Diamond Valley Lake and Beyond

Volvinos revisit the Santa Margarita Winery

By Randy Blum

     A total of seven Volvos and their owners turned out for the great scenic drive to Riverside County and the visit to the newly opened Diamond Valley Lake, located north of Temecula, four miles southwest of Hemet. Both the San Diego and Orange County VSA Clubs were well represented in this small and friendly group, with a nice cross section of 122s, P1800s and a couple of newer model Volvos to round out the group. The sun came out just as we arrived, giving us a nice few hours to enjoy the outing. 

     It was worth the drive just to see the lake from the newly opened scenic overlook. It’s a 4,500 acre lake, 4 ½ miles long and 2 miles wide, built by the Metropolitan Water District over a ten year period to meet present and future water demand for the region. We learned it is Southern California’s largest freshwater reservoir, holding 260 billion gallons of water! The largest of the earthen dams built to contain this water is over 2 miles long! Three dams comprise the ambitious project to enclose the entire valley, making it the largest earth-fill dam project in the USA.

     Curiously enough, being late to arrive at the designated meeting place, we stopped and asked numerous locals for directions to the dam. It took seven or so inquiries before we found anyone who had even heard of it! It’s amazing, that such a large project could be so unknown in the area.

     Suitably impressed by the panoramic view of this incredible feat of engineering, we left the overlook and motored to the other end of the lake to stop at the Visitor’s Center. Inside, many fossils discovered during the construction of the lake are on display; of which, are the teeth, jawbones and tusks of two of the largest American mastodons ever discovered, rivaling those found in the La Brea Tar Pits. Moreover, we learned that Diamond Valley Lake would serve as a recreational lake also, and that it has already been stocked with millions of baby fish, including trout, bass, and bluegill! Future development of a large park is also planned nearby, which might become very popular with both locals and visitors. Picnic areas and camping areas are also planned, which might be a good excuse for a return visit by the Club in a few years, to see and enjoy the lake once again. 

      We left the Hemet area and followed Bob and Del Skoog on a scenic tour of the back roads around Temecula before congregating at the Santa Margarita Winery for a tasting of this year’s vintages offered for sale. You may recall that the last time we visited this winery, it was already sold out, hence the return visit early in the season. Mr. Bird, the vintner, assured us that he was a “one man show,” doing basically all the chores, from growing the grapes to winemaking, bottling the final product, and staffing the sales room. He cordially poured all the samples we wanted, and many of us walked away with one or more of the tasty wine that he sells at very reasonable prices.

     More scenic roads followed the Santa Margarita Winery stop, leading to a welcomed lunch at Rosa’s Cantina in Old Town Temecula. We were met in Temecula by a sleepy Jeff Perry, just catching up to the group after pulling an “all nighter” at his job. Luckily he was able to prop his eyes open long enough to sample some of the excellent Mexican food and enjoy visiting with the other “Volvophiles” in the outdoor seating area. Maybe that hot salsa helped keep him awake!

     If you missed this event, you missed an interesting day and some impressive local scenery, plus a chance to visit and socialize with other Volvo types, which is after all why we plan these outings. 

     Plan to visit the lake some time when you have a chance and see what we mean when we say it was impressive! Many thanks to Del Skoog for coordinating another great outing, and for husband Bob for leading the pack! He kept us on our toes keeping up with that shiny black 1800S!