By Michelle Portesi
Kokanee salmon spawning in Taylor Creek, CA
Last Year’s Fall Fish Festival was cancelled due to the government shutdown. Wouldn’t you know, Taylor Creek Visitor’s Center is one of the few National Parks in the Tahoe basin, as most are state run. But this year it’s on for this weekend October 4th and 5th from 10am until 4pm. The visitor center will play host to a full day of family fun sure to be both entertaining and informative. If you’ve never been there, do be sure to go to the river viewing chamber where you can watch what goes on under the water of a river bed. Fall is the best time to walk along the lovely trails that follow the river as the area is laden with aspens. Watch out for bears though, as fall is the time they engorge themselves on the spawning salmon in the creek as they fatten up for their winter hibernation.
Right next door is the Historic Baldwin Estate. While the tours through the old mansion have ended for the season, the grounds are still open for wandering. It’s one of the most peaceful and beautiful areas when you have it all to meander by yourself.
Lake Tahoe and Truckee abound in bike trails, perfect for a ride or a leisurely stroll.
If a bike ride is more in your plans, there is a wonderful bike trail that follows that entire area of South Lake Tahoe’s Historic Area. Camp Richardson is just down the road a piece, and will also be hosting its Octoberfest celebration this weekend as well. And a bike may be the best way to get around all of what’s going on there this weekend, as parking for your car can be a bit dicey with so many events in the area. If you do drive, plan to come early.
For more information, read up on everything that’s happening in the area here:
The Examiner- Fall Fish Festival at Taylor Creek Visitors Center
Octoberfest at Historic Camp Richardson Resort
Tahoe Heritage Foundation
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
By Michelle Portesi
Arial view of the King fire
As I’ve sat here choking on what passes for air here at Donner Lake due to the King fire, it occurred to me that most of us are woefully unprepared for these unfortunate events. The fire in Weed, California blew through town in a matter of 15 minutes. That’s not a lot of time to grab anything other than your loved ones, especially if you haven’t done some due diligence ahead of time should you have to bug out in a hurry. We empathize with those for whom disaster has struck, but rarely does that motivate us to do what we know we should preparedness wise, thinking it won’t happen to us.
There but for the grace of God go we…
However, with the fire recently in the Hellhole and French Meadows reservoir area, a mere few miles from Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, Truckee and the West Shore of Lake Tahoe, the possibility of evacuation became uncomfortably real. Just a few weeks ago there was a small earthquake recorded outside of Tahoe Vista. I took those as a cue to get my ‘disaster preparedness’ act together. Here are a few tips to help us all get started.
Defensible Space. We’ve all heard this before, but get those pine needles, pine cones and other detritus away from the house. They go up like a Roman candle once aflame. The best defense against fire is to not give it any fuel to get started in the first place.
In addition, the forest service has bans on campfires in any back country and restrictions within campgrounds. Check out their latest alerts before you go. And no throwing cigarette butts around. I’m always stunned when I see people doing this out of car windows on the freeway or just tossing them on the ground. As Smokey the Bear says, ‘Only YOU can prevent wildfires’.
Standard plastic file box can hold your most important papers and a few valuables and/or sentimental items.
A ‘Bug Out’ Box. My name for it. As I looked around my home, I realized that most of it was just ‘stuff’. They were things I would be sad if I lost them, but they weren’t imperative for survival…or at least survival in the modern world. Take photos of it all and have it on your portable devices or online photo sites for insurance purposes. For the important things though, gather up necessary paperwork like passports, marriage license, social security cards, car titles, medical records, insurance policies, you get the idea…all in a waterproof file box, ready to grab at a moments notice. These items are a pain in the neck to replace and/or track down if lost. It’s bad enough you are evacuated or even lost your home. Proving to various government agencies and corporate entities that you actually exist is a nightmare you really don’t need on top of it. If you have valuables such as jewelry, or small, sentimental items you’d be heartbroken to lose, consider dropping those into the box as well.
Laptop, Nook Book, power cords, toiletries, jeans, long sleeved shirt, underwear…
…and the 15″ W x 12″H bag isn’t even close to being full yet.
The Overnight Bag A refugee who grew up in a war torn area had some insights on how having a few everyday items became much valued luxuries in an emergency. While they wouldn’t be considered necessities for actual survival, they went a long way in keeping her feeling somewhat human and hopeful when everything around her was falling apart. A pre-packed overnight bag in the house or left in the car is handy should you have to evacuate on short notice. Include a change of clothes, underwear, socks, hair brush, travel sizes of toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and soap, wash cloth and any other items to make you feel more comfortable. My overnight bag also fits my laptop, nook book, power cords and such, – and no, it’s not huge.
Just another standard sized file box full of emergency items.
