Mondays are fine! July 2023

 

Monday was all I hoped it would be.  We were on the road early on the 24th (early for us) to hike Sagehen Creek, a few miles north of Truckee CA, roughly 60 miles from home.  One of our favorites, though we missed last year.  It's a lovely five-mile R/T hike, following Sagehen Creek to its termination at Stampede Reservoir.  Two years ago the water level of the Reservoir was so low it was too far away to walk to!  And, what used to be water plants underfoot crunched like potato chips.  So dry.  This year was different, Capital D!

We always enjoy the path where the Aspen trees are, quaking and shaking.  Imagine our surprise to see many small Aspen trunks chopped, not down, but cropped.

Gnawed by big beaver teeth!

The many feet of snow long melted, we were lucky to see flowers blooming.  I didn't get a picture of the cute li'l ribbon snake nor the white-flowered bog orchid, but I managed to take a few photos of flowers.  Of course.  Scarlet Gilia, Woolley Mules Ears, Mariposa Lily and Pussy paws and an unidentified purple posy.

And the meadow!  Solid white and bright with Parish's Yampah!  Awesome sight.  Look beyond Jimmy walking at left.  Water.  Enlarge the pic and you'll see a white shirt near the water -- two ladies who'd passed us earlier.  And look at the sky!  Such a gorgeous day.  A cooling breeze kept us company.

Oh Wow!  Water flooded into the meadow.  We had to stop before we could cross the log bridge.  No sheepherder hut ruins today!  See the treed point that disappears into the water at left?  That's about where the water level was two years ago.  We were shocked at what we saw, but pleased that the reservoir was now full-to-overflowing.  We sat on a log, ate our sandwiches and watched a raft of common mergansers paddling across the replenished lake.  We returned to the car tired, but happy.

* * * * *

Monday, the 31st, another fine day.  With our E-bikes firmly attached on the back of the Prius, we took off again for the high country -- this time to pedal the trail from Squaw Valley, now known as Palisades Tahoe, to Meeks Bay, a 35-mile R/T ride we first did last September.  Though it was Monday, we've never seen the trail so crowded.  Walkers, joggers, people just standing on the trail, strollers, and bikes of all kinds, big tires, fat tires, thin tires, little bikes with little tots, entire families, fast riders and slow riders.  We did all right, nonetheless.  It was a fantastic day to be Out and About.

I could stop a lot more than I do, but I like to ride.  Here I stopped to take a picture of the water, so so blue, and then a couple also stopped to ask if I'd take their photo.  Sure!  Good spot to park my bike.

Meanwhile, Jimmy waited patiently for me to get finished, already, with the picture-taking!

17+ miles after we started, we hit the switchback down to Meeks Bay.  We were ready to get off the bikes and get a burger at the little cafe.

Well, it must be tourist season.  Good grief.  While we devoured our burgers, we were entertained by the crowd on the sandy beach and in the water.  We've heard that the Lake Tahoe area is being "loved to death" by people, which is too bad.  It is a such an incredibly idyllic spot on this earth.

Here's the route we rode starting at top red x to bottom red x, and back.

On our return, we stopped at the Lake Tahoe Dam (concrete gravity dam on the Truckee River, at the outlet of Lake Tahoe), not surprised to see this much water behind it.  A few Canada geese and a couple of SUP'ers were also Out and About.

In case you can't read these signs posted at the dam, the lake level is 4.12 feet above last year's date.  The maximum lake level for this year was on Friday, July 21st, ten days ago, at 6,228.30' (elevation).  Finally, they received a whopping 321.5 inches (26.7 feet) of snow this water year!  Makes our four feet look miniscule!

Appears that only one release gate is open.  We thought the Truckee River looked very thin as we made our way along it, and no rafts were floating downriver.  Notice the two jokers playing in the water, which I don't think is allowed so close to the dam, but boys will be boys, eh?

Summertime monsoonal moisture can bring spectacular clouds to our area, even if no rain comes to us.  Today was one of those WOW cloud days, where you could look up at any given moment and be mesmerized.  Above, we saw rainbow hues in this grouping.

Haha, found someone to take our pic at the lake.  He was a wag, too -- just take a few more steps back he kept saying.

We have to cross the Truckee near the parking area and I took this pic on our return to the car.  Look how thin the water is.  We thought more water would be released, enabling river rafting to commence. Perhaps in August?  I know lots of folks enjoy a lazy float downriver, and the raft companies could make some money this year.  to be continued, I guess.

Both Mondays turned out to be stellar adventures, notwithstanding the Highway 20 road construction in two areas, which involves dismantling mountains and filling in valleys to realign the road.  Take out curves.  Make it straighter.  "Safer."  Less pretty,  Faster.  Adding a half hour time to our coming and going.  Oh well, can't have it all.

Looking forward to next Monday!