Thursday activity, 8/8/24

Oh, joy, we awoke to another outstanding (and cool 😍) morning.  We wanted to enjoy every minute of this day, 'cause tomorrow we head home.  It's so darn nice to have a short getaway, and find a new place to spend a few days, to boot.  The sites in this state park are very far apart, we barely know anyone else is camping near us ... except for the family catty-cornered from us, Mom and Dad and two young boys, camping in a tent for ten days.  They all have bikes, and the two youngsters like to ride from "here to there" so Mom can keep them in view -- the kids are fun to watch.  Nice family.

After breakfast, we took off on our bikes, across Hwy 89, to walk along the lake on the "Yellow Trail."  The signboard, above, is at the state park entrance.  How fitting to see this Tower of Nations 1960 Olympics display while the 2024 Olympics are ongoing!  You'll probably have to zoom in a lot to read the interesting bottom panel.  The top of this tower was far above our heads.  Do you see the Olympic rings?

We parked the bikes and began walking.  A wee backwater off the lake proper seems like a perfect breeding ground for fish fry.  Not sure, but I think the flowers are "swamp pink."

Uh-huh, thank you, Jimmy!  I was testing the water when he took that picture.  At right, I'm reporting the water temp as "cold," and laughing/scolding him for taking the first pic!

This two-mile loop trail winds through the forest as it follows the Lake Tahoe shoreline.  A treat for tree lovers, as well as water buffs.  The branch Jimmy holds onto looked very strange, hence the photo.

I mentioned previously that we saw some majestic trees in this park, and above is one of them.  Jimmy stands in front of the same Incense Cedar in both pics.  Wowzers!

We walked (can't say we hiked, 'cause we were always stopping) to the Sugar Pine Point Navigational Light, above.  It was warm in the sun, so we tried to stick to shade.

Another one of the oooh-aaah trees.  This one was too tall for Jimmy to capture its height.  But, it had a burned out trunk, and that meant a photo-op!

This is a (zoomed in) Sugar pine, and those are its cones.  Trust me they're big.  When they fall, they're a foot long or more, but they're not mature in this picture.  You don't want to be beneath one of these cones when it drops!

Such a picturesque lake.

Lake Tahoe reached full capacity on June 3, 2024, for the first time since 2019. The water level was 6,228.9 ft, just below the maximum legal limit of 6,229.1 ft. The lake's fullness was due to two consecutive wet winters with above-average snowfall and snowmelt. In 2022-2023, the Central Sierra snowpack was almost triple the average for that season.  (Yes, we know!)

Oh, what fun.  Top left is a lady Western Tanager, who flitted from branch to branch in front of us.  Beneath her is a Variegated Fritillary, one of several on those blooms.  In the middle is a White-headed woodpecker, not something you'll see any ol' day!  Finally, at right, the woods were alive with Pine Drops, and we saw many.

After lunch we toured Pine Lodge (Hellman-Ehrman Estate), and I won't kid you -- I could live there ... in summer!  Restored to its original splendor by the state park, it's as gorgeous inside as it is outside.   

In 1973, Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, permanently preserving it for future visitors to enjoy.  This was the view that faced the lake below.

And you could sit on a wicker lounge or chair and enjoy the same view as the wealthy people who used to live here, just like Jimmy!

I loved the large living room, at left, above, and the circular grand staircase that led to the second floor with eight bedrooms and seven bathrooms (as well as two bedrooms and a bath for the help).  Plus the third floor had four bedrooms and a bath for the rest of the help!  Probably needed a lot of folks to take care of such a large mansion.  The Hellman's and later the Ehrman's did a lot of entertaining.  Notice the bathing suit costumes on the beds.  Times have changed!

A person could do a mess o' cooking on that stove!

The one-hour tour was great; easy to appreciate the beauty.  The grounds were well-tended, too.  It was a real pleasure to spend the afternoon here.  (We also looked at the boat houses, ice house, bathhouse, Phipps' cabin, barn, water tank, and so on.) 

Finally, here's a photo of Fluffy, the California ground squirrel, aka the Beechey ground squirrel.  We thought at first his name might be "Bob," till we learned she had babies under the foundation, one of which we saw, thus her name became Fluffy.  One of the groundskeepers was sharing his granola bar with her, which she enjoyed.

We got back to the RV around 4pm, and noticed a slight haze to the air, and by 5pm, we knew it for what it was:  smoke.  Smoke from a new fire, west of the lake.  The slight haze became ugly and we retired to the RV, closing everything up.  The family across from us retired to their tent.  The air quality index was off the charts.  We are very comfortable in our motor home.

