Lake Tahoe 2016

14-24 May 2016

14 May, Sat – We left around 0900 in drizzle, filled up at Tumwater Costco and Eugene Costco. Just beyond Eugene we turned off I-5 and headed east and south through pleasant forested country over Willamette Pass. We stopped for a break at a FS campground on Odell (?) Lake. We hit US 97 at Crescent Junction and continued south to Klamath Falls. I noted that the north entrance to Crater Lake was not open at this time this year. We checked into the Maverick Motel (54.60) which was right in the old downtown area. We had dinner at Arby’s using our coupon for a free orange crème shake for dessert. The Bourbon Steak Burger and curly fries were pretty good, too.

15 May, Sun – We got a relatively early start after a typical motel cold cereal, yogurt breakfast. I skipped the packaged sweet rolls and hot chocolate (and regretted it later…). Just inside CA we stopped in Tulelake to visit a TI for information about the Japanese internment camp in the area, but the TI wasn’t open – too early in the season. We found the camp in/near Newell but there was not much there – just a monument, plaque and sign. We backtracked a couple of miles so we could take the northern route into the Lava Beds National Monument. We stopped at the Petroglyphs where we realized that we needed to break out some warmer clothing if we were going to do anything outdoors. We also stopped at Hospital Rock, Canby’s Cross and Captain Jack’s Stronghold where we walked the shorter of the two loops. Heading farther into the lava flows and spatter cone we stopped to explore Fleener Chimneys. Later we stopped at the VC then headed out of the NM and south bypassing Canby, and through Adin. Crossing a high point in the Modoc National Forest, C.J. spotted a mountain lion! We stopped for a break at a FS CG and a ranger agreed that this area had a number of cougars. We took another break in Susanville where we took advantage of the last day of the Frappuccino Happy Hour deal at Starbucks. On US  395 we cruised south to Reno where we made it to Costco around 1700 (before closing time of 1800 on Sundays). We had to wait for a rotisserie chicken and we also bought a bunch of fruit (gas 2.599) So we were worried when we had to stop at a California inspection station on I-80 near Truckee; but the agent just waved us on through  without even asking what we had. We got to the Olympic Village Inn (OVI) at Squaw Valley after 1800, registered and used a trolley to get most of our stuff to our third-floor room. There was some rain as we drove from Reno up to Squaw, but it was only misting as we unloaded. Chicken, salad and bread for dinner in our tiny, partial kitchen and combination living room-dining room with a foldout table.

16 May, Mon – We got up early enough to have breakfast and get to a 0930 activities presentation (with good muffins and juice). The report was that hiking to the usual mountain lakes was not possible because there was so much snow. In fact, the ski area was still operating in the higher reaches. Base altitude is around 6200 and the aerial tram goes up to 8200 or so. There was snow visible on the slopes around us, but none at the valley bottom. We had our snowshoes with us so we may have been more prepared for snow than other guests. After not winning anything at the raffle, we packed a lunch and our paddle gear and by 1100 were on our way to do a kayak trip from Baldwin Beach on the southwest end of Lake Tahoe. It was a fairly long drive in traffic made even slower (and longer) by three areas of construction. Once out of Tahoe City, the route was in the forest and through several state parks and national forest recreation areas. There were lots of cars in the trailheads near Emerald Bay/Eagle Falls/Eagle Lake, and the road got really interesting as it traversed a narrow ridgetop high above the lake. Baldwin Beach seemed to be a USFS picnic area and we had to pay an entry fee, reduced by half with our “golden geezer” pass (4). The wind was light and the sky was mostly sunny as we set off from the coarse sand beach around 1235. We stuck close to the shore as we paddled northwest, first passing a dozen lakeshore houses. Then we paddled north along what appeared to be unspoiled forest on steep slopes (but probably it had been reclaimed from development in the past as cables and tracks seemed to indicate). Eagle Point at the head of Emerald Bay had eagle or osprey nests and a few raptors as well. We occasionally caught sight of the heads of young nestlings. Once within Emerald Bay, we pulled in to a sandy beach and had lunch. No one joined us and there were few powerboats and only a couple of other kayaks. After lunch we continued along the SE shore with Fannette Island and its ruined teahouse on our right. At the head of the bay we stopped on a sandy beach near a pier and got out to explore the exterior of Vikingsholm, a 1929 mansion built to resemble a Viking castle, if there was ever such a thing. The main building was stone but the annexes were carved wood with sod roofs, very cool. The tours of the interior occur only during the summer season. Back on the water, we paddled in a brisk headwind along the NW shore, past the boat camp. Once we passed Eagle Point again, the wind must have been at our backs because we made good time along the shore. We had hauled the boat up the sandy beach by 1600, but we needed a rest before we hoisted it onto the Sorento’s racks. Traffic on the way back was much better and we had only one construction stop. However, we stopped at Inspiration Point and at Eagle Falls both above Emerald Bays for photos and views. In Tahoe City we found a CVS pharmacy where C.J. could replace her left-behind face cream. Safeway provided a jar of salsa so that we could have a snack back at OVI with drinks before dinner.

