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Archive for the ‘Summer’ Category
Saturday, August 21st, 2010
Then do what the locals do: instead of anything-priced activities you can head over to the North Tahoe Regional Park, an all-outdoors make-your-own-fun zone. It’s huge, has tons of offerings and is also right near two of the nicest, sandiest, public beaches in all of Tahoe (one is also a boat ramp).
 Free Tennis in Paradise Super young ones can slide, steer and stair-step all over the nice-sized playground. Another adjacent one is great for 3-6 year olds. There are 5 nice tennis hardcourts, three are lighted. Remember those 70’s exercise deals called Par Courses, well there’s a really nice one of them as well and it’s in great shape.
 Frisbee Golf 'Hole' You’ll also find soccer and baseball fields, an artificial surface multi-sport field and generally lots of mowed grass. There’s a volleyball court, hiking and biking trails, a community nursery and a Boy Scout camp. New this year is a real deal frisbee golf course. And on top of it all, the place is never crowded plus it’s got a tranquilo, far-off Tahoe lakeview.
 Artificial Tahoe Turf So if you want to keep the Vacation Vacuum out of your pocket, head over to the Regional Park - oh, and I lied a little bit: it costs a few bucks to park…
Tags: north tahoe regional park, tahoe frisbee golf, tahoe par course, tahoe playground
Posted in Summer, Tahoe hikes, Tahoe outdoors | No Comments »
Monday, August 9th, 2010
Yes, yes I know that if you’re from California you’re not accustomed to seeking out historical sites within the state. This is the New Coast - the brave new world where you were either a profit seeker, treasure hunter or just plain ole crazy enough to move All The Way Out. Well I’m hear to simply let you know that there are a few places right in Tahoe City to pique your interest: The Watson Cabin and the Gatekeeper’s Museum.
 Watson Cabin Tahoe City (photo from North Tahoe Museums) The Watson Cabin was built by Tahoe City’s first cop - Robert Montgomery Watson. The highest peak above town also bears his name, as does the beautiful reflection-pond near that summit (a great bike ride, incidentally, and also a fun semi-offroad adventure for anyone with a Jeep). The cabin stayed in the family until the late 1970’s when the North Lake Tahoe Historical Society purchased it. They do all sorts of little events that are very kid-friendly so keep an eye on their calendar.
The Gatekeeper’s Museum is beautiful building located right at the headwater of Tahoe’s sole outflow, the Truckee River. This is a really cool place to just meander - there are some placards if you feel like reading, some lawn for windsprints, a gorgeous rocky shore with a neat angle on Tahoe, oh and a museum! They showcase Washo Indian baskets, clothing, history exhibits of the resort boom, etc. The Truckee River outflow gates are right here and you can walk along the glass-lined structure where you’ll see the now-non-human-powered crank that winds the gates up and down.
 Gatekeeper's Museum, Tahoe City (photo from North Tahoe Museums) If you get into these places and want some more, check out the Ehrman Mansion down at Sugar Pine State Park and then reward yourself with a historical beverage at the old bar on Chamber’s Landing pier…
Tags: chambers landing, ehrman mansion, gatekeepers museum tahoe, tahoe history, watson cabin, watson cabin tahoe
Posted in Lake Tahoe Events, Summer, Tahoe City, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, August 5th, 2010
I’m not sure if it’s because I somehow became a little more refined since my last birthday or it’s because we had such a late (and great) ski season, but this is the most abundant crop of wildflowers I’ve ever noticed in Tahoe.
You can see wildflowers in any sloppy backyard, unimproved road culvert and lovely meadow, the likes of which appear to have been stolen from the best hiking guide books. The most opulent of Tahoe’s wildflower scene is probably the lupin. These statues are really neat because down at lake level you’ll see them blooming over a foot long, but take a walk to locations higher up (like Paige Meadows directly accessible from Granlibakken via the Tahoe Rim Trail in our back 40) and you’ll see that these hardy veggies shrink in size with substantial elevation gain. On the upper Mt. Rose Meadows you’ll see these babies at around 9000′ and they’re 1/3 of the size. It’s a very cool way to witness Mother Nature at her smartest - and it appeals to those who’ve never hiked a day in their lives because the flowers’ size is reminiscent of those mini-corn cobs found in any self-respecting casino buffet line.
