Biking the Forebay at San Luis Reservoir

Hi Blog!

On Sunday, March 6, 2016, we decided to go for a little bike ride. We are camped at the Los Banos West KOA which happens to be a few miles from the San Luis Reservoir. As the fifth largest reservoir in California, it offers many recreational opportunities for fisherman, boaters, campers and bikers!

A big storm front blew in yesterday and left behind a few sprinkle clouds. Undaunted, we are ready to begin what turned out to be a 17 mile adventure.

The recent rains in California have turned the hills bright green. It is a big change for us having come from the desert southwest.

We had heard there were tule elk in the area, but were not sure we would be able to see them.  Just after entering the Forebay Recreation Area, we came upon this small herd. Normally, they are quite used to seeing cars in the park, but bicycles are another thing. The little guys couldn't figure out what we were. One stayed behind to keep an eye on us, while the rest skedaddled up the hill.

We learned that tule elk is a subspecies of elk found only in California, ranging from the grasslands and marshlands of the Central Valley to the grassy hills on the coast. The subspecies name derives from the tule on which it feeds, which grows in the marshlands. When the Europeans first arrived, an estimated 500,000 tule elk roamed these regions, but by 1870 they were thought to be extinct. Conservation measures were taken to protect the species in the 1970s. Today, the wild population exceeds 4,000.

We bid the elk a fond farewell and rode down to the boat launch and beach.

We found it hard to fathom but water from the California Aqueduct system fills the Forebay. The water is then pumped uphill into the San Luis Reservoir only to be released back to the Forebay where it continues downstream along the aqueduct as needed for farm, irrigation and other uses. So, in order to generate electricity, you use electricity to pump water uphill so it can flow downhill and generate electricity. You'd think they could figure out a better way.

Well, there is a better way - a really nice bike path which leads from the beaches and boat launch to the campground. Here Kathy leads the way.

We came across a couple of California ground squirrels. Unfortunately, our camera decided to over expose the photo, but you get the idea.

Here's a much better photo from the picnic area where we had lunch.

In order to get a bird's eye view of the Forebay, we hiked up one of the many hills in the park.

Our efforts were rewarded.

Click on the link if you would like to see a panoramic video of the view from a hill above the Forebay.

We had a lovely picnic on the shore of the Forebay and then began our return trip. We loved biking through the rolling hills. At times we felt like we were back in New Zealand.