We’re sharing a secret: the best kept secret in California is the Delta.  Sometimes called the California Delta, sometimes the Sacramento Delta.  It is an amazing place especially in the fall.  Located northeast of the San Francisco Bay, this 1,000-mile network of inland waterways—the major drainage from the snow-capped Sierra Nevada to the east to San Francisco Bay along the coast—is a dreamland for boaters, birders, and outdoor enthusiasts. Levees protect tiny towns like Locke, a once thriving Chinese settlement and now a fascinating glimpse at a bygone era.

Keep the binoculars handy in fall: the Delta’s quiet waters provide major habitat for migratory birds, with some 200 species, including swans and sandhill cranes, sited at places like Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, near Elk Grove. Fisherman also flock to the Delta to try their luck at snagging impressive fish in these brackish waters; a big prize is the California a green sturgeon—a creature that looks like an ancient river monster, living a century and reaching up to 7 feet long. The Delta’s winding waterways also make for outstanding water-skiing and house boating in summer, with popular marinas in Stockton, Lodi, and Isleton.

We’ve finally made it with Mahdee to the Delta this year. Anchor windlass woes and various other commitments all behind us now, we’re in the land of milk and honey. The California Delta. Warm, sunny days, cool refreshing nights. No bugs so far, birds everywhere to entertain the ships’ cat Beryl and the fish are jumping. We just may have to find a place to buy a fishing license. The California Delta will be our cruising grounds for the upcoming weeks. We’re on slowwwww internet access now, so here’s some YouTube Delta inspiration. Pics from Mahdee’s trip up here will be posted hopefully in a few days.  Read more about visiting the California Delta by car or boat on the Visit California site.

Getting there included (motor) sailing up through the Carquinez Strait

The view from our cockpit right now at the Antioch Marina