« May 2006 | Main | July 2006 »
June 29, 2006
Swimming and hiking with babies
Sometimes you think it's too cold to swim in Tahoe before the end of the summer, but I have to say that's not the case this year! It's either because it's been pretty warm for a few weeks now or because I'm nine-months pregnant and the big belly keeps me warm! In any case, my hubby and I have been going to Hidden Beach every weekend and enjoying the water as it has been warming up considerably from week to week.
This is me enjoying Saturday's windy afternoon, trying to go for a swim in what seem to be like the ocean!
On Sunday we went for a hike in the Donner area, we hiked Long Lake with our friends who are also expecting a baby this summer. The weather was just perfect -- it rained for a little while and the rest of the time it was cloudy and cool (perfect for the girls). The views of the different lakes and the Sierras are amazing in this area. If you haven't been there yet, you have to go check it out. Take I80 West to Soda Springs exit and explore Kidd Lake, Long Lake and much more!
Posted by tele girl at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)
June 23, 2006
Hike to Marlette Lake is Worth the Effort
Marlette Lake
Located high above Lake Tahoe, Marlette Lake is the picture of alpine lake beauty. Tall pines grow to the edge of the lake's crystal waters, which reflect the rich, blue hues of the sky.
The lake is an extremely popular mountain-biking and hiking destination. In the 1970s, the dirt road leading to the lake and the path of an old box flume, which runs to Incline Village, was developed into one of the region's first official mountain bike trails--the famous Lake Tahoe Flume Trail.
Bikers, however, aren't the only folks welcome to visit Marlette. The main trail leading to the lake is also popular with day hikers.
Recently, we decided to hike the Marlette Lake Trail, which we accessed at Spooner Lake, part of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. After parking in one of the lots at the park (which is about ten miles west of Carson City via U.S. 50 and State Route 28), we easily found the signs leading to the trail.
The trail was fairly level for the first half-mile on North Canyon Road as we walked beside a picturesque meadow and into a forest of firs and pines. Within a short time, we passed a wooden park service cabin (to the left) and began climbing into the aspens.
Along the way, we crossed several small creeks, which made the road muddy in places as well as lots of beautiful wildflowers. The hike was moderately steep, mostly pleasant and largely shaded as we continued to climb higher (the 4.6 mile-long trail took us from 6,950 feet to 8,157 feet).
At the halfway point, we reached a fork in the road. To the right, we could hike about a mile (almost straight up the side of the mountain) to Snow Valley Peak, part of the Lake Tahoe Rim Trail. To the left was the path to Marlette Lake.
Since our destination was Marlette, we stuck to the main trail. Soon, we were walking parallel to a large meadow, which led to the bottom of a fairly steep incline that served as the final obstacle to reaching Marlette.
Mountain bikers know this final hill because of its steepness--and we saw many walking their bikes to the top. While it was only about a quarter of a mile or so long, the hill seemed much longer when we were climbing it.
At the top, we were rewarded with our first glimpses of marvelous Marlette Lake, which is another half-mile downhill. The walk to the lake through the trees was remarkably quick.
At lake level, we found plenty of spots for picnicking as well as places to just sit and enjoy the magnificent scenery.
While we weren't going to be riding the Flume Trail, which begins at Marlette Lake, we saw a handful of bikers head to the trailhead at the southern end of the lake. They crossed a small bridge and began the descent on the narrow trail leading down to Incline Village.
It looked like fun.----Richard Moreno
Posted by Rich Moreno at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)
June 19, 2006
Jumbo Grade's Spectacular Views
Heading up Jumbo Grade
Checking out rocks in Jumbo Creek
Marvelous views abound on Jumbo Grade
The last remnants of the Jumbo mines
The mining camp of Jumbo never quite lived up to its name. Optimistic prospectors hoped it would produce enormous wealth but it proved to be a pretty small producer of gold and silver ore.
In fact, these days, the real riches found on the road to the former camp are in the marvelous views of the surrounding region. The site of Jumbo is located two miles east of State Route 428 (East Lake Blvd.), above New Washoe City, via a rugged dirt road marked Jumbo Grade.