Funny, the next morning when I opened the door, I smelled the same fresh, fragrant Christmas-y air as the previous days, aaaah!  No smoke.  Nevertheless, our stay at Sugar Pine Point was over.  We packed it up (no hurries), and were on the road by 9:30.  Notwithstanding last night's smoke, this was an A-one short vacation, double thumbs up.  I hope we'll return next month.

On the go! Wed, 8/7/24

 

What a fine, even chilly, morning!  Woohoo, it was even cool enough to wear sweats!  And the air smelled fresh and fragrant, just like a Christmas morning.  So grateful to be here.  At breakfast we debated about our choices today, and decided to ride our bikes to the Lily Pond.  Yesterday we walked part of the trail, so we knew how easy it would be.  Beyond yesterday's turn-around point, we'd be in all-new territory, which is right up our alley, so to speak.

You can hardly see Jimmy, at right, in the tall shadows of early morning.  We'd exchanged our sweats for bike shorts and tee shirts.  At this point, we'd left the familiar trail and were now on a single-track dirt path.  In a meadow, kinda.  We were in awe of the giant tree skeleton next to Jimmy and in front of the camera.

And here's a view from the other direction.  This giant must have made a BIG noise when it hit the ground long, long ago!

Wildflowers bloomed in the meadow areas, as above: Lemmon's Indian paintbrush, Golden aster, yellow daisy-like flowers, and Brewer's angelica.  Also, Scarlet gilia, fireweed, and lupine, and more.

The single-track dirt path became more arduous, especially as we were also pedaling uphill.  Sometimes we had to dodge rocks and tree roots, but it wasn't too bad.  At a trail split:  Lily Pond, right, Lost Lake, left, we faced a sharp uphill and switchbacks.  I finally had to walk my bike part way, it was too steep even with battery-assist.  Jimmy did better than me.  Our bikes are heavy.

Eventually the trail leveled and became a bed of crushed pine needles, so nice to ride on.  We rode on through the hushed forest to the lily pond, above, and dismounted.  The pond had to be an acre or two, much more than you see in the pic, and covered with lily pads and reeds.  Absolute serenity. 

Well, we did it.  The pond is at almost 7000' -- no wonder we were huffing and puffing at times!  Sure was pretty.  Nary another soul around, either, though two single mountain bikers passed us earlier.

We walked around a bit and then hopped on the bikes and turned around.  Besides, bike handlebars wouldn't fit through this narrow opening, as I demonstrate with fingers on both trees.  Downhill was, of course, easier, except at a 90° turn, and there I walked the bike again.  Jimmy, too.

At the split, we turned onto the trail toward Lost Lake.  We didn't know how far the lake might be, but it was worth a shot to "find" the "lost" lake.  Back on the rocky-tree-root-winding mountain bike path, the going was tough.  It was inevitable, I suppose, that one of us tump over, which Jimmy did.  His front tire collided with a rock (that wouldn't move!) and over he went into Mountain Whitethorn shrubs.  Luckily, the thorns were soft, so it was like falling onto a cushion.  Too bad his bike fell on his leg and bloodied it.  That was enough.  We bandaged him up and turned tail.  We had no business being on a mountain bike trail with our heavy E-bikes ... not smart of us.  If we were 30 or maybe 50, but we're not.  (Sigh ... the trail and the entire area were beautiful!)

We didn't find the lake, but we were still inside the park, though its acreage extends 3.5 miles into Desolation Wilderness, the PCT beyond.  Finally, at a short, steep runway to the bridge over General Creek, my bike took on a life of its own and began charging down the hill.  I let the bike fall and managed to jump off, but the bike bit me anyway.  I carry a big ol' bruise on my right calf.  Oh well.  We won't do this again, honest. Returning to our campsite was much easier, downhill, though I had to stop and walk-rock my bike several times over/around rocks.

Lunch (yum!) in Tergel was delish, and we rested a little afterwards.  Then it was back on the bikes to Pine Lodge mansion and estate (part of the state park) on the other side of Hwy 89.  We stowed the bikes and walked around the site.

This gorgeous lodge, completed in 1903, and estate were sold to the State of California in 1965, and named Sugar Pine Point State Park, after the numerous Sugar pines on the property.  Tours are offered; I'd love to see the inside.  Maybe tomorrow.

The color of this water is exquisite.  Lake Tahoe is 6,229' above sea level and is known for its great depth and clear water.  Sugar Pine Point has nearly two miles of lake frontage; good, lots to explore.

And the water is Extremely Cold.

But we saw people swimming!

And jumping off the pier into the water.

I tested it.  It's cold.

This paddle wheeler, Tahoe Gal, offers cruises from Tahoe City.  I looked 'er up online and she can accommodate 120 guests!  Perhaps we'll go someday. 

See the standing white man below the black x?

