Outdoors with Don Q: Celebrate summer's last recreation splash this Labor Day weekend

This is a reminder that the big Labor Day Weekend, Friday Sept. 4 through Monday, Sept. 7, is around the corner and for many folks in this general area, it will be their last big outdoor adventure of 2015.

Be advised that no matter where you go, unless it is to some God-forsaken location in the middle of nowhere, you can expect to encounter big crowds of people also wanting to enjoy an outdoor outing for the holiday.
So, be prepared for lots of company wherever you go or whatever you do. With that said, here are several Don Q suggestions on where to go, ranging from just staying home to traveling to nearby Northern California. Pick one and then enjoy the 2015 Labor Day holiday.

Stay home and be safe and sound: This could be the best suggestion, because of worries about wildland fires, big vacation crowds, the on-going drought, etc.

Just stay home and have a nice, quiet barbecue in the backyard with family members, relatives, neighbors or close friends, where you can enjoy visiting with one another, conversations, story telling, laughter, etc.
If you do stay home, consider this backyard Labor Day menu:
Barbecued hamburgers with a choice of cheeses, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, catsup, mustard, mayonnaise, dill pickles and potato chips. Add to that: Ear corn smeared with butter; and either potato or macaroni salad.
Then for dessert, how about shortcake, sliced fresh strawberries and a big gob of whipped cream.

Special Note if traveling away from home:
Be advised that if you decide to spend the holiday weekend at any of the following suggested locations, their water levels have been impacted by our seemingly never-ending drought.

Alpine County, Calif.:
Take a combination of U.S. 395, Nevada S.R. 88 and California S.R. 88, south from Carson City. That combination of highways will take you to Alpine County to all kinds of neat places like: Woodfords, Markleeville, Grover Hot Springs, Carson River Resort, Sorensen’s Resort, Caples Lake Resort, Kirkwood Resort, etc.

You can fish at places like Upper and Lower Blue Lakes, Caples Lake, East Carson River, West Carson River, Indian Creek Reservoir, Red Lake, Tamarack Lake, Upper Sunset Lake, Lower Sunset Lake, etc.
Without exception, all of these waters are experiencing low levels. If you like to camp, there are all kinds of campgrounds and resorts, pick one and enjoy the holiday weekend in the beauty of Alpine County.

If you plan to camp in that general area, here is a special hint: The BLM Campground at Indian Creek Reservoir has hot showers. For Alpine County information, call the Alpine County Chamber of Commerce in Markleeville at (530) 694-2475.

Davis Lake, California:
The lake is at 49 percent capacity.
From Carson City, take the combination of U.S. 395 & I-580 to Reno, and then U.S.395 north to the Hallelujah Junction with California S.R. 70.
At that junction, take S.R. 70 west to Vinton and Beckwourth and finally to a junction with Grizzly Road.
Turn onto Grizzly Road and travel about five miles to Davis Lake.
The trip to Davis Lake is about a 1.5 hour drive from Carson City. Davis Lake offers camping at a number of U.S.F.S. campgrounds and fishing from shore, float tubes or boats for rainbow trout.

If you forget to bring something or would like to eat out, visit the J & J Grizzly Store's Frosty on the south end of the lake. My favorite lunch there is a cheeseburger with French fries and a soda pop, followed by chocolate ice cream. For information, call the J & J Grizzly Store at (530) 832-0270.

Frenchman Reservoir, California:
It is at 27 percent capacity. The lake can be reached by a paved road from Chilcoot, which is on S.R. 70, between Hallelujah Junction and Portola.
The reservoir has shore and boat fishing for rainbow trout. The area near the dam is popular with both shore and boat fishermen. If you would like to fish at Frenchman, be sure to stop at Wiggins’ Trading Post in Chilcoot for the latest tips on where to go and what to use.
As a bonus, taste their homemade fudge and then buy some. For information, call Wiggin’s Trading Post at (530) 993-4683.

Topaz Lake:
Topaz Lake, which is next to U.S. 395, about 40 miles south of Carson City, offers lots of choices for having a holiday weekend of fun.
At that lake, you will find a Douglas County campground and boat ramp, the Topaz Lodge and Casino, an RV park, a general store and a gas station. Even though the county dock is inoperative due to low water levels, you can still launch a boat from the ramp to fish for trout and even bass.

And, as a bonus for traveling to Topaz Lake, stop at the Topaz Lodge restaurant for their (in-my-less-than-humble-opinion) "Best-In-The-World" steak and eggs for only $5.95 every day.
For information, call the Topaz Lodge at (775) 266-3338.

Virginia Lakes, California:
Take U.S. 395 south from Carson City, through Minden, Gardnerville, Topaz, Coleville, Walker and Bridgeport to the very top of Conway Summit. At the summit, take the paved road on the right for six miles to the end of the pavement at Little Virginia Lake.

The Virginia Lakes area contains a cluster of small, trout-filled lakes, which contain brook, brown and rainbow trout. They include Little Virginia, Big Virginia, Blue, Cooney, Moat, Red and Trumbull Lake, plus Frog Lakes.
Three of the lakes (both Virginias and Trumbull) can be reached by vehicles, and those waters are stocked during the fishing season by the Calif. Department of Fish and Wildlife and a private hatchery out of Oregon.
The Virginia Lakes Resort owned and operated by John and Carolyn Webb includes a small general store, restaurant, cabins and has rowboat rentals.

The resort is located at Little Virginia Lake (elevation 9,770 feet).
Here are some suggestions for making it a better weekend:
If you stay home, try not to be too noisy for the next door neighbors.
If you camp in a campground, try not to be too noisy for the neighbors.
If you travel, drive safely, drive courteous and be a defensive driver.
If you drink, don’t drive, don’t drive, don’t drive. Save the drinking for when you arrive at your destination. Don’t be a DUI. Have a happy and safe Labor Day Holiday!

Finally:
No matter what you do, who you do it with or where you go, have a fun-filled Labor Day weekend to end your summer.

Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon he can’t tell you where we will be for the holiday.
If he grins and says, “Don and Elaine will be staying home, avoiding the heavy holiday traffic on the highways," he could be one of the folks invited to enjoy a tasty hamburger barbecue in their backyard.

— Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for Carson Now. Don's wife, Elaine, is the Outdoor photographer. They live in Carson City and can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com