Jumbo was founded on the Ophir Grade between Washoe Valley and Virginia City in about 1907. For a few years, a small community of miners managed to eke out a living working the area's mines. By 1921, however, any valuable ore had run out and Jumbo disappeared like so many other Nevada mining camps.
While Jumbo has an admittedly brief life, the drive or hike to the former mining community is worthwhile because of the views. Jumbo Grade Road, also known as Ophir Grade, rises above Washoe Valley and climbs deep into the Virginia Range before dropping into Virginia City.
During our recent hike along the grade, we found that the first half-mile is paved, as the road passes several newer houses. We came upon a dirt parking area that serves as the trailhead for hikers, bikers, ATVers and others heading up the grade.
After ditching our car, we began the trek uphill on a dirt road that parallels Jumbo Creek. About a mile and a half from the start of the road, the dirt track crisscrosses the creek, which is lined with thick vegetation.
At about the two-mile point, the road becomes rockier and, at one spot, we were forced to cross the creek, which has carved a fairly deep channel.
We continued on the trail, stopping to pick up interesting rocks and to admire the creek, which has a fair amount of water this year. About another half-mile or so we spotted mining tailing piles on the surrounding hillsides.
A bit farther, you can spot the large foundations of a mill site. Two large chalky-gray hunks of concrete and scattered pieces of metal and wood are just about all that remain of the Jumbo mines.
From here, the views, looking west to Washoe Valley, are spectacular. Slide Mountain stands high, directly across the valley, and you can catch glimpses of the sun dancing on the surface of Washoe Lake.
The road winds around the summit and at the six and a half-mile point, you can see the community of Gold Hill below, with the taller buildings of Virginia City peeking over the mountains to the north.
From there, the road skirts a large open pit mine that has long been abandoned before gradually descending to meet Nevada Route 341 at the Virginia City-Gold Hill boundary.
While the total mileage has been only eight miles, it seems a world away.---Richard Moreno
Posted by Rich Moreno at 04:40 PM | Comments (0)
June 14, 2006
Fly Geyser: One of Nevada's Little Surprises
A couple of years ago, a photographer friend showed me some pictures he'd taken of a place he called Fly Geyser. He said it was an amazing site that was located about two hours north of Reno on the edge of the Black Rock Desert.
The photos showed three, large green and orange colored mounds of some kind of rock with water shooting out of the top. He said the geyser was located on the Fly Ranch, which is private property (don't trespass), but could easily be seen from the nearby road.
After seeing the remarkable images of a trio of travertine cones spewing hot water about four or five feet into the air, I knew I had to find this place.
So recently, I took a drive north of Reno to the small town of Gerlach. My map indicated that Fly Geyser was about 20 miles north of Gerlach via State Route 34.
The geyser isn't difficult to find. The plumes of hot water that continuously pour from the top of the mounds can be seen from miles away. Additionally, once I got closer I could see the distinctive shades of green and rust on the tufa rock pillars that seem to sit out in a field of tall grass.
I'd researched the geyser before heading up there and found that it's not a natural phenomenon. The geyser was created accidentally in 1964, after a geothermal power company drilled a test well at the site. While the groundwater in the region turned out not to be sufficiently hot to be tapped for geothermal power, it did have a temperature of more than 200 degrees.
According to later newspaper reports, the well was either left uncapped or was improperly plugged. In either case, the scalding hot water was allowed to shoot from the well hole and calcium carbonate deposits began to form, growing several inches each year.
Jump forward several decades, and those deposits have become large mounds taller than an average-sized man that rise out of a field of tall reeds and grasses.
Scientists familiar with the geyser note that the green and reddish coloring on the outside of the mounds is the result of thermophilic algae, which flourishes in moist, hot environments.
Interestingly, the set of circumstances that created Fly Geyser in 1964 apparently occurred at least one time before. In about 1917, a well was drilled a few hundred feet north of the geyser. This well was also abandoned and, over time, a massive 10 to 12-foot calcium carbonate cone formed.
