The Carriage House

04/30/2024

Clear Lake is kinda like Tahoe and kinda like Napa Valley, if you subtracted the tourists, dropped all the prices and turned back the clock.

04/15/2024

Do you wonder what it’s like to experience our Lake County wine country through the eyes of a seasoned visitor? Check out this great post by Food, Fun & Faraway Places travel and food blogger/photographer, Kelly Stilwell, “Twelve Amazing Northern California Wineries You Must Visit,” as she recently toured wineries in Lake, Sonoma, and Napa counties for a birthday getaway.
She and her husband enjoyed a two-day stay in Lake County discovering our hidden gem wineries, soaking in unbeatable views, and even taking a Pinzgauer vineyard tour Six Sigma Ranch, Vineyard and Winery— along with memorable visits to Shannon Family of Wines, Boatique Winery, Brassfield Estate Winery, and Wild Diamond Vineyards. Read more here: https://lakecounty.com/blog/kelly-stilwell-tours-lake-county-wineries/

02/26/2024

Fished the West end of the lake which has gotten pounded by the East wind for days and it was post frontal conditions. Water clarity was stained at best to muddy and very muddy. Tried a whole variety of baits, overall tough bite, but this one pushing seven pounds fell for a underspin with swimbait trailer. They are letting water out to try and get the water level back down since we are now over the full stage mark. A reminder to all boaters that once the lake level reaches the 8ft stage and stays there for 24 hours, its idle speed only, (No Wake) a quarter mile off shore for the whole lake. We are there now with the lake at 8.42 this morning. This ordinance stays in effect until the lake drops back under 8ft and stays under 8ft for 24 hours. Saw quite a bit of debris in the lake, be careful, God Bless, 2/22/24

12/17/2023

The Native American tribes in Lake County are one of the oldest of all the Indians on the North American Continent. Fourteen thousand years ago glaciers covered much of the Northern hemisphere. The Pacific ocean had receded hundreds of feet. The drop in the waters exposed, not only the Bering Straits, but an area as large as a continent between Asia and the New World. This new stretch, of thousands of square miles of grass tundra, we call Beringia.

As the new land became dry, the first Amerind peoples followed the herds of elk and grazing animals eastward to North America. Some, like the Pomo, traveled farther and settled in the place we call Lake County.

Clear Lake’s small half-acre island on the north shore was favorite fishing places for their tribes. The Eastern Pomo made Lake County their home and they fished and hunted in the hills above the Lake. They made reed baskets, snares, and nets just as they had for thousands of years. To avoid overuse of the fishing and hunting grounds, as time passed and their numbers grew larger, small tribal groups spread, on an average of seven miles apart around the edge of Clear Lake.

They sailed the water of Clear Lake in Tule Boats. How did they make a boat out of nothing but grass and reeds? The recipe was this: A bundle of Tule, 12-18 inches thick, makes a keel. After the back end is lobbed off and the front end is turned up it makes a two-foot bow. Two more bundles, each about a foot thick, are tied to the keel bundle but higher up; one each to each side.

The gunnels are made of two more, six to eight-inch-thick, bundles. Several bundles were tied together with green grape vine. When they were finished with their masterpiece of boat engineering, it was quite seaworthy. A caution to those aspiring boat engineers to follow: ‘Keep the boat dry or the Tule Boat will rot… fast.’

On the northern edge of Clear Lake there were two small Eastern Pomo tribal groups; the Kulanapo and Habenapo. The Clear Lake region was inhabited by four different tribes: the Eastern Pomo, Southeastern Pomo, the Wappo, and the Lake Miwok. Each group spoke a different language.

The Eastern Pomo had the largest area of ground. Their territories stretched from Big Valley at the head of Clear Lake to east of Lucerne. The southeastern Pomo lived on a smaller area around the lower end of the lake. Lake Miwok territory include the land between Lower Lake and the Pope Valley. The Wappo occupied a small section of the Eastern Pomo land, although the main part of that tribal group lived mostly on the ground east of Kelsey Creek.

Each of these Tribal groups were further divided into smaller units, called villages. Each of these had its own Chief, or Captain, as he was called. Their boundaries were clearly defined and separate from each of the other Tribal units.

