June wrap-up, 2025

It's been a few years since we pedaled the Squaw Valley Bike Path.  Wednesday, the 25th, we brought the bikes up to the high country.  After parking at the junction of Hwy 89 and Squaw Valley Rd (our usual spot up in these parts), we covered both sides of the magnificent valley you see below, ending at Olympic Village.  Certainly, this is one of the most beautiful alpine valleys in the Sierras.

Your eyes are naturally drawn to the lush meadow in the foreground, surrounded by those majestic peaks.  We were thrilled to see patches of snow at higher elevations.  Isn't this a spectacular sight?

Lots going on at the Village.  A shindig of sorts was in full progress outdoors, with vendors and booths, speakers and sign-up sheets.  This weekend is the Western States Endurance Run, the world's oldest 100-mile trail race, which takes place annually the last full weekend in June.  It begins here in Olympic Village (through the Sierra Nevada Mtns) and ends in Auburn, California.  All I can say is "more power to them."  Running 100 miles -- whew!  I can't imagine ... I don't even like to drive 100 miles!

See the yellow x in the photo above?  Right above that x is the aerial tram heading up to High Camp at 8200'.  Can you spot it?  Enlarge the pic.

We backtracked, crossed Hwy 89 and commenced riding the Truckee River Bike Trail, a ride we always enjoy, even if it is very popular (think: crowded).  It appears the river's water level is high, no doubt due to snow melt.  It's still early in the season.

And, yes, because it's early summer, that water has to be COLD, yet we saw several rafts floating downstream with the current.  Wild Roses bloomed along the entire trail (above), lending a pleasantly sweet scent overall.

Lots of other wildflowers adorned the trail:  Top left, wrapping around:  Blue Flax, Brewer's Lupine, Penstamon, Buckwheat, and Scarlet Gilia.

Never saw this before.  As we neared the dam between Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River, three long black tubes shot water into the river, while the filled white bags held it back.  Hmmmm, not sure why, unless it's to concentrate the water for river rafting?

Here's the other end of the black tubes, with water coming straight off the lake/dam (spillway).  Interesting.  We spied several whopper-sized fish, probably rainbow trout, swimming in the shallows.

Summer snow!  The Cottonwoods were filling the air with billions of white "cotton" seed fluff.  You didn't dare look up with your mouth open!

Mama Merganser had claimed a rock in the middle of the shallows near the bridge shadow, with junior resting beside her.  Cottonwood snow was everywhere!

Lake Tahoe was placid today and the usual eye-catching blue!  But you know this lake (any lake) can turn violent in a sudden T-storm, as evidenced here last week.

I hadn't seen a Western Tanager in a long time.

Happy to see this guy!

Looking north from the bridge near the car.  We only put in 20 miles today, which was just what we wanted.  Besides, we broke up the riding by stopping in Olympic Village and the dam, and then we parked 'em and sat on a picnic table at lake's edge, simply enjoying the shade and being present. 

* * * * *

A few days before our bike ride, we pointed the Subaru in the other direction and drove down to Davis, CA, to visit my cousin, Judy.  She's moving away and we wanted to visit before she left.  Lunch was at a restaurant near the railroad tracks and -- lucky us -- two Amtrak trains zipped in, stopped briefly and were on their way again.  Next, Judy drove us to the historic UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden.  It was a "bit warm" to be walking, but we managed.  Even better was walking along 640-acre Putah Creek Riparian Reserve beneath the cooling Redwood trees.

Here we are, with Putah Creek behind us,

and resting in the shade.

I looked up the translation:  The Forest Gnome's Birthday Party

She brought along this copy of a children's book written/illustrated by Sigrid Nyqvist in 1929 (but not published till 1983 by her daughter, Brita).  Sigrid Nyqvist would be our grandfather's sister (our great-aunt).  Gosh, almost a hundred years ago.  (Judy's Mom bought this book online before she passed away.)  Written but not published for over 50 years.  Wowzers, there's hope, then, for me to publish my own children's picture books!  Thanks, Judy, for the visit and bringing this special little book.

So, that's our month.  Plenty of other things, like visits to Matt and Jen and Evie, here and at their place, neighborhood walks, a Hand and Foot game, doctors' appts (ho-hum) etc.  I will say that this has been a truly nice June, weather-wise, and we're most appreciative.  Sizzling summer is on its way, we know, but so far we've been spared.

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!

Snow, anyone? Monday, 2/20/23

I can show you some snow!  Quite a few "Atmospheric Rivers" dumped tons of snow on NorCal from last December right up to now, with more coming this week.  We've been reading about all the Sierra snow and wanted to see it for ourselves.  With nothing else on our schedule (hooray) and a sunny day forecast, we hopped in the Prius mid-morning and drove the 60 miles uphill to Truckee ... and lunch there in town.

We exited the freeway at Soda Springs and drove to Truckee on the old Lincoln Highway (Rte 40), amazed to see these sights!  I asked Jimmy to stand in front of this snow pile for show 'n tell.  Wowzers!

I don't know exactly what this is, an opening to a dwelling?  

Rte 40 parallels I-80, but this winding highway is much more interesting.  You see Donner Lake in upper mid-photo.  Fluffy white snow completely covers those nearby polished granite boulders.  Mountains deep with snow.  Looks like a postcard. 😊

Ah, the "China Wall, where Jimmy and I have hiked numerous times.  See the flat, sort of rectangular thing in the center?  That's the Wall, near the Snow Sheds (not visible).  If you enlarge the photo, you'll see people below the Wall and lots of sledding (or skiing) tracks down the slope.  We allowed as how we didn't need to hike up that slope today!  

The Rainbow Bridge

with a red truck crossing it.

Reflections on Donner Lake.

