Author Archive
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No matter how long I live in the area, I’m always amazed at the new things I stumble upon that I never knew existed. Recently I had the pleasure of discovering a wonderful place to have lunch among well kept gardens and tranquil streams and ponds.
I hidden gem on HWY 49 between Sierraville and Sierra City is Big Springs Gardens. The Sacramento Bee calls it ‘A little Monet in the Mountains”. We had a marvelous buffet lunch and then worked off some of the decadent desserts we couldn’t pass up wandering the trails and admiring their well kept grounds. Definitely a labor of love, the owners have taken great care to create a tranquil environment to go with their well thought out brunch offerings.
Reservations are necessary, as they have only one seating and are closed on Monday and Tuesday. Cash or check only, as they do not accept debit or credit cards. Well worth the restrictions, you can either just tour the gardens for $15 per person, or $35 for the weekday buffet brunch or $39 for the weekend BBQ – and get the gardens thrown in for good measure.
We had a marvelous meal and a most pleasant afternoon. To be sure, this is definitely on my list to return to again in the future.
Call 530-862-1333 for reservations – or visit their website at www.bigspringsgardens.com
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
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No, I’m not trying to tell you to get lost. The high Sierra are filled with many wonderful places to explore the beaten or unbeaten paths, back country, hidden lakes, gorgeous waterfalls, or just enjoy nature while getting some exercise and fresh air.
One of the favorite hikes is what locals call the ‘Shirley Lake’ hike. Located at Squaw Valley, you can either take the tram up to the top and hike down (you’re now committed to doing the entire hike. No taxi to pick you up if you decide you’ve had enough fun halfway down), or you can start at the bottom and hike up as far as you like, and turn around when you choose to. (Take the road that is right of the tram building. Follow the road straight until you see some boulders in front of the dirt trail head veering off to your right. Follow until you meet up with the main trial head which will veer to the left and start rising uphill).
The bottom half of the hike is relatively easy, and even most kids can manage it. It’s the prettiest part of the hike as it follows Squaw Creek and there are waterfalls aplenty for most of the way…depending on what month you do the hike. Some years bless us with ample winter snowpack and the creek is flowing well into the fall. On years that mother nature gets stingy with the white stuff, the creek can stop flowing by August. Hike early in the summer and the water rushes and gushes. Later in the summer and you can hike up the middle of the falls while water gently flows around you.
Wild shooting star columbine and thimbleberry
Wildflowers greet you throughout the hike. Look for columbine, penstemon, squaw carpet and thimbleberry, among many others along the trail.
Partway up the hike you enter the area we call ‘the enchanted forest’. Here the trees are thick and the area heavily shaded and mysterious. It has the look straight out of an illustration for any given book of fairy tales. One half expects to greet little red riding hood along the trail or a few pixies peeking out from behind the flora.
The top of the hike is much more strenuous. Most of it is above the treeline, so it can feel pretty toasty up there on a hot summer day as you scramble across granite sheets of rock. Wear plenty of sunscreen. You’re at altitude and can burn easily here…and don’t forget plenty of water.
You eventually will come to Shirley Lake, which is at the bottom of one of Squaw Valley’s famous ski runs. After taking some time here to relax and catch your breath, hike the rest of the way up to Squaw’s high camp for some refreshments, swim in their pool, and/or to take the tram back down. Make sure to bring money or a credit card. You’ll need to pay to use the pool or take the tram to get back to the bottom again. Otherwise you’re hoofing it all the way back down again.
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Ah the bookstore! They are certainly wonderful places to browse for books, but they are also an intellectual place of refuge, and on one of our rare rainy days, a great escape. But unfortunately, bookstores have become rare gems, we only have one left in the North Tahoe-Truckee area (and a few good ones in nearby Reno). While The Bookshelf closed it’s Tahoe City operation last year, it has moved it’s Truckee store to just a few doors down from Wild Cherries. There you can still thumb through the latest best seller, or get some staff tips on books to read, but perhaps most importantly, you can pick up a copy of one of our regional titles. Need a guidebook to the local hiking trails, or a tome on the colorful history of our area? The bookshelf will have that. And you might just have the opportunity to meet the author at a book signing or slide presentation at the store as well.
If this bookstore, is to remain a vibrant part of Truckee, however, we not only have to enjoy their great ambiance, but on the way out the door must actually pull out our credit cards and buy books. Supporting our local bookstores provides a win-win-win situation. We get to have a bookstore in Truckee to wander through, we sustain a local small business and it’s employees, and we support a community of local writers who produce the reading material that helps us better understand our beautiful little corner of the world. So next time you hit Wild Cherries for your afternoon cup of Joe, pick up something to read first.
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
YOUR FRIEND IN HIGH PLACES 