The tribe’s village was near the Sweat House and, for good reason: the Sweat House was near water. Strong poles planted every two feet, with the frame-work covered with grass thatch, to make a structure twenty feet wide by thirty feet long, with a smoke hole at the top of the roof, gave them good shelter winter and summer. The semi-underground dwelling place, next to a stream, was well timbered, with more strong timber bracing inside. The entrance had the appearance of a mine tunnel with a portico to protect the opening from the summer’s sun and the winter’s rains. The Sweat-House was where the men in the tribe slept and where, at times for reasons of renewal and vigor, they made use of the Sweat-House.

The tribe knew many things of the world around them. With each generation, for hundreds and thousands of years, legends and tales were told and retold over the campfires.

https://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/2017/02/11/lake-county-history-the-first-americans-part-1/

12/01/2023

Activity on Clear Lake will pick up a little this weekend because of an American Bass tournament to be held on Saturday. The team tournament will go out of Library Park in Lakeport with the weigh i…

11/29/2023

11/24/2023

11/13/2023

Adventure is calling! Mount Konocti County Park is the largest park managed by Lake County. It sits atop mighty Mount Konocti – a now dormant volcano – and includes over 1,500 acres of stunning views and hiking trails. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3u2Nck0, and plan to visit beautiful Lake County!

11/10/2023

11/08/2023

Did you know Clear Lake is considered one of the top bass fishing locations in the U.S? Anglers come here year-round from all over the country to test their skills and match wits against our wiley largemouth bass. Many record holding fish have been pulled from these waters! Plan your next adventure today, and get hooked on Lake County’s legendary bass fishing. https://lakecounty.com

10/27/2023

Great Job City of Lakeport!
We love having Xabatin Community Park in our neighborhood for our guests to enjoy.

10/04/2023

Next to Clear Lake the top tourist attraction in Lake County is Mount Konocti and October is the ideal time to hike to the summit of the mountain. Unlike the summer months when the temperatures can…

08/16/2023

At first glance the sheer size of Clear Lake tends to overwhelm you. With its 44,000 surface acres it is the largest lake in California. But more important, it is the oldest lake in North America. …

07/25/2023

Lake County is a fantastic destination in Northern California that has hikes, wineries, restaurants and lakes. Here are a few of my favorite spots.

07/06/2023

Clear Lake Rated #3 – Every year Bassmaster Magazine rates the top bass fisheries in the United States. There was no surprise that seven lakes in California made the top 100 list. Also, as ex…

06/03/2023

05/27/2023

Clearlake is Great for Fishing!!

03/21/2023

Beautiful Clear Lake
Just a few steps out the front door of The Carriage House.
The lake is full, and fishing is good. So many things to do - wine tasting, great dining, antiquing, outdoors sports, even a new park is coming just around the corner!
Visit Us Soon!

02/23/2023

The water is high, the boat launches are open, and the weather has been perfect for kayaking!
Paddling Clear Lake is a highlight on our visitor checklist. Let peace wash over you
as you enjoy a unique view of our landscape from the water.

There are several launches around the lake where the public can access the water including Clear Lake State Park and County Park in Kelseyville, 5th Street boat ramp in downtown Lakeport, Austin Park in Clear Lake, and Camp Clear Lake on Cache Creek (which also offers kayaks for rent). For a complete list of local boat ramps, visit: http://dbw.ca.gov/BoatingFacilities/Search?b=Clear+Lake

Happy paddling!

01/28/2023

01/24/2023

Nuggets of old news served up once a week by David Heller, one of our local historians. As we have seen over the last several weeks, reports of giant fish and/or serpents in lakes and rivers are not uncommon in California, and Native lore is full of ‘stories/myths/legends’ of such creatures. Lak...

01/03/2023

Happy New Year!
2022 was great, we hope you’ll visit The Carriage House in 2023.

12/29/2022

Floating on the glassy surface of Clear Lake in the shadow of Mt. Konocti, Jeff Jenkins Photography perfectly captures
the beauty and peace of the moment. Winter, spring, summer or fall—our Lake County sunsets never disappoint.