Today, no hot water flows from the older mound. It appears that the earlier geyser dried up when underground water was diverted to the newer one.
After I snapped a few shots, I headed back to Gerlach because my photographer pal had recommended that I stop at a diner called Bruno's Country Club. He said that Bruno's serves these delicious, round ravioli that are worth the trip up there.
He was right about both the geyser and the raviolis.----Richard Moreno
Posted by Rich Moreno at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2006
My Life with Jackson Kayak
The Reno-Tahoe Blog will occasionally feature entries from athletes sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, America's Adventure Place. Jay Kincaid, professional kayaker, has been paddling over half of his lifetime, and is back to blog about his life as a professional kayaker living in Reno, NV. As 2003 Freestyle Kayaking World Champion, 2001 U.S. National Champion and three-time U.S. Point Series Champion, Jay is the most proud of the many first descents he's done on rivers and waterfalls in his native Oregon and in California.
Before coming to Jackson Kayak I had worked for another kayak manufacturer for the better part of ten years. A lot of things had changed during that time and in the end the only thing that kept me there was the friends that I had made along the way. The truth was, and is, that those friends will be part of my life regardless of who I work for, but that didn’t make telling them that I was leaving any easier. When I finally called Robin Culver with the news it actually took me about five phone calls that day before I could get it out of my mouth. She, like all of my friends with Dagger was very gracious and supportive upon hearing the news, as I knew that they would be.
At that point in my kayaking career the move to Jackson Kayak was really a no-brainer for me. EJ, the Jackson family, and myself had been friends for years. I loved to paddle with Eric, and just as much loved to compete against him. For us the two have always gone hand in hand. Everyday that we are on the water together it is “game on” as I believe that for both of us that kayaking with out competition would somehow be very different. I trusted and believed very much in Eric’s fresh ideas and philosophies regarding kayak design, the future of our sport, and business in the paddle sports industry in general. So, when the time was right for me to come aboard, I did so jumping with both feet despite what anybody else thought that I should do.
The truth is that I have never worked for a more professional and friendly group of people in my life as I do now with Jackson Kayak, and that is saying something as I have been doing this a long time. We have what I believe to be the best product in the world, and even more importantly at the best value. Jackson kayak is a 1 percent for the planet company and is surrounded by people who are more then willing to give what they have so that others might have the opportunity to live better lives. It makes me very proud to be part of a company with great people, great product, and great values.
Team Jackson Kayak, meaning the company as a whole, as well as the athletes making up what is traditionally thought of as a team is something awesome to be part of. It is the first time in all my years of kayaking that I am surrounded by a group of people who genuinely want everyone to do well.
Stephen Wright will come down to the water to help me with my competition ride knowing full well that his help might result in him being outscored, and that is inspiring to me. The amazing thing is that everyone on the team is like that, like a true team should be.
A lot of people; acquaintances, old team members, media, and friends, questioned me when I made the move to Jackson Kayak. Eight months later I don’t hear those questions anymore. I am now in what I believe to be an enviable situation, and I look at the company that I work for and what we are doing and can only smile.
Posted by Nadia at 10:43 AM | Comments (0)
June 07, 2006
Giro d'Italia & beyond
The Reno-Tahoe blog will occasionally feature entries from athletes sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, America's Adventure Place. Bobby Julich, professional cyclist, trains in the Reno-Tahoe area and has been cycling since before he entered and won his first Race, the Red Zinger Mini Classic, at the age of 13. Highlights of his professional career include a third place podium finish in the 1998 Tour de France riding for Cofidis, a Bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and a victory in the week long Paris-Nice race in 2005 with Team CSC.
Dear friends and fans in Reno/Tahoe:
I just finished the Tour of Italy, or Giro d'Italia, which is the first of two Grand Tours that I have on my racing schedule for this year. This was the first time that I have ever raced the Giro and it was a great experience. It was also the first time in my career that I raced without personal goals but rather as a loyal team support rider.