The Car Box. Due to our area, most of us are somewhat prepared for bad weather. I know people who’ve gotten stuck on I-80 overnight, and we’ve all heard about people stranded in their cars in the back country during a freak storm, so my sleeping bag and a warm, wool blanket stay in my car year round. Along with the emergency box of jumper cables, flares and quarts of oil for the car, why not also have an emergency car box for you? Mine has a travel rain poncho packet, a gallon or two of water, flashlight, toilet paper, large garbage bags, matches in a jar, candles in metal containers, mess kit, a multi-purpose tool, some canned food, a can opener… AND – this is huge for me! – some instant coffee and a metal coffee cup… among other items. I originally started the box as an impromptu camping gear box, but if you’re stranded in your car or have to evacuate, especially in cold weather, some of these items can be the difference between life and death.
And if you have pets, don’t forget some food for them too!
FEMA suggests a 3 day supply of food and water. A gallon of water per person per day for 3 days.
All Through The House. Not all disasters involve evacuation. Weather and earthquakes can barricade us IN our homes or just cut us off from all access to ‘the grid’ that we’ve become so reliant on. Here in snow country, we’re fairly used to the power going out, sometimes for days at a time. But the sewer not working? And it’s hard to imagine not having access to water, especially when we have so much of it around us. But what if? It’s always a good idea to have a few gallons of potable water stored, (or at the very least, some chlorine to purify it) and non perishable food stocked up. Here are a few other items that we should have on hand in case of an emergency.
*Emergency radio, preferably battery operated or solar powered with hand crank. Some can be used to power up your cell phone.
*A standard land line phone for when the power goes out.
*Flashlights, extra batteries, candles, oil lamps, matches and such.
*First Aid Kit.
* A stash of Cash
* A 5 gallon bucket or two. Good for toting water and a variety of other uses. Add a small toilet seat on top and you have an impromptu commode. Keep a bag of peat moss or sawdust for sprinkling over the ‘output’. You now have a compost toilet that doesn’t stink.
* A full, small, propane tank if you have a propane BBQ. Charcoal briquettes if you don’t. Hot Coffee! Hot Grub! You’re golden!
Sadly, I am not currently living in a home with a wood stove, but when I did, I always appreciated that I could do two of the most basic winter needs in life. Stay warm and cook a hot meal in a pinch. And of course, make coffee!
For more ‘In Case of an Emergency’ ideas and check lists, here are a few sites to visit.
FEMA Emergency Supply List
CDC Emergency Checklist
Preparedness.com
Sign up for a Nixle account, or the El Dorado, Nevada (YubaNet) or Placer County sites for text message alerts to your cell phone about imminent dangers in your area.
Stay Safe, My Friends.
And if you have some great ideas of your own to add to the list, please feel free to leave a comment.
THINK OF ME, LYNN RICHARDSON, FOR ALL OF YOUR LAKE TAHOE AND TRUCKEE REAL ESTATE NEEDS!
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
By Tim Hauserman
Start of Ironman
You’ve been seeing them all summer, but especially the last month. Riding the Kings Beach-Tahoe City-Truckee Triangle with their beautiful Tri bikes. Swimming along the shoreline of Lake Tahoe. Or running on the bike trail between Tahoe City and Squaw Valley. They are Ironman athletes, training for what is regarded as one of the toughest Ironman competitions in the world, the second annual Ironman Lake Tahoe, on September 21st.
The Lake Tahoe Ironman begins in Kings Beach. The racers step into the chilly waters of Lake Tahoe at 7 am for a 2.4 mile open water swim. They emerge from the water and try to quickly transition to their bike. A bit of a challenge since they are freezing cold. There is plenty of time to warm up, however, as now they face a 112 mile bike ride. They head towards Tahoe City, then down the Truckee River corridor to Truckee, where after wondering around Truckee they ride back to Kings Beach. Ah, but first they have to take a tour of Northstar and climb over Brockway Summit. From Kings Beach they do another complete lap, and then continue on from Kings Beach to Tahoe City again before heading into Squaw Valley.
Cycling along Lake Tahoe
Now it’s time for the athletes to run a Marathon. That’s right. After swimming nearly 2 and a half miles, and riding a grueling 112 miles, they have to run a marathon. The run takes the racers through Squaw Valley and a tour of the Resort at Squaw Creek before heading down the bike trail towards Tahoe City. They run several laps to get in the necessary number of miles before racing or stumbling to the grand finale in Squaw Valley. But they don’t have much time to stumble, because the clock is ticking and they have to finish before midnight to be Ironmen.
The last leg
If racing in the Ironman is not in the cards, you definitely want to watch it. You can join the thousands of volunteers helping the athletes, or pick a spot along the course to cheer them on. There are a number of traffic restrictions and road closures in the Tahoe-Truckee region on September 21, so be sure and find out all the details at the official Ironman Lake Tahoe website. http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman/lake-tahoe.aspx#axzz3Bb7W5CpK
(Photos from the Ironman Website)
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
YOUR FRIEND IN HIGH PLACES 