Picnic at Loch Lomond with the Trowbridges
Science fiction novelist David Trowbridge (co-author of the Exordium series: e.g.,
The Phoenix in Flight, and blogger of
Redwood Dragon);
his wife, fantasy novelist Deborah J. Ross (co-author along with Marion Zimmer Bradley of Darkover books such as
The Fall of Neskaya);
my wife, musician,
poet,
and
TV producer
Tamara Lynn Scott, and I all had a most pleasant picnic the other day at that jewel of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Loch Lomond.
See the photograph of Deborah and Dave at the picnic below.
Loch Lomond, a reservoir and recreation area for the city of Santa Cruz, occupies a pristine redwood-filled valley in the Santa Cruz Mountains, which contains the southernmost of California's coast-redwood forests.
(Click on the image at right to link to the Loch's web page.)
Loch Lomond allows boating and fishing, renting electric boats for the purpose (kayaks and rowboats may also be used) which glide along almost noiselessly, providing a superb vehicle for partaking the lake's sublime ambiance.
Entrance fees for cars, people, and boats are waived after 4:00 p.m. each day, and thus the lake is a terrific resource for county residents and visitors.
I caught five bass within half an hour one fine afternoon a while back, and during the Trowbridges' visit, while hiking along the shoreline, a foot-long trout paced us in the water.
The upper part of the long, relatively narrow lake (over two miles in length) is particularly fine for boating, as the shoreline trails don't extend that far, and early in the season (the Loch is open for visitors from March 1 to September 15 of each year), while the reservoir is at its fullest, creeks flowing into it get flooded far back up their courses.
During such times, boats can glide down moss-covered rock-walled canyons, with herons and ducks swirling round one, transforming the moment into a totally magical experience.
Also, while visiting the Santa Cruz Mountains, don't miss the Roaring Camp narrow-gauge steam railroad, also in Felton, which winds its way among some of the tallest redwoods (potentially the world's tallest trees) in Santa Cruz County.
Impearls has posted about Roaring Camp
before.
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