I know of a piece of land here....in newberry springs.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie...&t=h&z=16&om=1
My grandfather bought this land in the early 70s to farm alphalpha and struck a gold mine...his cut was so pure they were farming it for santa anita's race horses.....on a piece of land he wasnt using he ended up putting a double wide on the bluff and cutting a lake and making it a family get away...the family stories of this place are priceless.
the lake is already cut out....just needs to be lined with clay and filled....i dont know how the county handles water rights now, but my grandfather owned the rights to pump striaght out of the mojave river water tables. only down side is you gotta pay the electric bill for the pump...the proceeding owner shut off the pump upon recieving his first bill and the lake has been dry since the early 80s. The only problem i see is wind....its in a commonly windy area....which in my opinion makes is an undesirable location.
I have kicked around the same ideas of making a race lake with full amenities, but its out of my scope of my capabilities, but would love to see it happen and wouldnt mind being a part of making it happen.