Archive for the ‘Summer Recreation’ Category
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The Rainbow Lodge, tucked next to a lovely pool of the Yuba River on Old Highway 40 just a few miles west of Donner Summit, has reopened for business under new ownership and with a new name (Rainbow Tavern and Lodge) on February 20th. Currently it is open to bed and breakfast guests, with plans underway to open the bar and once popular restaurant in the spring.
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The Rainbow Lodge was most recently owned by Royal Gorge Cross-Country Ski Area. A fond memory for many a Tahoe area Nordic skier was having the rare opportunity of skiing from Summit Station at Royal Gorge all the way to Rainbow Lodge. With the failure a few years ago of the previous ownership of Royal Gorge, the Lodge set vacant until Craig and Wendy Mitchell from Rocklin recently purchased the property. The Mitchell’s plan on remodeling and upgrading the facility, while keeping its classic Sierra charm.
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The charming wood and rock structure that is Rainbow Lodge was built in the late 1800s. With it’s rustic wood bar, and comfy fireplace, it was always a happy place to spend a night in the snow. It has been a gambling hall, a stage stop, and a popular fishing spot where the Rainbow trout you caught could be cooked by the Rainbow Lodge chef for your enjoyment. It also sits next to an artesian spring water source that has been a supplier for drinking water companies. The popular Loch Levon Lakes hiking trail is just down the road, and the Lodge is on the route of one of the Tahoe-Truckee area’s most popular road bike routes from Donner Lake to Cisco Grove.
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Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
Yes, it’s that time of year again. When we take stock of 2013, and make plans for the steps we want to take in 2014. Let’s not call them resolutions, because we know those usually don’t work. What if instead, we just look at doing a few things in 2014 that will make us feel good, while maybe doing good for the community as well:
1) Find a local organization to support: While giving is an important part of what makes the winter holidays special, how about continuing that spirit of giving all year round? In fact the organizations that do good around these parts probably need our help even more once the soft glow of Christmas giving has flittered away. Whether it’s a financial donation or a gift of your time, it will be greatly appreciated and will brighten up the lives of those in need. Hands on Tahoe is a wonderful organization that connects volunteers to the community.
Community Christmas Food Drive
2) Try a new sport: Have you paddleboarded, kayaked, road biked, cross-country skied or snowshoed? Or thought about trying something a little more daring like snow kiting or rock climbing? The Sierra is loaded with different ways to enjoy what nature has given us, and there are lots of folks who can rent you the equipment and teach you how to do your new sport right. Who knows, perhaps it will become your new favorite.
Hiking in January above Donner Lake
3) Find a new trail: If you’ve hiked or biked much of the Tahoe Rim Trail or the Donner Lake Rim Trail, how about finding a new and different trail to explore. There is nothing quite as cool as that first time on a lovely ribbon of single track.
4) Seek out a new business. There are many small businesses that show off the work of local artists, or put out a delicious cup of joe. Go out there and experience something new. In the process you will help a few Tahoe/Truckee folks bring in some money, which they will then turn around and spend to support other businesses and our little towns.
5) Still want to make a resolution to lose ten pounds? What if instead you call it a “get outside every day and do something active in our beautiful place” resolution? It’s amazing how being outside in the wilderness where there are no refrigerators just makes the pounds drop off.
Have a very Happy New Year, and go have some fun!
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
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Roughing It
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Living at the Lake Tahoe basin, you’ll get no argument from me that we’re living in God’s Country. But every once in awhile, you just plain and simply need a little change of pace.
Towards that end, my parents own some property in Graeagle…and by property, I mean just that. Thirty acres of dirt and trees with no house on it. We use it as a sort of family ‘camping ground’. To create our personal, semi permanent yet private outdoor resort, a camper trailer complete with kitchen is hauled in for the season. It sits near more permanent and comfortable ‘fixtures’ on the property, (by which I mean bathroom facilities) of a rather dubious and unorthodox nature, but for which their installation makes for a much more pleasant camping experience. ( Ugh! Who can stomach port-o-potties first thing in the morning? No thank you…)
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A Room with a View?
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Outdoor kitchen/vanity
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Graeagle is about one hour from Truckee, and is perfect for a quick get away. The town is small but quaint, complete with golf courses, restaurants, shops and mill pond for swimming. Hiking and horseback riding is never far away, and there are historical sites in the area to explore as well.
This summer I invited some friends from my AAUW group (American Association of University Women) to spend the night at my family’s little hide-away for our monthly gourmet night. Now the main purpose of AAUW is to raise money to help young girls with academic scholarships and educational opportunities (which we do and support); but really – and who are we kidding here? – the gourmet group’s real reason for existence is just an excuse to get together once a month and cook some incredibly diverse and fantastic food, eat, drink and be merry. We just bring money along to donate to ‘the cause’ while we’re at it.
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Most of the gals slept in tents strewn around the parameter of the property. We cooked, we drank, we ate, we talked, we sat around the campfire, we ate some more…
And as often happens when there is that much good food and wine around, we never did get around to playing on the campsite’s woodland version of a bocce ball court…although in all fairness, I do believe someone’s cot was straddling the middle of it.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it…
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To learn more about Graeagle and the surrounding area, click on the links below.
http://www.playgraeagle.com/
http://www.graeagle.com/
http://graeagleplumas.com/
To learn more about AAUW and/or to find a chapter in your area, click below:
http://www.aauw.org/
If you would like to join the Truckee Chapter of AAUW, contact me at: lynn.richardson@camoves.com
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
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YOUR FRIEND IN HIGH PLACES 