Lakeside

As the campfire roared next to us, we admired a sky so opaque it looked like a piece of deep purple velvet, drawn taut and full of pinpricks through which starshine seeped. Ahhh. And the hot dogs were sizzling in the fire. Yes, in, where we'd fumbled them. Plop. Plop. Plop. . . . My husband, Tim, our 4-year-old daughter, Ellen, and I had motored north in our RV to Fresno County for a two-night stopover at Pine Flat Lake, broken up by Blossom Trail explorations.

Not everyone can find it, hidden away and closed off as it is. But no doubt lots of people have seen it -- at least on TV or in the movies. Serene little Malibou Lake -- yes, it's spelled that way -- is tucked into the Santa Monica Mountains near Agoura Hills. It has more than 100 screen credits as the little-known location for many Hollywood productions, including some of the best-known horror movies.

Lori Petitti was horrified when her husband, Scott Sakamoto, made an offer on a gloomy vacation home in Lake Arrowhead. "I almost divorced him," recalled Petitti, a television producer. "I said, 'No way.' I hated this house." And who wouldn't? The dismal 1940s cabin suffered from a poor floor plan, and Petitti felt claustrophobic in the dark kitchen with its brown tile, brown Formica counter tops, brown appliances, brown shag carpeting and "the smell of too much air freshener."

"WE have enjoyed Mountain View Bed & Breakfast in Ontario, which offers vacation home rentals as well as rooms with a bath. It faces Rock Candy Mountain and overlooks Cumming Lake. "The area offers hiking, biking, bird and wildlife watching, swimming, horseback riding, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, snowshoeing and cross-country ski trails. We have enjoyed all seasons and consider it a perfect year-round retreat." Doubles from $72. Mountain View Bed & Breakfast, R.R. No.

A small twin-engine plane heading from Big Bear City Airport to Las Vegas plummeted from the sky Tuesday morning, killing three people on board in a fiery crash at the southwestern edge of Big Bear Lake, authorities said. Coroner's officials still have not released the identities of the pilot and passengers of the Cessna 421b.

AS soon as I saw the porch and rocking chairs on the Travel cover, I recognized Mohonk Mountain House in New York ["Sit Back, Relax and Enjoy the Nostalgia" July 31]. Kudos to Susan Spano for sharing it with Southlanders. I urge your readers to visit www.mohonk.comto see much more of the absolutely spectacular scenery, lake and summerhouses (gazebos). These are cozy, dry places at the lake's edge during summer storms, as well as fine spots for a respite with a view. I was there for the theme week of "Music."

The gondola took off with surprising swiftness, cables and pulleys whisking up the mountainside with silent precision. From the horizon rose Lake Tahoe, a sapphire ringed in aquamarine and emerald. It was an uncommonly resplendent sight, but I couldn't help but divert my eyes back toward the gondola station, where we had left behind something even rarer: a second chance. If ever there was a place that needed a second chance, it is South Lake Tahoe.

Step inside the Lakeside Restaurant in Irvine and step back in time. It has earned its tired, out-of-date Western look: For more than three decades, the diner has played host to thousands of customers, if even for just a cup of coffee while they mull over parting with $200,000 or more for a new RV. The restaurant is inside Traveland USA, which, at 38 acres, bills itself as the largest recreational vehicle shopping center on Earth.

After five hours of driving, night had finally caught up with us. Through the forest we caught glimpses of the lake and the flames of campfires, and by the time our high beams fell on our turnoff, we were ready to collapse. We unpacked the car and walked down to the dock. Huntington Lake, this unexpected gem in the middle of the High Sierra, lay before us, dark and still beneath the stars. It had been a spur-of-the-moment getaway, and we had been running late all day.

"God is calling you. Go to Annecy," a clergyman told Jean Jacques Rousseau, a 16-year-old runaway from Switzerland who went on to become the noted 18th century writer and philosopher. Though the clergyman hoped the young man would find a spiritual haven, Rousseau instead found romance in this sparkling lakeside town that seduces pilgrims to this day. I first experienced Annecy's charms by accident in 1969.