17 May, Tue – As much as I would have liked to get an early start for what promised to be a long hike, we were not out to the car and packing up until 0930. At 1000 we let the OVI front desk know that we were going to hike up the Shirley Lake Trail (“always let someone know where you are hiking”) Not having done enough research, we used the trailhead right behind OVI, signed Shirley Canyon Trail (with a temporary sign recommending not using it due to late season snow). We were carrying snowshoes strapped to our packs in case we encountered deep, soft snow. The trail climbed steeply for a short distance until it intersected the Granite Chief trail (route to Tinkers Knob). At about 0.7 mi we headed left (W) when the GC trail continued north. No one (not the guidebook, either) had noted that we would have trouble crossing Squaw Creek (usually an easy boulder hop across a mostly dry stream) which was roaring with spring snowmelt. We could see people on the south side of the creek where the Shirley Lake trail was located. Finally, after following a herd path along the creek and up a climb to a less steep area, we found a usable log spanning the slower moving stream. Once across we saw only a couple of people and most were wearing sneakers, so they were probably not planning on going all the way to the lake. We missed a sharp right turn in a snowy area where the trail crossed a side creek and followed another herd path that put us at the base of a steep area guarded by slide alder and other dense brush. We used the Backcountry Navigator app on my phone to figure that we had to move to the right (N) to get to the “official” blue-paint blazed trail. We passed under a ski lift (Silverado?) and crossed another stream before reaching the granite slabs where we could see the trail markers. A good-sized waterfall was pouring off one side of the slabs, but the trail ascended the left side and wasn’t wet enough to be slippery. Although we had had to cross several patches of snow, there was none on the slabs; still the climbing took all of our attention as it was a real scramble and the wind gusts had picked up. Once above the slabs at about 13:00 we stopped for lunch in a sheltered, snowfree dell. From there on to Shirley Lake, about 0.5 mi and 200 ft above, we were on firm snow and had to kick steps. The lake was snow covered and there was an out-of-service chair lift that went from near it to the 8000 ft crest above. Since it was already after 14:00 and the last tram (free to hikers going down) was at 16:20 (probably…unless it got canceled by the strong winds or didn’t run that late until Memorial Day weekend, or…) So we decided not to go for the probable free ride from where we were at the lake at 7500 ft to the tram at 8200 ft on steepish snow. That meant we’d have to negotiate the snow slopes back to the slabs, then scramble down and find the trail we had missed on the way up and hike back to the trail head – only about 2.2 mi according to the trail description in the guidebook (Hikes in the Northern Sierra, a Falcon guide). We met a few hikers on the way out but none seemed equipped for the hike all the way to the lake or beyond to High Camp and the Tram (and we may have looked a bit over-equipped with our high gaiters, trekking poles and snowshoes). A big letdown was when we reached the trailhead and found that we could not get back across Squaw Creek to OVI without walking about three-quarters of a mile to the nearest bridge near the Village. Back at OVI we dropped our snowshoes at the car and checked in a the front desk – different people but they were aware that we were out and were waiting for us. We had a drink and some snacks before dinner. At 1840 we went to the lobby for a PowerPoint presentation on the California Emigrant Trail history by Mark McLaughlin, a local author.

