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No traffic problems . . .
Driving the Knoxville Road
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Angwinites know the way to Lake Berryessa, but not many have the courage to tackle the Knoxville Road.
We drove it last week and saw not a single car for an hour and a half. A true story.
The road turns north where the Pope Valley Road dead-ends at the Lake and is inviting enough at first. But in a short while, it becomes narrow and winding. But not enough to distract from the viewing of the scenery. It follows the lake, then along a meandering stream, climbing very gradually to about 3000 ft. elevation. There it passes the site of the worked out McLaughlin gold mine and widens to two lanes, until Cobb Mountain comes into view and the road slides into Main Street, Lower Lake.
The Knoxville Road is known by the young bucks in Angwin as the ride to take screaming girls in the winter rainy season. The stream criss-crosses the road at seven locations and after a winter storm can be a swift 12 inches deep. If you're 18 years old, you gun it, and hope for the best. "Don't you dare, Robert Johnson.. . Robert!. . . Robbbbbbeerrrrrtttt!
In early August, the water is just 3 inches deep, a smooth and cooling place for the kids to wade. And then to stand back and watch Dad, an 18-year-old again, fly through throwing a white spray into the air.
Don't go the whole length of the road, which leads through a semi-arid area, burned out and treeless. Turn around after the first five or six water courses and retrace your steps. Snapshots below are scenes along the way. Saw a buck with a big rack and a piliated woodpecker from the car, neither of which stayed for their picture.
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Map courtesy of http://www.pashnit.com/roads/cal/BerryessaKnoxville.htm
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Early morning sun casts a silver sheen across the water.
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An osprey nest (?) next to the Lake.
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View of Lake Berrryessa, the Rocky Ridge range in the background.
The town of Monticello lies buried under the water. 
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And they ain't kidding, folks.
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The creek criss-crosses the road, flowing first from the right, then from the left.
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This water course is a torrent after a winter rain.
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Not another car for 1-1/2 hours. One ranch house.
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Saw several big bushes of blossoms - about 8 ft. tall. Don't know what they are.
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Approaching Lower Lake. Cobb Mountain on the horizon.
The road was widened here to accommodate the mine workers. 
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- - - - - A motorcyclist who travelled over this road and and took pictures, wrote about it in detail on his website. Among his neat observations is the follwing:
"At the halfway point, I pulled to the side of the road and just sat there, the bike idling beneath me. I shut the motor off and sat there for a moment sitting upright in the saddle. It was quiet. It was that kind of quiet. I stepped off the bike, peeled the helmet off and set it down on the seat. This is just what I needed. It was one of those moments you wish you could bottle up and take home with you. This is how it's supposed to be when you want to get away from it all. Just you and the bike. Check it out. You will enjoy."
Mayhew, T. (2005). California Motorcycle Roads - Pashnit Motorcycle Tours Maps, Passionate Scenic Rides Photos. Berryessa to Knoxville. Accessed on Aug. 3, 2005 at http://www.pashnit.com/"
[UPDATE: now requires $20 registration to view] |