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By Michelle Portesi
Nestled in the Pla Vada tract of Soda Springs, a mere minute walk to the Yuba River, this cozy A frame has so much potential. Listed at only $209,900, it’s easily one of the least expensive homes in the area. While older and a bit neglected, as a designer, I can tell you this house just screams ‘potential’. Backing up to forest views, the house has both a front and a back deck and overlooks a front yard that given some wildflower seeds and a few native ornamental bushes could be the epitome of the word ‘charm’.
Pla Vada Area A Frame Home
The interior has an open floor plan with a wonderful wood burning stove, perfect for keeping you toasty warm on those crisp winter days as you watch the snow fall from a wall of windows. Summer finds you close to a plethora of hiking trails and lakes in addition to shopping and dining, as Truckee is only a few minutes away. With easy access off of I-80, this is the perfect 2nd home for a quick zip up from Sacramento or the Bay Area. Planning to live here year round? This home’s price point is perfect for a first time home buyer.
Living Room
Wood burning stove for toasty warmth
I specialize in Kitchen and Bath Design, and I can truly say that the kitchen with a little bit of effort and a small investment could be so very wonderful. It already has a working vintage range that can be the centerpiece of an inexpensive and much more useable kitchen update.
Kitchen View
There is a small downstairs bedroom with a lot of potential and a huge loft bedroom that has a large area perfect for a small office that overlooks the wall of windows and the living area below.
Loft Bedroom
The bathroom has a certain mountain charm to it and is good to go, with a full bathtub for soaking after a hard day of skiing or hiking. Or update it with a large walk in shower if you want something more contemporary and elegant.
Full Bath
For more information on this property, go to Lynn Richardson Coldwell Banker Real Estate Website. Then call Lynn today to set up an appointment to view this property. Bring your open mind and creativity (and your checkbook!), as this is truly a diamond in the rough.
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By Tim Hauserman
Scenic view high above Lake Tahoe along the Fiberboard Freeway
The Fiberboard Freeway winds through US Forest Service land between Highway 267 at Brockway Summit and Tahoe City. The name comes from the former owner of the property, the Fiberboard logging company. Freeway is a tongue in cheek phrase to refer to what is certainly the major road through the forest, but is by no means an actual freeway. Really, it means that much of it has pavement.
The Fiberboard Freeway is the main artery for mountain bikers to access the elaborate network of trails that include the Tahoe Rim Trail, Watson Lake and The Western States trails. You can start at Brockway Summit, or head up to the Fiberboard from Tahoe Cross-Country Ski Area outside of Tahoe City. While the dirt trails that head off from the Fiberboard are prime mountain biking terrain, the road can also serve as a very worthwhile road biking destination. The first 10 miles from Brockway Summit towards Tahoe City are paved, and very lightly traveled. So why not ride out and back and enjoy a road ride through the middle of the forest? I can’t think of a reason.
While it is just a 20 mile round trip, if you are looking for exercise, you can find enough on this route. There is not a lot of flat. The first six miles is a mostly uphill jaunt to the top of Starratt Pass, where you will find an offshoot trail to Watson Lake. Along the climb you will find frequent glimpses of Tahoe, cross the Tahoe Rim Trail twice, and pass some impressive trees and fields of mule ears.
Then you begin a long and steady downhill, which eventually bottoms out before climbing again to a crossing of Stump Meadow, or what nordic skiers will know as the top of the Gold Trail. Just a bit further brings you to the end of the pavement and your turn around point.
Fiberboard Freeway
On the way back, Great Ski Race skiers will start to have flashbacks, as your ride back to the top of Starratt is the same route you would be skiing in the race. You decide whether skiing it or riding it is easier.
Words of caution: While the good news is that you are riding on pavement through the forest with almost no cars, rain and other cars have dragged gravel and dirt on the road in some spots. Take those downhills a little more cautiously then you would if you were on the smooth pavement.
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By Michelle Portesi
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I’ve lived at Donner Lake off and on for years, and I’m just now discovering this hike…literally a mile from my home. That’s what’s so great about living here in the Sierra’s – no matter how long you’ve lived here, there is always something new to discover. Coldstream Canyon is actually considered part of the Donner Memorial State Park, with the entrance road literally hugging the campgrounds.
Located right off the I-80 freeway’s Donner Pass Road/Donner Lake exit on the east end of Donner Lake, go straight from the off ramp and drive to the end of the road, park your car and hike up along the creek. This is also a great area for mountain biking, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. The Truckee River Watershed Council has been working diligently to return this area to its original wetlands and has been an active steward of the creek area, as Cold Creek feeds into the Truckee River. It is still a railroad corridor, and there are plans for housing development in the lower section that was once a gravel quarry.
With so little snow last winter, I was surprised to see the creek still flowing with water. About a mile in you’ll reach meadows and marshland. I didn’t hike in as far as I would have liked this foray, but rumor has it that for a true back country experience, you can make your way to Lost Trail Lodge. It’s completely off the grid, but this is no Quonset hut. In the summer there is a jeep road that can take you all the way up if you have a 4 x 4 but you’ll have to park a 1/4 mile away from the lodge if you only have 2 wheel drive. In the winter however, you’ll be snowshoeing, cross country skiing or snowmobiling your way in and out.
Heavy rains just days before this picture was shot caused a landslide further upstream that made for some murky waters running through the creek. Photo by Michelle Portesi
You can read more about the history of Coldstream Canyon and the ongoing projects on the Truckee Watershed website. Be sure to check their calendar for upcoming events. There will be a River Talk this Thursday, August 21 at 8am and another in Tahoe City on August 25.
You can read an overview of the proposed development at Coldstream Canyon at the Tahoe Daily Tribune
For ongoing updates on the Coldstream Canyon Development, you can check in on the Town of Truckee website.
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
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