18 May, Wed – got up at 0830 and C.J. worked on her Flying Thai article and talked to Nick about the Luis-Zac article, then worked on some other stuff. At 1215 we picked up our free rental bikes from the activities coordinators at OVI. We took the bike trail down the Squaw Valley Road to Hwy 89 and followed the Truckee River bike path along the river about four miles. We turned around just beyond The Ramparts, a wall-like outcrop that must have extended across the valley at one time. We stopped to eat our picnic lunch at a trail pullout near River Ranch Restaurant at the junction with Alpine Meadows Rd., then pedaled back up the hill to Squaw Valley. We left our bikes locked to a rack and walked through the Olympic Valley “Village” of overpriced outdoor gear shops and restaurants. We were curious as to what the tram would cost if one boarded in the valley rather than at High Camp. A guide told us it was $39 ($29 for seniors). We returned the bikes at 1530 and made a strawberry-banana smoothie with the blender C.J. had borrowed from the front desk (there’s probably all kinds of things available if you ask). We rested for a while before the 1730 wine-and-cheese social. There weren’t enough seats so we sat on the floor and chatted with some of the other guests. At the raffle, we won an RCI resort stay (but when we picked it up, we found out that we would have to pay $250; still, we wouldn’t have to use up any points, and an exchange is going to cost $160 anyway). Later we donned our swimsuits and the provided robes and went down to a hot tub [one of 4 or more, not counting the heated outdoor pool (84 deg)] and visited with a newlywed couple of about our age. He had been on the south side of Mt. St. Helens when it erupted in 1980. A journalist for UPI (or AP?), he had been covering election issues in Portland and SW WA and just happened to be up there doing interviews with local loggers. The couple had also been to Iceland recently so there was a lot to talk about. We never did decide to have any dinner but I mixed up the last half bottle of Key Lime Refreshe with a splash of tequila – pretty good.

19 May, Thu – Up at 0800, made a big breakfast of French toast and bacon. Then around 1030 we took our hiking gear to the next valley to the south of Squaw – Alpine Meadow. We spotted a coyote as we looked for the Five Lakes trailhead. The trail went seriously uphill for the first mile and we hit snow there as we passed under a chairless chairlift. The trail was dry again as we “contoured up” Bear Creek Valley toward the headwall which separated Squaw from Alpine Meadow. There was continuous snow as we hit the woods around the Five Lakes, but we detoured and climbed north to the 7800 ft saddle on the ridge above so we could look across at High Camp. Squaw Valley itself was not visible from where we were near the top of one of the (not-running) lifts. We ate lunch in a dry area and the wind which had been strong and gusty on the last part of the climb was not a problem. We had not brought our snowshoes this time and the snow was compact enough that we could walk on top of it. After lunch we dropped back down to the “trail” in the woods and followed boot tracks through the snow to the lake. On the way we ran into Chris and Daniel Degrazio from a western suburb of SLC. She had lost a Costco version of the Yaktrak which we found later. The largest lake was partly melted along the shore with the characteristic aqua color where there was snow or ice under the surface. I filled my water bottle and treated the water with the new Steripen (2x, because it was bigger than 500ml). Returning we retraced the snowy route through fir trees and Jeffery (?) pines, then down the  (mostly) dry trail back to the car by around 1615. Back at the condo I blended up a strawberry-banana-yogurt smoothie. The basic Osterizer 10-speed blender worked remarkably well, even dealing with the five large ice cubes. C.J. worked on editing and her article. Later we had spaghetti with chicken and red sauce and salad. We spent an hour talking with Chris and Daniel in the third floor lounge after returning the Yaktrak.

20 May, Fri – Slept in until 0830, then made an omelet for breakfast. We spent most of the morning and early afternoon editing the Jul-Aug magazine. About noon it started snowing and by late afternoon there was snow piling up on our kayak and the grounds of the resort were covered. No hiking or biking today. Later, we watched “Tim’s Vermeer” and had another strawberry-banana smoothie and some M/W popcorn. By dinner time we were hearing reports of I-80 being closed over Donner Summit or requiring chains (and I hadn’t even considered bringing chains to California). We hoped for the forecast 1-3 inches to end in the evening or overnight, and for the roads to get cleared before we had to check out at 1100. Around 2100 I had to call Maintenance to come up and unclog our kitchen-sink drain. The maintenance guy had an electric snake that did the job in less than an hour.

