Lake Skinner and the Old Schoolhouse

On our final day together, my folks and I spent a lazy morning at home, and then drove to Lake Skinner (also known as Skinner Reservoir) near Temecula for the afternoon. We visited the lake during the drought (see Thirsty Lakes in the Chaparral), and revisit periodically to check on the water level.

Lake Skinner (a.k.a., Skinner Reservoir)

The reservoir was constructed on Tucalota Creek in 1973, and is fed by Colorado River Aqueduct and the State Water Project, and feeds the Robert A. Skinner filtration plant. It is also a recreational area for camping, hiking, bird watching, and fishing.

The Alamos Schoolhouse and Nature Center

We stopped at The Alamos Schoolhouse and Nature Center to see the exhibits. The historic school house was moved from another location about 20 years ago, and was sometimes left vacant and other times used for offices or storage. Now it has has been restored and includes some wonderful interactive, hands-on nature exhibits for kids (my folks and I had a lot of fun with them as well).

Sphinx Moths - we saw the caterpillar form last year (see Borrego Springs to Palm Springs)

Desks from the early 1900s (note the ink well), and science and nature exhibits

Teacher and student desks from the early 1900s form part of the exhibit (my dad recalled sitting in the same kind of desks as a young boy, and the fun of dipping the tip of a girl's pigtail in the ink well).  Many young women served as school teachers for rural communities. One of the most interesting things in the exhibit was a school contract from 1923 for female teachers. It includes many restrictions to ensure high moral conduct (no hanging out at ice cream parlors), and termination of the contract upon marriage. We got to ring the school bell, which was very satisfying.

View of the marina

Lakeside path (backside of the dam in the distance)

At the marina, Mom and I walked along Lake Skinner for a ways. We passed quite a few folks casting their fishing lines into the lake, and saw several fishing parties out on the water. The water level looked higher than in previous years. We saw Yerba Santa in bloom and that's about it for flowers. The dodder that was so prevalent during the drought seemed to be gone except for in a few locations.

Day Use 2 with a view to the lake

Erosion reveals underground passages and burrows

We drove over to the Day Use 2 area, and walked down to the lake near the recreational area. We saw a couple of very active rabbits, and quite a few birds in the trees and lakeside. The day was pretty hot, compared to earlier in the week, but a nice breeze off the lake kept us cool. We drove around the campground, which was jammed with campers enjoying time off for Easter break. The Lake Skinner Splash Pad was in use by quite a few kids.

Solitary reflection

Lakeside woods

We stopped at Applebee's for an early supper and conversation about the day's adventures (Dad reported 4,682 steps for the day), and bought a boysenberry pie and ice cream for later. We ended the day with a quick visit with a neighbor, delicious pie, and episode 30 of the Danish political drama, Borgen. Another great day!