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24 | THE COLONY NEWS | DECEMBER 2021 | COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS Skinner Lake - Temecula By Kathy Sullivan I was pleasantly surprised recently when I went camping at Lake Skinner with a group of women campers and was amazed at how much it had changed from the dusty, stark, ugly campground I had stayed in 20 years ago. It now has lots of grassy, tree-shaded picnic areas as well as campsites. There has been enough time for green plants and trees to grow around the shore of the lake. It was not only peaceful and reflective, but full of different types of ducks and cranes. Many of us have relatives coming to visit over the Christmas season, and Lake Skinner would be a great place to take the families for a picnic. Like most county parks, there is a multitude of fees. Camping starts at $30 per night, and day use for adults is $6 per day. I don't know if they have a car rate or just individual rates. (If you have a big group, it might be cheaper to rent a camp site.) During the spring and summer, the kids really enjoy the Splash Zone, which has lots of moving water toys that splash everything and everyone. Unfortunately, it recently closed for the winter season. I guess no one told them that this is California and we have beautiful warm days all year around. While visiting the park, I rented a kayak ($7 per hour) and wandered around part of the lake. I loved being out on the lake, trying to get my kayak to go in some sort of a straight line. It is surprising how weak the biceps have become! Yep, I would have liked to kayak longer, but the "guns" were out of ammo! They also rent a variety of motorized boats that go all the way up in size to a pontoon boat that seats 10 people. This costs $85 for the first two hours and usually needs to be rented in advance. Can you imagine how much fun the family would have picnicking and touring the lake on a pontoon boat!