Lost Isle

I just hope that at least Union Point opens back up. Things are getting bleak.
Dave
 
Union Point is a restruant / bar/ with gas docks. They are located at the Hway 4 and Old River intersection. About 7 miles east of Discovery Bay on Hway 4. They cleaned the place up over the last couple of years and were a popular stop for the wake board crowd on weekends. For the locals they had a great prime rib on Friday's. Good lunch stop for the small boats.
Don't know why they shut down, lots of speculation.
Dave
 
Maybe they just needed to cut expenses until the weather brings the wake boarders out. They need to find a way to draw the landlubbers and winter boating types in also. Maybe next year they could focus on drawing in fishermen too!
 
^^^^^^

The joint was more "fisherman friendly" before the sale and remodeling took place...

When will these delta businesses realize that they cannot count on the testorerone and silicone crowds to make a year-round living???
 
And getting back "on topic", Lost Isle has steadily gone downhill ever since Bill Connor sold the place (the first time).

We were regulars of L-I since the early 70's. A family could enjoy a day or the entire w/e there (and they spent money while doing so). It was common-place to see numerous delta-destroyers tied up to the docks with multiple families enjoying the place.

Sure, there were a few "roughnecks" there, but they kept to themselves. If they did act up, they were usually dealt with (by Bill himself)quickly.

Once the exotic-erotic banana eating contests, open use of drugs and public display of sex acts took over the island, we stopped going.

And funny thing... So did their business...
 
I'm with you BAB. It used to be a lovely family-friendly island.......
 
I was reading Hal Schell's book the other day which had a lot of pics of Lost Isle from the late 70's. It seemed like a whole different place. They even had their own barge that they must have used for events or party cruises.

I have only been there once. Not my type of crowd and with the sheriffs dept. camped out on the water waiting to bust people, it just didn't seem like a relaxing place to have an enjoyable time.

What did them in was the murder. The county was looking for a good reason to shut them down and that gave them what they needed. My guess is that it will be yet another place that will be shut down for good and pass into Delta folklore.
 
There are now two good (but different) places on the San Joaquin bank of the Delta Loop. They are a short walk from each other, open most of the time and offer full bars. Both have loads of authentic old school Delta atmosphere.

Spindrift Restaurant: This was perhaps the wildest Delta hot spot during the '70s. Today it is very good for casual dining and a more quiet bar experience: although things change with live music on some nights. Good for family dining, too. Progressive happy hour at the bar. There is an excellent general store located on the ground floor. Boat-in to guest dock across the levee at Spindrift marina. The flashing red and green beacon on top of the restaurant means the bar is open. This light can be seen from the river at night. The full restaurant menu is available here: http://www.thespindrift.com/

Happy Harbor. This establishment is under new management and very much improved from a couple of years ago. Al (FlyWright) has been dining here lately, likes it a lot and maybe he'll chip in with some comments. He is not alone judging from all of the cars parked on the levee for the live music on weekends. This is a younger crowd than Spindrift although I hear Happy can be a hot spot now for Delta cougars.
 
Time to get back off topic. Union Point is reopening tomorrow for the Poker Run, and will remain open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11-7 until further notice. This insider tip is brought to you from a guy who has never set foot place in the place. Well connected, you know.
 
I think the topic was Lost Isle, but thanks for the info on Union Point. I was there yesterday and crews were working hard on the docks, etc.
I hope the Poker run comes off ok as the wind in Discovery Bay is at least 25-30 MPH now and supposed to increase as the storm approches.
Dave

36 Four-Winns
diesel
 
Yeah, it's howling!

Nothing like white caps in disco bay to get the w/e started!

[:-propeller]
 
It was storming like all git out on the delta today, too.

As far as Lost Isle goes, I didn't start boating in the Delta until '96. It was never my type of place so I never stopped there. I went past it a few times, though.
 
I just heard that Lost Isle is doing a bunch of work on the island and plan on being open by Memorial Day this year.

Ooops, thought I had a reliable source. I just checked their web site and apparently the plan is to re-open in 2011. Sorry about the false alarm.
 
Lost Isle...... a tough issue. I'm sort of an old timer on the old swamp and I spent many an afternoon at the long bar there. Two things ended much of my time there. One I got old and it wasn't exactly my crowd to say the least. Two the water cops would just hang out in the river in front and on the side of the island and wait for someone to make a mistake. Were they necessary?....yes probably because too many people left there in no shape to drive a craft of any kind. Very dangerous but at the same time, very intimadating to anyone who had a beer that day and was maybe operating his boat out of there. I looked at it the same way I would look at our local cops hanging out in front of a bar here in town watching everyone that leaves, knowing everyone leaving that bar has had something to drink. Not cool especially for the bar owner or in this case the island owner. Ruins busines. I am just a big fan of delta businesses of all kinds staying open and being successful.

DBH
 
spent a few weekends there myself. the cops well, yeah. the problem i had with them is they pulled me over before i even got there for having a jet boat (i dont anymore), and were really rude and basically told me they didnt like my kind of boat and to leave.

we didnt, and we had a good weekend.

with that said, that place was a ticking time bomb that went off when someone was killed there. it was a place that was ripe for the pickins both by the cops and the robbers. some of which (the robbers) were the people running the place.

i hope it comes back in a renewed form. its a sad thing because it was kind of one of those things where the tail wagged the dog.

i will be at windmill cove for memorial day and from the youtube vids, it doesnt look much different.
 
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