually the lowest lying community in America sitting 68 metres below sea level. Driving around Bombay Beach, there is a distinctive stale odour that hovers with not a whisper of wind whilst we were there. Looking around feels like viewing post-war ruins with practically no sign of life. According to Wikipedia’s predictive forecasting, it estimates that approx. 180 people lived in Bombay Beach in 2018 (last census in 2010 recorded 295 inhabitants), most of the residents elderly choosing a life off the grid in a mobile home or small bungalow. There are two businesses servicing the local community, a convenience store and a restaurant/inn which provides the only dining and drinking in the town.

Every corner introduced you to a conflicting view of art and dereliction with clever art pieces reflecting the era surrounded by abandoned homes and broken furniture. The most notable is the engineering marvel of a plane being suspended on its nose which serves as a tribute to the nearby test base that tested naval seaplanes from 1942 till its abandonment in 1978.

Certainly an interesting historical stop when heading from El Centro or San Diego on your way to Palm Springs or traveling in the reverse.