A LONESOME LAKE... in the wintertime is the stuff of moody oil paintings. There might be a lone dinghy in the distance, or a silent fisherman casting a line despite the threatening storm clouds overhead. But a lake come spring, and then summer? It's all action. It's about boating and swimming and hanging out on the shore, sipping lemonade and laughing. (Those moody oil paintings have a distinct lack of lemonade sipping.) Things gear up when the temps go up, is what we're saying, and that is definitely what's happening around beautiful Bass Lake. Migratory birds have been seen, wildflowers are doing their best budding thing, and resorts? They're saying howdy and hello for the season.
A DUO OF STAYOVERS: Two places close to the south-of-Yosemite lake have announced opening dates: The Forks Resort will make its 2014 debut on Friday, March 28 and a week later? Miller's Landing is up, on April 4. Miller's Landing, Bass buffs'll know, is on the south part of the lake, and Forks is to the west. There are choices beyond the two in the immediate area -- hi there, Pines Resort -- but springtime openings generally set families to plotting that classic summer road trip. Is this year you actually take one? If you're looking for a retro-y setting, Bass Lake and its old-school sleep-tight properties are probably the kind of thing you had in mind.
BUT... while resorts in the Sierra and Gold Country start to say hello for the season, other properties in the state bid adieu when it gets warm. The Inn at Furnace Creek -- that's in Death Valley, surprise surprise -- is wrapping up its final weeks of the season, before shuttering for the summer.
