Shasta Lake Relics Uncovered

[Ron61]

Bill,

I hope that we don't break the 1977 record. I was able to walk all the way to the old river just a few hundred yards upstream from the dam then. We have rain in the forecast for Friday, but I will believe it when I see it. A few good rains would start the lake raising pretty fast for a bit, as it is so low that it doesn't spread out a lot now and won't until it gets up enough to start going back down the canyons. The water situation around here is getting bad as they are using it as an excuse to keep raising the rates, and I still see these idiots out washing their driveways. But I think they have started watching for that now and if they get caught doing it, they get a big amount added t their water bill.

Ron

[Ron61]

A few more things that you can now see. First is one of the canyons that the river flows through that is normally filled. Second is another old bridge that served one of the local highways that had to be re-routed. Third is part of one of the canyon walls that is only seen when the lake is this low. Forth is another of the canyons with the Sacramento River flowing through it. These canyons are normally around 100' deep or more when the lake is completely filled.










Ron

[4RE KLR]

Ron,
Those pictures still amaze me. You never know what you will find at the bottom of a lake. In the Bottom of Lake Travis here they left an entire house. You can scuba down to it.

You should find something good in everything.
The fishing at Lake Shasta should be great! You know exactly where they are at now.

[J. T. Toad]

wow, that's really beautiful country.

Let's get rid of the damn.

[mrmustang]

Ron,

So have they found Hoffa yet .

Keep the pictures coming as they are truly amazing.


Bill S.

[Ron61]

Bill,

No I don't think they have found Hoffa yet but the town of Hemet should be just about ready to come out of the water. In 1977 people were going into the old buildings and getting plates and silverware as when the Govt. bought it, the people left a lot of their stuff and just moved. I saw some of the plates and cups that people got and they were worth quite a bit as they were made of the old China. And one building that had been some kind of shop still had the old machines in it, all rusted of course. Actually I am hoping that it won't get that far down this time as the water situation is now much worse than back in 1977. They have 5 times as many people around here now as they did then.

Steve,

Even the fish have panicked and I think they have all moved down near the dam. I saw in the paper that the Salmon run this year was the lowest in history and that they only had about 1/4th the normal amount that made the swim from the ocean. You can see the Sacramento River in those canyon shots and how it isn't much more than a stream. All that keeps it a river on down below the dams is what they are letting out.

Ron

[wtm442]

Great pics Ron. Did you take them? Even if you did not, keep them coming.

[Ron61]

Warren,

No I never took the pictures. I have some in my camera from over by the dam at one of the boat ramps but haven't taken them out. Most of those are a few miles North of here. And I am not sure they are letting the public into those places right now. I saw the sign on the freeway as I came home this morning that they were doing another controlled burn so that means no one will be allowed in any of the Lakehead areas for today at least. And many of the other areas are off limits for now until they get the mess from the fires cleaned up.

Ron

[Ron61]

A few pictures that I took Wednesday. The water is normally where the red arrow is pointing.









Ron

[Silverback51]

It's made our local news.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/33924709.html

[Ron61]

They had good pictures in your paper. The rain that we got and they said helped raise the water has already gone back down as they are still having to let out more than is coming in. In one of the pictures on this thread, there is a picture of the old Highway 99 bridge and the marina just above that was put out of business by that little rain we got. All of their houseboats were stranded on a big sand bar that washed into the lake and they are trying to get as many of the boats as they can off the sand bar and into the river, then take the tops off so they can float them under the old bridge and take them to other marinas that still have water. This is one of the few times that I wish I had a boat so I could go look through some of those old places.

Ron

[Ron61]

Using the old Highway 99 Bridge to get some of the boats off the sand bar. After getting them into the water they have to remove the tops to get them under the bridge. Where that sand is, and on to the right out of the picture used to be the Antlers Marina.

Ron

[trularin]

Wow Ron, the local people appear to live being able to drive to to that sand bar and ...

What do they do? Fish? Swim? Look?

I like the pictures you have taken, very interesting.

[4RE KLR]

Me as well. I t is very interesting what people do when the lake levels fall.

I remember when Joe Pool Lake was being built here they flooded a lot of stuff as well. There is also a house at the bottom of that lake.

The best fishing in the lake is where a (very small) lake was at before that they flooded it and made the big lake. When we were kids we would ride our motorcycles and jeeps where the lake is now.

[Ron61]

Tru,

People drive out on the sand bars and islands to launch their boats now. That old Highway 99 bridge is normally under almost 100' of water
and the sand you see along side of it is silt that came down off the canyon walls as the water dropped. That stuff completely filled in the Antlers Marina and that is why they are trying to use cranes to get some of the boats into what water is left and take the tops off so they can move them to Marinas that still have enough water to float them. Some are so far up in the sand they are going to have to just leave them and hope when the lake comes back up they will come unstuck.

Our weather suddenly took another drastic turn and went from the 40s to the mid 70s with no rain in the forecast. It is really nice today with a slight warm breeze blowing. I did see a huge snow cloud leaving Mt. Shasta heading East with Tru and Warren written across it.

Ron

[Dan40]

Ron,
Back in the late 70's,early 80's my wife and I and another couple went houseboating on Shasta. It was way, way down then too. First night we were going to sink a stake in the bank to tie up for the night. Larry jumps off the boat onto the 45 degree angled bare bank. He lands about 6 ft. above the waterline and immediately sinks up to his crotch in the bank. I told him to stay there and hold onto the rope and we would pull him out in the morning. He wanted plan B. So much for a stake. After that we just tossed the anchor onto the bank. There was zero current anyway. Once sitting on the porch of the boat drinking a brew, I looked over the rail, reached over and grabbed a 20 inch trout out of the water. The fish all seemed to be half asleep.
Then I'd guess the tree line was 25 feet above the water line. Your pics look like its worse than that now.

Dan

[trularin]

Yeah? Well it is snowing big time here...right now.

So those clouds are not for me.

Warren?

[wtm442]

Its 64°F and raining here for the 4th day on a row. No snow here. It almost got up to 70°F today.

More Pics Ron.

[Ron61]

Dan,

In 1977 the lake got the lowest it has ever been since they filled it. I rode a Honda motorcycle way out on one of the baked mud flats and broke through about a half mile out. It took two of us to get that thing out of the mud as it was up to the seat.

The tree line right now is over 100' above the water. And if we don't start getting some rain, I am not sure what they are going to do. They are talking abut shutting down another of the generators to save the water that it takes to run it. Then that will create even more of an electrical shortage than we now have. Everyone is going to hurt from this as the farmers are not getting the water they need and many acres will not even be used if things don't turn around. Also they announced that due to the limited water, some of the fruit and nuts were not going to be as good as usual.

Lassen did get about 3' of snow a couple of weeks ago but that is mostly gone now and is about like peeing on the fires around Santa Barbara and L. A. We need rain and lots of it with a lot of snow in the mountains or things are really going to be bad next Summer. The old Highway 99 bridge in the pictures that I posted showing them trying to move the stranded houseboats is normally under 100' of water.

Ron

[Mark IV]

Has Jimmy Hoffa turned up yet??????