For more info and actually accurate florsal information, surf a little online, visit the Tahoe City Library and grab a book on the subject or get jumpstarted with this link.
By the way, this post was so-named in reference to Fleur du Lac - the former Kaiser Estate in Homewood; incidentally this was the site for some of the scenes in the movie Godfather II.
Tags: tahoe wildflower hikes, tahoe wildflowers
Posted in Summer, Tahoe hikes, Tahoe outdoors, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Sunday, August 1st, 2010
Tahoe might not be the Atacama Desert or Hawaii when it comes to stargazing, but it’s pretty darn good. We get a black sky (especially when Squaw’s not open for night skiing) unlike many other places. Our elevation seems to be juuuust enough to be above the haze, both natural and manmade, that skew so many other night skies. One of my favorite things to do on a calm, moonless night here (besides see a band) is to find a pier with a second story on the end. Get up there and look all around - then peer down into crystal clear, jet black Tahoe. Star reflections will stare back at you with that ethereal glow that only comes from peaceful water-swish.
A different way to get a great perspective on the night sky is by going with someone who actually knows what’s above us. The man around these parts is Tony Berendsen from Tahoe Star Tours. He does his thing all over Tahoe and there are a few upcoming that you should check out if you’re here:
August 5, 2010: The Milky Way Rises Over Lake Tahoe
Activity: Star Tour Kayak
Time: 7:00pm-10:30pm
Cost: $65 per person
Where: Tahoe Vista Recreation Area
August, 12, 2010: Squaw Valley Family Campout on top of the Mountain! (inquire with Squaw to find out if they have a star expert in attendance)
August 12, 2010: Deep Sky Wonders and the Perseid Meteor Shower
Activity: Star Tour Hike
Time: 7:00pm-11:00pm
Cost: $65 per person
Where: Tahoe Vista Regional Park
Tags: atacama desert stars, star tours, tahoe star tours
Posted in Lake Tahoe Events, Summer, Tahoe City, Tahoe outdoors, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
Do you the power of Tahoe restaurant decks? If you do and haven’t been on one yet this summer then you have some explaining to do. If you have yet to harness this power then please, read on…
Within a five to ten minute bike ride from Granlibakken’s intersection with West Lake Blvd. you can pedal / coast your way to a many different slices of heaven. To the north you can go to Tahoe City and sit on the deck of Jake’s On the Lake to enjoy a lunch, dinner or some drinks overlooking the Tahoe Marina and a looooong expanse of Tahoe’s azure surface. Head back towards the Big G, where the Truckee Rover is born from Tahoe and you have two great choices - the outdoor bar of the Bridgetender and the Rover Grill. The first is Tahoe’s best burger joint with tables along the river. The latter is a little higher end with Tahoe’s favorite outdoor happy hour with a firepit and music every Wed - Sun (7pm-10pm), right over the river’s edge.
Heading south of Granlibakken you can pedal down to Sunnyside - my favorite moonrise deck - with it’s massive expanse of wood and lengthy outdoor bar. The arrangement here is classic: fancy dinner go-ers on one side, barstools and sandals on the other. If you were to drive a few miles south of here, you’d find yourself moored up at the oldest pier-bar on the West Shore : Chamber’s Landing. This is located at the end of a dock where you can arrive by pedal, foot, sail or motor vessel. This awesome place has cheap grilled lunch, a ton of outdoor hang-space and it gets the last sun on the West Shore because of its prominent location.
For you boaters, the Granlibakken blog will spare no expense in providing content based on strict research for another post about boating to all of Tahoe’s best water accessible speakeasies - more on that later…
Tags: big g, bridgetender tahoe, jake's, jakes on the lake, sunnyside, sunnyside tahoe
Posted in Summer, Tahoe City, Tahoe outdoors, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Sunday, July 18th, 2010
 Nordic Center Vista This is just another one of those ridiculously sweet views of Tahoe that you can get from a twenty minute walk in the woods. It’s fine for lowlanders, big families and those who generally don’t want to push it too far on vacation. I’m tempted to give you the quick and dirty on how to do this exact one but must say that, a) it’s easy to lose one’s way in the woods, b) AlpenGlow Sports in Tahoe City is a great place for hiking advice, and c) I get lost all the time.