We stopped at Donner Memorial State Park for a few minutes.  Behind Jimmy is the famous Pioneer Monument, built to commemorate the California emigrants traveling west during the mid-1800's.  The VC features exhibits that illuminate the Emigrant Experience, the Donner Party, the Land of the Washoe, Chinese construction of the railroad, and early motoring adventures over Donner Pass.

Basketball court turned ice rink.  Check out that roof!

Oh heck, I forgot to take a picture of lunch.  Because Monday was a federal holiday (Presidents Day), Truckee was crowded with visitors.  Lots of families were Out and About, having been sledding or tubing or skiing with the kids.  Restaurants had waiting lines.  However, we enjoyed our lunch at Moody's Bistro located in the Truckee Hotel (established in 1873, it's seen its share of wild west figures, adventure seekers, foodies, actors, and musicians).

Red-breasted Nuthatch nibbling pine seeds.

We thought a little hike on the fairly level Truckee Legacy Trail would be okay.  It was a bit sketchy getting down to the trail from the parking lot, and then you see the path (above) wasn't clear of ice and snow.

However, it was mostly dry where it wasn't shaded.  We tread lightly on the icy sections and walked maybe a mile before coming upon a treacherously icy incline, and we turned around.  The temp was in the low 50's, sort of neither hot nor cold, but it was nice to feel the sunshine.

A plaque celebrates "Our Truckee River Legacy Trail."

The snow resembles meringue before the broiler.

Here's the river!

We thought these snow-topped structures were crazy, and the patterns of the snow kinda cool, but how can the roofs withstand the weight?  My fav is the pic on the lower right, a Dumpster with a giant marshmallow on top!  Kidding, of course, but good luck emptying that Dumpster!

In August of 2020, we climbed Castle Peak, a grueling eight-mile R/T, but which was also kinda fun, go figure.  We're pretty sure this is Castle Peak, dead center, above, but forget about hiking today!

Heading home from Truckee to Nevada City on I-80, and we've never seen the surrounding mountains so beautiful, chock-a-block full of needed snowpack (and the road nice and clear), and another series of storms on the way.

Speaking of on the way, I suppose we could've just stayed home and waited for flakes to fall here, as the weather folks have predicted, beginning tomorrow (Tuesday), and lasting days on end.  The difference is -- we didn't have to shovel snow in the Sierras!  Thank goodness.  Looks like we have a series of humdingers headed our way.  By the time this ends, we'll be MORE THAN READY to head for South America!

And away we go! Mon, 10/17/22

 

Oh, joy!  The morning sun beamed through our windows!  The night had been mild with a low temp of 53°, so much kinder than those freezing temps of the past few days, more like where we live.  Pyramid Lake's 3800' elevation is only a few hundred feet higher than our home in California.  

We knew what we wanted to do today, and we were excited about it.  Yesterday we scoped out the highway and pretty much knew our E-bikes could handle the long grades we'd encounter.  As soon as breakfast was finished, we pulled the bikes off the rack and pointed 'em uphill from Tergel to the road, and headed north.

This area is home to year 'round recreation activities, biking being one, plus boating, camping, fishing, hiking.  Lots to do.  We hope to return next year and bring our inflatable Sea Eagle kayak, along with our bikes -- maybe next October, it's such a great month to travel.  The paved road ends at Warrior Point, then turns to gravel.  There's very little traffic north of the marina, and we basically had the road to ourselves!

There's a dirt track below the highway, as you see in the pic above.  While we loved biking through the pine trees at Eagle Lake, the feeling of "free as a bird" might describe how we felt as we pedaled along in the vast wide open, high above the lake. 

We stopped a bunch of times to examine the tufa formations,

above and below.

The pic above shows a camper on the skinny point, and a whole lot of little fishing boats in the water.  Jimmy said, "this must be the place!"  We hit a couple of long uphill grades, knowing we'd fly down 'em on our way back.  This ride was so much fun.  See The Needles in the distance?  I took the pic below as we got closer and then zoomed in.  

We could see The Needles, in the northwest end of the lake, only in the distance.  These are in the hot springs area, a sector of continuing geothermal activity which contains more tufa deposits than anywhere else in the world.  There used to be a trail from the dirt road to The Needles, but it's closed to the public these days.  Too many people, too little respect.

At Warrior Point, we rode down from the highway to see what was going on.  The van camper had no trouble parking on the grass.  One person (at right) was already in the water, his companion was readying her kayak to join him.  Two black dots in the lake are kayakers from a van parked out of this picture.  Sue Malone, looks like great kayaking!

This was the end of the paved road.  We didn't want to pedal on dirt/gravel again, so we turned around.  We could have gone on and on if the road was paved, but we had to pack up the RV anyway and leave.

I tried to catch the hawk closer, but the dang thing flew in the other direction.  Lucky shot to include the waning moon in with the hawk.

Ah, cool beans, there's our Tergel down at the red x.  Our ride was nearly finished -- it wasn't a long ride, only like 13 miles, but we really enjoyed it.

Not much to do in putting Tergel to rights, and we were on the road again by 12:30pm.  This time we were headed south on Hwy 447, so we could pay a visit to the Pyramid Lake Museum.  So many interesting rock configurations, like the black jumble above.

This graceful building is the museum.  Admission is free and all are welcome.  We enjoyed walking through the exhibits, watching a short movie on the Paiutes of Pyramid Lake, and looking at the goodies in the gift shop.  I bought a book on The Nevada Desert.  Nice stop.

Fish art.

As we rolled along, we knew that somewhere we'd see/cross the Truckee River, and finally here 'tis.  Appears that it's carved a canyon in the desert.  You just know that water keeps a lot of critters alive.

We weren't traveling far.  Our next overnight will be outside of Fallon, Nevada.  We're on our way now.