Overnight at Lake Henshaw

Marlene and I decided to spend the first night of a 3-day vacation trip at the picturesque Lake Henshaw. We'd driven past several times, but there isn't free public access to the lakeshore. There were some cabins available overlooking the lake (Lake Henshaw Resort). I guess you'd call them "sportsman cabins." One bed, one tiny bathroom, one tiny kitchenette. It was clean but not in perfect repair. It had worn wood floors and dark wood paneling, as expected. After a frosty night we also found it was not insulated. It was... adequate.

Dawn at Lake Henshaw, California. December 28, 2015. Greg Gillson.

It is $7.50 per person to access the lake, but it was free with our stay at the cabins. And one can rent a motorboat for $35 per day to explore the large, shallow lake. That's about it. There's an RV park here. But unless one likes fishing, not a whole lot to do here.

The lake sits in a grassland valley, surrounded by mountains. It reminds me of Joseph, Oregon, which sits among the Blue Mountains at the Idaho/Washington border--dry, rocky pastures with scattered cattle. I have to remind myself that it would be fruitless to look for northern rare winter birds like Tree Sparrows, Bohemian Waxwings, and Snowy Owls. It may look like Idaho, but it's not.

We arrived in early afternoon and I walked the shoreline taking photos, which I present below. We departed for Borrego Springs soon after sunrise. So we didn't stay long. We'll have to come back again sometime.

Western Grebe

Bonaparte's Gull

Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper

Great Blue Heron