21 May, Sat – I made Krusteaz pancakes for breakfast; they were not very good (did we just forget how bad they always were?). We got packed up and checked out by 1000. The snow had stopped and the sun was shining on the ~2 in. of snow everywhere but on the road. We drove SR 89 to Truckee then west on Donner Summit Road to the Donner Memorial State Park ($7 for senior parking). We walked around the bronze Memorial on its 22ft pedestal (the depth of the snow that winter in 1846-47). When went inside the new (in June 2015) Emigrant Trail Museum/Visitor Center and viewed all the exhibits and watched the movie at 1100. When we came out, it was cloudy and spitting snow again. We drove up toward the pass and stopped before the curving  Rainbow Bridge, an engineering wonder in its day, put on our boots, hats and parkas (in late May!) and walked over to the China Wall memorial and on to the granite slabs where there were some obscure and faint petroglyphs. We could have scrambled up the snowy slabs to the carefully stacked rocks of the China Wall (fill under the trackbed of the continental RR) and walked into the old tunnels, but it looked slippery and we had not brought our trekking poles and it was getting windier and snowier. We returned to the car and drove the short distance to the vista point just short of the bridge where we got a few pictures in the freezing, blowing snow. We continued driving on US 40 over Donner Summit (7056 ft) and stopped briefly in the parking lot of the Donner Ski Ranch to look back to where the PCT should have been visible skirting the base of Mt. Judah but there was too much snow in the air to see it. As we descended we ran out of snow around 4000 ft. It was all downhill for many miles. We stopped at a rest area that displayed a hydraulic mining cannon [1850s to 1880s, $100 million worth of gold, stopped by federal injunction]. Traffic was slow at the I-80/50 merge and several other places, esp. SR 37 near the race track. We got to Ginny’s around 1700, seven hours for a three-hour trip! Ginny had prepared a tasty pot roast dinner.

22 May, Sun – Wally went off to work with five students at Ed Levin. Ginny’s patient was being kept in the hospital so she did not have to see her on her day off. We cooperatively made bacon and eggs with C.J.’s tea bread (coffee cake... tea bread) for breakfast. I read over the PASA newsletter to see what Wally was dealing with as a paragliding school owner. It looked like I could save a Google Earth picture as a jpeg and then label it in a photo editor to help Wally with that part of the PASA application. In the afternoon we built an a-frame cage to cover the new blueberry bushes. We took a break around 1530 for bagels and lox for lunch. Wally got home in time to find his drill-driver and help screw the frames together. Later Ginny and C.J. put together a delicious chicken casserole (the last of the Costco chicken from Reno) and served it with corn on the cob. We had some peanut butter buddy bars for dessert. C.J. did the copy-editing for Wally’s PASA proposal while he and I stuck some labels on some Google Earth photos. [Later we found out that his proposal was accepted, and then after another application, he got his certification and was able to buy the necessary insurance under the PASA plan. He would not have to retire early after all.]

23 May, Mon – Wally had thought that conditions might be good enough at Potato to make a trip up there with us worthwhile. (He had a wing or two that needed test flights.)  But in the morning XCSkies did not show good lift, or top-of-lift numbers so a trip to Potato was out. After Ginny left for work we were considering what to have for breakfast when Wally offered to take us out to breakfast at Lundy’s in downtown San Rafael. It didn’t take but a few minutes to get the rest of our stuff back in the car; we followed Wally down the hill and parked at the Wells Fargo parking garage. Surprisingly for a Monday, the restaurant was full so we went a few doors down to another breakfast-lunch (and evening bar) place. The eggs-sausage-French toast was good; C.J. had a big Italian -omelet; And Wally had the 3-egg special. By 1010 or so we were heading north via 101-37- I-80 – I-505 – I-5. We stopped for gas at Vacaville Costco (2.399) [This time I didn’t have any problem with the flow of gas shutting off as I did on the 21^st when we stopped there during construction.] We stopped in Williams to visit Brother Bill and see his new (to him, 2005) motorhome. An hour later we were back on the road. Shasta Lake looked full for the first time in years. I drove through Weed to see the effects of the forest fire. Shasta was obscured by the clouds. We stopped in Medford for Costco gas (2.379) and then stopped to buy 3 baskets of strawberries at our favorite fruit stand on the way to Jacksonville and Barbara’s yurt. Barb was at her Aikido class in Ashland so we had a salad for dinner (the rest of the unfrozen lettuce, some chicken, grapes and strawberries). Chips and a beer added some carbs. Later it started to rain hard and a small section of the yurt leaked, luckily not over the bed. When Barb got back she had lots of news (and gossip) to share.

24 May, Tues – We drove home without running into any real slowdowns. We stopped for gas before Portland in Wilsonville and in Covington. And we tried the $2 MacDonald frappes and smoothies when we took a break in Tumwater.