Revisiting Livermore: Lovely Watershed, Upscale Lodging, and Celebrations

We had just enjoyed our mountain retreats in Utah (From High to Low Risk: Cruising while on Quarantine), Colorado In the Heart of the Colorado Rockies: a New Normal for Family Reunions and California (Adventures in Big Bear Lake, a 4-Season Mountain City Resort) visiting with Bill’s son in Boise, his daughter in Denver, and my millennial granddaughters in Big Bear Lake. Just more than six hours from the last one, in Livermore, Califonia, lives the only daughter I could see this year. Our other children can only be reached by plane and right now we still view that mode of travel as unsafe. Besides, the borders to Canada and Australia are still closed to Americans.

Family Celebrations

The first hour of our drive was lovely and scenic, going down CA-18, the zigzag road down to the California valley. We booked ourselves at a good hotel rather than stay with my daughter, as we used to do, so we can minimize the risk of heavy interactions. The first night was a celebration of my second granddaughter’s 24^th birthday at their patio which she had meticulously decorated and turned into a great party area. It was a Korean BBQ celebration and I ate too much.  

The next day we drove another forty minutes to Antioch, California where a niece of mine and her husband (Bill was one of their wedding sponsors) had bought their home the year before. It was a lovely drive with hilly sunburnt fields punctuated by many turbines that harness the power of the abundant winds in the area for alternative energy. After a tour of their lovely home and the sumptuous Thai lunch they served, we asked them where we could go for some sightseeing as we had some three hours to spare. They pointed us to one of the lovely watersheds of the area.

Los Vaqueros Reservoir

The South Entrance is easily accessible via the Los Vaqueros Road that crosses Vasco connecting Livermore and Antioch. It leads directly to the Marina and four piers with a view of the 192-feet earthen dam that is nearer the North Entrance. The watershed, constructed in 1998 to improve the quality of the water in the county, has 1,400 acres of water surrounded by 19,300 acres of open space. There are 55 miles of hiking trails and plenty of shores from which to fish for just $6 per angler. It would be awesome to fish there—the fishing limits per kind of fish are quite high. There are also electric rental boats for recreation and better fishing near the dam.

The watershed is also currently hosting rare species of wildlife including bald and golden eagles, whip snakes, pond turtles, tiger salamanders, red-legged frogs, wit foxes, and wood rats. I had a great time photographing the many sights the desert paradise offers, including a view of the wind turbines from the lake, the beautiful marina, the low earthen dam, and the droves of white birds resting on the lake.

Purple Orchid Winery Country Resort and Spa

Then we went to the second birthday celebration at the Purple Orchid Wine Country Resort and Spa. My second granddaughter deserves all the kudos. She is a gem, a scientist at a pioneer biotech firm in the Bay area, and an essential worker producing test kits for coronavirus at the company laboratory. This was hosted by my son-in-law’s older sister who had booked her stay at the upscale lodging option. And she had a full Mediterranean fare, delivered by a select restaurant, for all of us.

With an expansive vineyard landscape often used as a concert venue, a wine tasting experience of special wines every afternoon, and renowned rejuvenating spa treatments, it competes with its Napa and Sonoma Valley counterparts. There are ten well-appointed suites, each equipped with a private fireplace. Full complimentary breakfast always precedes a stroll in the lovely garden full of roses surrounding a nature-inspired pool. With occupancy now regulated at 40% and promotional rates after its recent reopening, it is the luxury relaxation many would truly enjoy.

Before leaving the next morning, my daughter treated us to a lovely breakfast at her home. The drive home was more than eleven hours but the sunburnt fields that line I-580 kept me company all the way to I-5. We opted to break the drive with a fabulous stay in Fairfield Inn by Marriott in Indio, California for an unbelievable special Hotels.com rate of $89. At noon on the second day, we were home to another self-quarantine period of 14 days amid a much lower incidence of coronavirus cases than when we left.

At the time of this publication, we had completed our quarantine period without problems. We are happy that we had safely traveled for a summer month during the pandemic of 2020, seen more of our lovely country, experienced greatly, and even visited loved ones. In the next post, I will share with all of you the new rules we developed for traveling safely during this time of Covid-19.

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