Lake County Real Estate Blog

(Sunset) -- By the time we arrive at Ceàgo Del Lago Winery, on the northwestern shore of Lake County's Clear Lake, we've seen far more birds than people. Western grebes, thousands of them, bob peacefully until our boat gets directly in front of them. Then they dive upside down like toy ducks, showing their black-and-white behinds before disappearing under the surface.

Lake County, California, is a haven for water recreation.

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So when we pull up to Ceàgo, we're almost surprised to see a couple of bass fishermen casting right off the dock. People at last!

"Catch anything?" my husband calls out.

"Nah," says one, without looking up. His friend chimes in, "But at least it's a nice place to hang out." And then, gesturing to Ceàgo: "And the wine over there's pretty good too."

The scene sums up what's so nice about visiting Northern California's Lake County. Even with a burgeoning wine scene, Lake County is still first and foremost a haven of water recreation and summertime fun. If you're looking for the opposite of tony Napa, it doesn't get much more un-Napa than this.

The fun center of the wine country

Two-and-a-half hours north of San Francisco and two hours northwest of Sacramento, Clear Lake has long been party central for college kids drawn here for water-skiing, boating and concerts at Konocti Harbor.

Though that element certainly still exists, now there are also a few very sophisticated restaurants and hotels (the Blue Wing Saloon and the Tallman Hotel, most notably), as well as 10 or so worthwhile wineries. Among those is the only boat-in winery we've ever heard of. (Travel planner: Hotels, restaurants, wineries)

It's a concept we can't resist. Roy Disney, of Disney's Boat Rentals, sets us up at the boat launch in Lakeport, instructing us to head east first to "the Narrows," where the north arm of the lake connects to the south arm, before the lake gets choppy. He tells us how to use Mt. Konocti -- the once-active volcano that looms several thousand feet above the lake -- as a landmark, and invites us to call his cell phone if we lose our bearings.

Though it's still morning, we're dying to check out Ceàgo -- we'll have just a sip, we rationalize. We head north toward the lake's western shore, passing Clear Lake State Park. We briefly consider stopping here for a hike (the park has boat access as well), but decide against it, figuring that today should be all about boat rides and decadence.

A few miles northwest of the park, we glimpse the dock of Ceàgo, looking like an arm outstretched in a gesture of welcome. After we've chatted with the fishermen, we tie up the boat and walk up the dock into a Mediterranean-style garden that could easily be mistaken for one beside Italy's Lake Como.

A lavender-lined path leads through gardens framed by olive trees. In front of us is a courtyard where a fountain burbles and festive music plays. People come and go in and out of a tasting room tucked into a series of hacienda-style buildings. The place feels more like a spa than a winery -- and in fact, it will eventually be both, Jim Fetzer tells us.

Fetzer, whose family produced an annual 2.5 million cases of wines in the 1980s and '90s, discovered Lake County as a teenager, when his father used to take him on grape-buying trips.

After the Fetzer family sold the company and the name, Jim bought a 163-acre piece of prime lakefront property in the then not-so-nice town of Nice (pronounced like the city in France) and set about creating the county's first resortlike destination. He plans to break ground on the spa as well as a restaurant in two to three years.

"Lake County could be the fun center of the wine country," Fetzer says, gesturing out to the lake, where a seaplane is floating, flanked by a group of teenagers sunning themselves on inner tubes. After calling out a welcome to the group -- which, it turns out, is celebrating a birthday out here on the lake -- Fetzer tells us about the seaplane access he's just created, and the ferry system he's working on putting in place.

He talks about Lake County's clean air (the best in the state, he claims), the lack of fog, the tremendous birdlife. "Being on the lake, making wine, it doesn't get much better," he says.

On the way back to Lakeport, at Fetzer's urging, we stop at Rodman Slough, a wetlands preserve just a few miles west of Ceàgo. We kill the engine, and slowly, an Audubon scene comes to life before our eyes: A great blue heron stands stately in the tule reeds; a grebe dives for its prey. I say that I can't believe all the birdlife here.

"Why not?" my husband replies. "It's a pretty nice place to hang out."

By Amy Wolf Sunset Magazine

Beginning July 1st, 2008 Lake County residents will pay $10 for each invasive mussel sticker issued. They will receive a red sticker from any of the many locations throughout Lake County, including the Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce. Each applicant must provide either their boat registration showing that they reside in Lake County, or a PG&E bill showing that they own a home in lake county to receive the resident sticker. Visitors will need to bring their registration along with $10 for each watercraft.

For up to date information on how to assist in containing the spread of the Quagga and Zebra mussels, please go to: www.co.lake.ca.us/mussels.

Well the project continues.

I have located the Porsche 914 and purchased. The car is great handles well, is zippy and just over all fun to drive. I located a car that hadn't had a lot of body work done on it. I wanted to make sure I wasn't purchasing a rust bucket. The car is very sound and only has a few minor dents that will be easy to pop out. I have chosen a color, tangerine orange.

Next phase is to sell my 05' Toyota Tundra Limited 4wd quad cab. It is blue booked at $26,000 and I have it for sale at $20,000. Hopefully it will sell soon and I can utilize the funds to convert the car.

If you have an EV project and would like to share it please post a comment by clicking below on post a comment.

Here is a chart on how to hold title in California.

New free property management software!

This software is easy to use and is a snap to setup.

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Whether you do taxes yourself or use a tax pro, you should at least
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-Gail MarksJarvis, Your Money columnist


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LakeInvestment.com makes top real estate website with the top real estate website company. The Median score for Alamode Xsites siting at 145 LakeInvestment.com comes in at 673 .

The score means a lot to the team at Lake Investment as we want to be the premier lake county website. By being the best in the nation we have reached this goal. Now we plan on keeping at the top. We are proud to be the top and a role model to the rest of the Realtor/ Real Estate community as what a website can be.

We pledge to continue to be innovative and add to our website. Giving you the buyer or seller the tools you need to make the right decision.

When it comes time to buy or sell in Lake County we will be there for you from the beginning to the end.

If you are looking at Real Estate outside of Lake County we will put you in touch with an expert that we have screened to make sure that you get the same service we would give you in Lake County California.