Lyons Lake dam a couple of days back. One of our family's favorite places.
(Photo: Alexander Chow-Stuart)
(Photo: Alexander Chow-Stuart)
Photograph by Dwayne Moser. This beautiful apartment complex in Los Angeles is called the Hightower or High Tower Complex (the High Tower name refers to the central elevator, I believe), and was designed in 1935-1936 by architect Carl Kay - and made famous in 1973 by my favorite film, Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye (see Why I Love Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye ). Although Altman used the building as Philip Marlowe's apartment in his somewhat post-modern Long Goodbye (the film plays with references to Old Hollywood and opens and closes with the song, Hooray For Hollywood ), the building has another direct connection to Raymond Chandler. It was apparently the inspiration for Chandler in his book, The High Window (the first Chandler novel I ever read), in which Chandler describes the residence of Philip Marlowe as being on the cliffs above High Tower Drive in a building with a fancy elevator tower. (Thanks to the Society of Architectural Historians Southern...
The whole area looks serene. It's a peaceful surrounding to relax.
ReplyDeleteCan you please tell where this picture was taken, I would want to see it in person.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for the comment and question. This is Lyons Lake Reservoir Dam, which is located off Highway 108, north of Sonora, Twain Harte and Mi-Wuk Village. It is a staggeringly beautiful spot, well worth the effort of visiting (not much effort for us, as it's only about 30 minutes from our house).
ReplyDeleteYou just keep driving NE on the 108/Sonora Pass Highway from Sonora, and maybe a mile or two after the Mi-Wuk Village, there's a left turn called Lyons Reservoir Road (or maybe Lyons Lake Road). Watch for it, it's signposted but it's not a huge sign.
It's quite a drive down to the lake - and there are gates at the turn from the 108 that are closed all winter, from just before Thanksgiving until spring (not sure about the date, call the number below to check).
The road becomes pretty much a dirt track and must be a couple of miles long itself, winding down through beautiful forest. The land is National Stanislaus Forest but also owned by PG&E.
The lake is calm and contemplative and you would never believe there was a huge dam just a quarter of a mile or so down the track. Then you come upon the dam itself - and it's magnificent!
You can walk across (or fish from) the bridge, all the way across the lake, and you can also hike down to the bottom of the dam, where there's a metal walkway that takes you out under the spray from the waterfall, into a tiny chamber where there's a huge padlocked wheel that presumably controls the water flow.
My words can't do justice to what is one of the most spectacular places I've visited. It's not quite on the scale of the Hoover Dam, but it's more wild and "undiscovered."
For more details, call the Stanislaus National Forest office in Sonora on Greenley Road - tel: 209-532-3671. They're very friendly and helpful and will tell you about other trails and great hikes, too.
PS Please "Like" my blog on Facebook (button below the Buddha in the right hand sidebar) if you haven't already and sign up fo email updates. You can also visit the blog's associated Facebook page, AlexanderStuart.com, which sometimes has different content. Thanks, Alexander
ReplyDeleteIn my case, I've devoted much of my time to invest in a property near the woods, on top of a hill overlooking the river.
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Gorgeous! I've been on European river cruises, but I didn't know I didn't have to travel far just to see this kind of beauty. Thanks so much for sharing.
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