The counter crowd skewed male and sunburnt during a recent Thursday afternoon on the Delta. Conversation inside the snack bar was easily made. 

Day on the Delta: Derrick Deak, upper left, current manager of the B & W Resort Marina, where the hot dogs, lower right, at its resort cafe are popular fare among locals. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)
Day on the Delta: Derrick Deak, upper left, current manager of the B & W Resort Marina, where the hot dogs, lower right, at its resort cafe are popular fare among locals. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)

The Dow Jones was sizzling to one man’s glee while others shook their heads in disbelief as they discussed the Delta Conveyance Project, which seeks to collect and move water from the region to benefit other areas in the state, namely Los Angeles. 

These two regions of California share the existential threat of water access — even if one is the apparent cause of trouble for the other.

The Delta is central to the state in more than just geography. Its thousand miles of interconnecting channels are where several of the state’s rivers — notably the San Joaquin and Sacramento — converge to either release water into San Francisco Bay or circulate it across the state’s water system. 

If the freshwater is siphoned off, Delta locals fear that salt water from the bay will tip the ecological scale in favor of barren land. Deak graduated from California State Chico with a biology degree, and the topic of his student research symposium was the effect of soil pH on plant growth. 

“This is my passion,” he said. “If salinity creeps up from the bay, it will destroy this farmland.”

More than just farmland and a cheap lunch

Two rectangular windows frame the Mokelumne River from my seat at the cream-colored counter at B & W.

A barge with mounds of dirt shaped like condensed Grand Tetons meanders upriver and passes beneath Highway 12. Someone at the counter suggested that it was bound for repairs on a levee damaged by the onslaught of winter storms. 

During spring, whichever way you look on the Delta, work is underway to receive an influx of seasonal visitors.

The Delta Loop is a 10-mile drive along the amber sloughs that crisscrosses with Highway 12 to end in the picturesque town of Isleton. Deak’s mother Gretchen established the Loop in 1998 to unify the 20-odd restaurants, resorts and services that line Andrus Island.

A brochure for the Loop promises, “Your breathing calms, your shoulders loosen, and the landscape comes alive. People are nicer. Birds chirp louder.” 

The Delta’s open space offers not only the chance for city dwellers to breathe a little easier but also that precious resource: sunshine. San Francisco may be blanketed in a coat of fog, yet summer is merely 90 minutes away on a drive around the Loop. As Deak sees it, the Delta is “the best, well-kept secret from the Bay Area,” noting that the resort is filled year after year with visitors — typically from Los Angeles. 

Five miles down the Loop at the cafe attached to the Pirates Lair Marina, harbormaster Tom Tate applies fresh paint to the walls. The cafe has a reputation for cooking the best breakfast burritos on the Delta. When asked about it, Tate recognizes an opportunity to share some Delta hospitality and says that the cafe is debating adding frog legs to the menu. 

Views of the Pirates Lair Marina, along the Delta Loop, including a regional map that is displayed in its cafe. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)
Views of the Pirates Lair Marina, along the Delta Loop, including a regional map that is displayed in its cafe. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)

“But there’s a problem with insurance,” he deadpans. “They’re afraid people might croak!” 

The cafe, which has been closed since Nov. 1, is on schedule to reopen by mid-May. Soon, the palm tree oasis will serve its breakfast staple, which features Ortega chiles inside the burrito. The cafe serves only breakfast and lunch but offers a six-pack of beer to go for $12. 

Family legacy is a factor for the owners of Pirates Lair, too. They inherited the grill from their parents, whose framed photo is the centerpiece behind the cash register. The passing generations fold over, again and again, layering the shoreline with a hardened clay of shared experiences and culture. The snack bar wall is adorned with photos of annual visitors in bathing suits, holding beers and dangling big, just-caught fish. These snapshots from disposable cameras preserve endless summers spent on the water. 

And as the next summer approaches, a popular topic on the Delta is how this will be its first without an institution: Moore’s Riverboat Restaurant.

Between Pirates Lair and the B & W are the charred remains of this beloved haunt on the Loop, which featured live music and served $4 burgers on Tuesdays but fell to arson last summer. Two suspects were arrested, and there’s talk of it coming back, but those close to the owners told SFGATE that these are just wishful rumors.

The same month that Moore’s burned down, a new business opened up nearby called Delta Paradise Island. Formerly Perry’s, it’s a burgeoning hub: It has a three-bedroom home to rent, along with marine services and an event space. Live music has started to echo from Paradise Island to fill the void left in Moore’s wake.

Quick scoop on the Loop

If you’re visiting the Delta on a day trip, pack a swimsuit and a towel. There are a few spots to test the waters, starting with Sherman Island County Park, just after the Antioch Bridge. The area is popular for windsurfing, and there’s a beach where the Sacramento River morphs into Sherman Lake.

You’ll likely wade and sunbathe more than swim; as a harbormaster warned, it can be dangerous to swim in the channels of the Delta. The undercurrent can suck people under. Speed boats tend to rush by. No lifeguards are on duty, and you must swim at your own risk. 

(Charles Russo/SFGATE & Getty Images)
(Charles Russo/SFGATE & Getty Images)

Closer to Rio Vista upriver on the Sacramento is the Sandy Beach County Park. Swimming is not allowed, but there’s a long beach for dipping your feet into the water or casting out a fishing line. And past Isleton up Steamboat Slough is the Hogback Island Recreation Facility, which has picnic tables and barbecue spits.

The quickest way to find live music or events to build a day on the Delta around is to visit the Delta Loop Community page on Facebook. The group is public and is updated daily with posts for concerts, restaurant specials and, just in time for summer, the return of the soft serve machine at the Isleton Coffee Company. 

The Delta Loop was devised to hook folks off the highway and give them an easy path to begin appreciating the region. Once you pull over and share the first smile, the Delta’s lively spirit and toasted thermostat take care of the rest.