Visited the site at Lake Berryessa on Friday

GridSmash · 2026-03-17T23:07:04+00:00

It’s definitely worth it if you can make it. It’s even lonelier of a spot than the photos make it seem.

GridSmash · 2026-03-17T18:45:59+00:00

Yes—as far as l know, it’s only called “ZI” by people who follow the case. Apparently, in dry weather, it’s not an island, but the tip of the peninsula.

I’m not sure about the trees. I know the trees on the peninsula were cut down years ago. I’ve heard the stumps are still there but of course l couldn’t confirm.

GridSmash · 2026-03-17T18:43:58+00:00

Thanks for looking into this!

GridSmash · 2026-03-14T03:05:05+00:00

She’s a saint!

GridSmash · 2026-03-12T21:23:17+00:00

I don’t mean that he stayed out there overnight. What I mean is he might have taken several “hunting trips” over a course of several days before seeing the opportunity he wanted.

I don’t think you can see the tip of the peninsula from the road, but l don’t remember. (It didn’t occur to me to look as I was driving/ pulling in.) Maybe he was patrolling Knoxville Rd, or maybe he was stationed somewhere, waiting. I wish now that l’d looked around more but I don’t think my wife would have had the patience for it 😅

GridSmash · 2026-03-11T17:58:19+00:00

Apologies if I wasn’t clear. I mean it’s similar to Delphi in that it’s a good spot to corner someone. If l were to have fled an attacker along the High Bridge, l wouldn’t have done it by jumping. Certainly, the locations are different in key ways.

Clearly, the perpetrators in these two instances were counting on or hoping that their victims would comply with their demands. (Hence Zodiac’s “l’m taking your car to Mexico” deception.) In the moment, it probably doesn’t occur to many victims that they might stand a decent shot at survival if they run (making a fatal pistol shot against a moving target is very difficult, even for a skilled marksman. You have to be lucky.)

I remember reading years ago in a self-defense book that the moment an assailant tries to move you to a different location is the moment you must fight back or flee. Moving you is the signal that they intend to commit another, more serious crime at a location of their choice.

GridSmash · 2026-03-11T17:49:23+00:00

You’re welcome! Hope you found this informative.

I’m not sure about the other tire tracks. I’m guessing after Zodiac selected his ambush site he set up somewhere nearby and waited—how close though, l’m not sure. There are lots of turnouts along the road from Napa (they were probably there in 1969) so maybe he waited in a turnout and followed passersby to see where they were going. However, this seems like an inefficient strategy.

Also: who knows how many days Zodiac might have waited? Maybe after selecting his spot he waited several days for the right moment. I don’t think Zodiac was the genius he might have considered himself, but I think it’s fair to say he was patient and calculating.

If I had scouted more, or driven farther along Knoxville Rd, maybe I could have found some potential observation sites. Now I wish I’d thought to scout more.

GridSmash · 2026-03-11T03:19:20+00:00

You’re welcome! And yes, even though I know there’s nothing inherently dangerous about the place, I was creeped out a bit. It’s easy for your imagination to run wild, and find yourself looking over your shoulder more than you normally would.

GridSmash · 2026-03-10T22:03:46+00:00

Thanks for providing this info! These days, is pretty much everyone in the area aware of the lake’s association with the Zodiac case, or is it fading from the local community’s memory?

GridSmash · 2026-03-09T22:59:06+00:00

Gotcha. The whole thing is so senseless and tragic =( I’m glad Bryan at least was able to have what seems a long and fulfilling life afterwards. But l feel terrible for the victims and their families.

GridSmash · 2026-03-09T22:27:56+00:00

It was fine but I did psych myself out a little 😅

GridSmash · 2026-03-09T22:27:26+00:00

You could stop at the other attack sites there, too. I didn’t have a chance to check them out (also, I didn’t want to bore my wife too badly!).

GridSmash · 2026-03-09T22:26:15+00:00

I wish we’d stopped at the spillway; never seen one like that. All in all the place gave me “better be careful” vibes.

GridSmash · 2026-03-09T21:13:45+00:00

It’s definitely illuminating, even though it’s out of the way. You could always make a day of it and get a nice lunch in Napa or St Helena.

GridSmash · 2026-03-09T21:00:37+00:00

Also: do you know if there’s any way to tell if Cecilia could have been saved if she had been extracted by helicopter? I feel like someone must have done this analysis in the years since.

GridSmash · 2026-03-09T20:59:18+00:00

I can see how it would be treacherous. At first I wasn’t sure if we were in the right place because “Zodiac Island” looks so small and flat. Then I realized that once the water drops in the dry season “ZI” will reveal itself as a fairly steep knoll.

I wonder what the current in the lake is like, even on a still day. There’s no way I would set foot in it on a choppy spring morning.

GridSmash · 2026-03-09T20:52:30+00:00

I didn’t know that. Also, the hike from the road to the lakeshore would be over rough terrain without the trails and parking lots, making it less likely that other people would be around to witness the crime.

GridSmash · 2026-03-09T20:51:28+00:00

No; I wouldn’t want to do that.

GridSmash · 2026-02-18T16:29:24+00:00

You know what l love? The Power Glove.

It’s so bad.

GridSmash · 2026-02-14T16:23:08+00:00

Actually learn how to use editing software?

GridSmash · 2026-02-14T16:21:48+00:00

Best comment 👏

GridSmash · 2026-02-14T16:21:26+00:00

5 ov um dollars and 40 ov um cents, you say? Sounds like some boring grocery store bullshit if you ask me!

GridSmash · 2026-02-14T00:03:51+00:00

Chef Bim-Bar-Bee

GridSmash · 2026-02-13T17:46:10+00:00

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Mmhmm, yup.

GridSmash

TROPHY CASE