That's where we are.

I had to stand far from Jimmy for this pic.  This is an Incense cedar, which we have in our yard, but ours don't look like the trees here!  These trees are magnificent!

After rambling about the estate, it was back on the bikes to our campsite and dinner.  The evenings are so fine that we can eat at the picnic table.  No bugs!  Yeehaw!  What a day, and that's it in a nutshell.  

Time flies: August 2024

A month of Sundays has melted away since our return from Europe. Melted is the correct word, too. Like other areas in the country, summer's heat has just about flattened NorCal, and I, for one, am sapped, cooked and done with hot temps, stick a fork in me! What to do? Lots to do! Our yard needed plenty of attention (and work) after over three weeks away, which we tackled on many days before the sun got up and beat down. Early morning walks along our Cascade Canal were fine, and -- oh boy! -- we spent time with 7-yr-old Evie and her folks in Fair Oaks, where they now have, ahem, a lovely swimming pool.

Even Lucy, the Yorkie, hopped into the drink one appallingly hot day, and then she went "surfing" on a pink board.  Evie holds Lucy, left, to show you that Lucy doesn't always look like a drowned rat.

Toward the end of July, Jimmy and I took the bikes up to the high country, where it was cooler, and pedaled from Olympic Valley, to Meeks Bay, a ride we've done in the past.  Roughly 36 miles R/T, we always enjoy riding along the Truckee River and Lake Tahoe.  This time we stopped by the entry kiosk at Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point St Pk, gathered some info, and talked about taking Tergel there for a few nights.

The Truckee River was crowded with rafts.

Looks like fun!

At home, I checked the state park website and, woohoo!, I found three nights available, Aug 6-9, so I booked 'em right then.  Meanwhile, we continued playing catchup on household and yard chores, looking forward to our next sojourn in Tergel.

Sugar Pine Point St Pk (just above Meeks Bay, above at left) is only 80 miles from home, but the drive took two hours, with three road construction stops or slow-downs, using I-80 to Truckee, to Hwy 89.  Plus an elevation gain of over 3,000'.  We brought our bikes and left Smartie resting in the garage.  The day before I made a big pot of spaghetti, potato salad, and date/walnut bars, plus fresh fruits and veggies, and more.  Cold, or heat and eat stuff.

OMGosh, we were sooo pleased with this park and our site.  We even had our own fire hydrant, which, in my view, is wonderful considering NorCal's EXTREME fire danger!  The sites are far apart, and the park, 2,000 acres of dense pine, fir, aspen and cedar (and a long way off the highway), was quiet.  All sites are $35/night, no hookups.  Well worth it for the added bonus:  the air smelling fresh and piney, like Christmas.  And it's cooler!

As soon as we were set up, we set off on our feet to the Red Trail, a really neat 3.3 miles into the "back" country.  This late in the season many wildflowers were baked to a crisp, but enough were blooming to make me happy! 

Goldenrods, Dwarf checkerbloom, Pearly everlasting, and Asters,

some with friends.

We saw some truly spectacular trees in this park.

Lots and lots of Thimbleberries (Salmon berries) were ripe, unlike these in the photo, so we picked and ate as we went along.  I had my red whistle on a cord around my neck, 'cause this is real bear country.  Bears like berries, and, luckily, we encountered none!

This is the first time we've seen a chipmunk with a face like you see, above.  This li'l varmint is a Lodgepole Chipmunk.  It seemed unimpressed with our nearness; usually chipmunks will dart off under a log or into a pile of debris.  It being a hot afternoon, most critters were in hiding, altho I did see a new bird for me -- a Goshawk.  

Didn't know some parts of the 1960 winter Olympics were held here, on this spot, above, according to the signs.  No buildings remained, but we were fixin' to walk through a large, flat meadow.  Most of the  events were held 16 miles away at Olympic Valley (Squaw Valley).  Jimmy and I were at the loop turnaround.

But first we needed to cross this bridge.

Beneath was tiny General Creek.

I'm guessing this giant boulder is a glacier erratic.  The brown slab at my feet obviously fell off the brown area at my shoulder.  Bet it made a heckuva racket!

The fallen ones eventually become one with the land.  They have help by way of bears, raccoons, ants, and so forth.  We were admiring how much trunk and limb debris had been deposited.

Another General Creek crossing, leading back to the C/G.  (Hi Jimmy!)  We were hot and sweaty by this time and ready to relax in our chairs with a Gatorade or two.  Shoes off -- sandals on!  I refilled our water bottles at the spigot on the other side of Tergel -- nice, cold water!  Dinner was easy since it was premade.  We read for a while afterwards, but went to bed with the chickens, tired as we were.  Tomorrow we'll have a new day to play!

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!