Cycling is a team sport, which not every observer may realize, and in a race that lasts 3 weeks the entire 9 man team works to have our star rider on the top step of the podium when the race finishes. For my team, CSC, our leader was Ivan Basso. Ivan has finished 2nd and 3rd in the last two Tour de France's and we put all of our effort behind him. We had somewhat of a shaky start, but Ivan took the overall lead on the 9th stage and he kept it all the way to the end of the race in Milan. It was a milestone victory for Team CSC as this was the first Grand Tour victory in the history of our team.
Personally, my first Giro was challenging in many ways. Not only did I find it difficult to keep my focus and morale high for three weeks, but I also had to deal with a severe allergy problem that crippled my performance in the first half of the race. I usually don't race in the month of May because I am normally back in Reno/Tahoe at that time training and resting after a difficult spring racing campaign in Europe. However, this year I decided to do the Giro to help Ivan as much as I could.
Unfortunately, Italy experienced one of it's worst allergy seasons in recent history due to a cold spring and I happened to be right in the middle of it! The problem with allergies is that they hit you out of nowhere. One day you are feeling fine, and then the next day you feel your performance drop significantly. As an athlete, it takes longer to realize the problem because we take it as an "off day" or rationalize it in other ways. Many people with allergies don't even know that they have them, so if you experience a sudden drop in performance during certain times of the year, it could be due to allergies.
There is little to no rest in the life of a professional cyclist, but I am now taking a short break to catch up with my family and recharge my batteries. Rest and recovery are important when you are competing as much as we do, especially when you are competing in more than one grand Tour per year. They can really take a toll on you both physically and emotionally. Before I know it, it will be time to get back on the bike and head off for Team CSC's training camp in preparation for the Tour de France.
The Tour de France is the biggest race in the world and both myself and Team CSC have high ambitions for it. Since I had some problems in the Giro, I am even more motivated for the Tour. With our win in the Giro we are going into the race as favorites for the overall victory again with Ivan Basso. The competition will be harder in the Tour than it was in the Giro, but I think that the experience that we gained in our 3 weeks in Italy will pay off big time in July.
Till next time, enjoy the ride,
Bobby
Posted by Nadia at 11:53 AM | Comments (0)
Teva & fast driving
The Reno-Tahoe Blog will occasionally feature entries from athletes sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, America's Adventure Place. Jay Kincaid, professional kayaker, has been paddling over half of his lifetime, and is back to blog about his life as a professional kayaker living in Reno, NV. As 2003 Freestyle Kayaking World Champion, 2001 U.S. National Champion and three-time U.S. Point Series Champion, Jay is the most proud of the many first descents he's done on rivers and waterfalls in his native Oregon and in California.
I am back out west from Colorado. The Teva Mountain Games went well but I am glad that it is over. I raced really well in the head to head race finishing in second in the time trial, less then 5/100's behind EJ. I also finished second in the actual race, behind EJ, and in front of Tao and Brad Ludden in the final heat. Much to my surprise one of the gate judges said that I missed a mandatory gate, and that resulted in a disqualification, putting E in fourth place. I am not really sure of how exactly that mistake happened but never the less it was disappointing to be disqualified after being so fast all day.
The freestyle event in Vail has been my long time nemesis. I have finished in the top three there five out of the six time that I have competed and have never won. This year I finished third which was again disappointing, but the good news is that we once again had a Jackson Kayak sweep. Actually 5 of the 6 medals from the men's and women's classes went to Jackson Kayaks.
I like to call that DOMINATION!
EJ won and Stephen was seond, both having unbelievable rides.
So, I drove back to Reno after the event as fast as I could trying for an unofficial World Record. The way I see it is that if I wasn't speeding I was wasting time. I made it from Vail to Reno in 12 hours and 15 minutes. You might want to Map Quest that one to get full appreciation.
I spent one day in Reno, surfed at the play park,and then hit the road for the Northern California Coast, and the home of Kokatat. I will be here until Thursday morning and then it is back to Reno for a few days.
I am looking forward to those days at home.
Posted by Nadia at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)
Eagle Falls: Lake Tahoe at its Finest
Climbing down to Eagle Falls
We found some magnificent views!
