152 West in Merced County, California (Scenic Route)

The first glimpse of San Luis Reservoir is about here. This is from July 1995.

   This was May 1995, at the end of a very rainy winter.
The dark mountains are in western Fresno County and Southern San Benito County.

The hills in the center have windmill generators on top of them, similar to what you see on 580 near Livermore and I80 in Iowa and Wyoming. The water's surface is shimmering due to high winds. In El Niño years, the reservoir stays almost full even during the summer. During drought years, it won't fill up completely for years. In two spots, 152 runs almost along the water's edge when the dam is full. This is from July 1995.

This is a State Recreation Area, so you can really enjoy what you see here. This is from July 1995.