One of the best places to appreciate the sublime beauty of Lake Tahoe is from Eagle Falls, located on the southwest end of the lake. In addition to offering magnificent views of nearby Emerald Bay, the falls are quite spectacular.
The falls are easy to find, located adjacent to State Route 89, about. To get there, you basically park in one of the nearby lots and walk toward the sound of rushing water.
Eagle Creek pours out of the trees from the western side of the highway and flows under the road. The creek spills over a steep, granite bench to Lake Tahoe below.
Because of the above average snowfall last winter, Eagle Falls is bigger than normal. In fact, I've never seen so much water in the falls. Water has spread over the rock shelf at the head of the falls, covering boulders and trees that are usually on dry land.
The creek's waters are intensely cold and fresh. From the top, you can look over the edge and see the creek waters spilling down the hillside.
Last weekend, my son, daughter and I had a chance to marvel at this raging torrent of water. The creek poured over the rocks with such intensity that there was actually mist in the air.
Because of the size of the falls, we couldn't jump over them (as in drier years) or easily wade through them. To get to the other side, we had to walk back to the highway, cross over the stream, then wind our way through the rocks on the opposite side of the creek to find the best viewing spots. But it was worth it.
As we sat on the rocks, listening to the rushing water and the birds, looking out at Emerald Bay and Fannette Island, we talked about how beautiful it was and how we could sit there forever.
What a great place.----Richard Moreno
Posted by Rich Moreno at 09:36 AM | Comments (0)
June 05, 2006
Adventure Grrl Is Back
Adventure Grrl is back to the Reno-Tahoe Blog, after taking a hiatus to have a baby, now known as Adventure Baby. This past weekend, I was getting stir-crazy, being stuck at home for the past several weekends watching my infant daughter. Saturday night, the hubby and I packed up the baby and headed to Downtown Reno for a relaxing stroll and dinner.
We walked around the Truckee River Whitewater Park at Wingfield, where there was a concert in the ampitheater and kayakers playing in the water. The temperature was perfect, and it was a lovely time.
We then walked to Harrah's Reno and ate at Andreotti, which is a wonderful Italian restaurant. They have an amazing pianist/accordian player that really helps set the mood.
On Sunday, we hiked the Thomas Creek trail, which winds along a roaring creek (thanks to the snow melt) and amid a grove of Aspen trees. This trail is very close to Reno, and is a great escape from city life. The sounds and smells of the surrounding wilderness are extremely refreshing.
This is the Truckee River Whitewater Park at sunset:
This is my hubby and my daughter on a bridge over the Truckee River:
Posted by AdventureGrrl at 04:56 PM | Comments (0)
June 02, 2006
No More 3rd Place
The Reno-Tahoe Blog will occasionally feature entries from athletes sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, America's Adventure Place. Jay Kincaid, professional kayaker, has been paddling over half of his lifetime, and is back to blog about his life as a professional kayaker living in Reno, NV. As 2003 Freestyle Kayaking World Champion, 2001 U.S. National Champion and three-time U.S. Point Series Champion, Jay is the most proud of the many first descents he's done on rivers and waterfalls in his native Oregon and in California.
I have been in Colorado for over two weeks now and it has been a blast. I have participated in dealer sales events, taught clinics, paddled some creeks, talked at kayak clubs, and generally had a great time.
Yesterday was a really big event called the Paddler magazine Invitational.
It was held in Steamboat Springs and was a very unique event. There was a race and a freestyle event with the goal of finding out who the best all around kayaker is. Anybody who knows me knows that I wouldn't miss any opportunity to compete in this format. In the morning we had an extreme race on Fish Creek. I had what I thought to be a great run but ended up in third place. Then in the afternoon we had the freestyle competition which I was very confident about. In the end I won the rodeo and most importantly won the Over All Competition, proving that at the least on that day I was the best.
After many disappointing third place finished this year it felt really good to win a big event such as this.
Up next is the Teva Mountain Games. I will update you on that when it is finished.
Posted by Nadia at 02:26 PM | Comments (0)