The famous Tahoe Rim Trail passes right through Granlibakken’s backyard and offers some of the best hiking in the country. I’ll do a full post on that another time. The trail these photos were taken from is well below the Rim Trail (yes I get lazy, too) on a knoll at the T.C. Nordic Center…oh yeah, let AlpenGlow tell you how to do it.
 Looking toward Desolation Wilderness © 2010 Alex West, copy and photos
Tags: Tahoe hikes
Posted in Summer, Tahoe City, Tahoe hikes, Tahoe outdoors, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, July 15th, 2010
 The Tahoe Cruz, 50-footer Congrats - you’ve booked (or are about to book) your next trip to Granlibakken and Lake Tahoe. Next on the list - make plans to get yourself out on the Lake while here…
The Granlibakken blog covers all sorts of way to get wet - paddleboarding, wakesurfing / wakeskating/wakeboarding/waterskiing, jet skiing, parasailing, hot air ballooning, floating the Truckee - the list goes on and on. But this post is about the (normally) most-civil of the various water activities: sailing.
Most of us don’t have our own boats - thankfully there happens to be a 50-foot ocean raceboat called the Tahoe Cruz which resides at the Tahoe City Marina, about 4 minutes from Granlibakken. This is an awesome boat that likes to heel (lean over) in good winds. It’s also a suntan machine when there’s little or no wind. The Cruz goes out every day at noon, 2:30 and 5:30. They serve free beer, wine and soda and the 5:30 boat has cheese and crackers, too. The best boats for families with little ones are the first two.
 Guest Skipper This boat model is a Santa Cruz 50 and was built specifically for the Trans-Pac Race which goes from L.A. to Honolulu. This boat type dominated the race for years. With that race pedigree, sailing the Cruz on a windy day here at Tahoe is truly incredible. When she gets heeling folks get excited (those on the bow can get doused) and the wine usually starts flowing - and that’s why I said it’s normally the most civilized of the water sports up here….
 'Hey Cowpoke, you cast a pretty nice shadow' © 2010 Alex West, copy and photos
Tags: sailing charter, tahoe charter, tahoe cruz, tahoe sailing
Posted in Summer, Tahoe outdoors, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
 The Wanderlust Festival, in its second year, comes to Squaw Valley from July 29th to August 1st. This four-day festival marries the art of yoga with the art of song with headlining yoga instructors Seane Corn and Shiva Rea and music performers Moby and Pretty Lights.
Granlibakken Conference Center & Lodge has long attracted visitors and groups who share its values of wellness. Our wooded serene setting offers a contemplative environment, and accommodations provide privacy and flexibility for visitors with special dietary needs.
Granlibakken welcomes participants of the Wanderlust Festival with a special lodging rate starting at $115/night.
Tags: dietary needs, moby, pretty lights, seane corn, shiva rea, Squaw Valley, wanderlust festival, wellness, yoga
Posted in Lake Tahoe Events, Lake Tahoe Specials, Squaw Valley, Summer | No Comments »
Friday, July 9th, 2010
OK - we all heard about the 10-feet of snow that Squaw got in April. And May was no time to for a lengthy dip in the Lake. June had a ton of thunderstorms and unsettled weather. Just because Tahoe decided to skip spring doesn’t mean that anyone should skip summer here. And summer has truly arrived, albeit on “Tahoe Time.”
 False Start Flip Flops It’s in the ’80’s every day, boats are out in full force (as are the watercraft rental biz’s) and the water is, yes I dare say it: Warm! If you are one of these strange folks who think Tahoe is a lake to merely wonder at (the Hawaii-meets-Bermuda color) it’s time to get into those skivvies and give this ditch a dive. Seeking the warmest option? Well don’t swim on a windy day - upwelling currents bring the mobster-freezing gel from the depths right to the surface. And don’t swim next to a creek - not because of pollution you city slicker, rather because that water was snow about 5 hours ago. The warmest spots are Commons Beach in Tahoe City, King’s Beach, and the entire East Shore. So shovel off those flip flops and get up here…!
© 2010 Alex West, copy and photos
Tags: tahoe summer, tahoe time
Posted in Summer, Tahoe City, Tahoe outdoors, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
Granlibakken is thrilled to be the host lodging site for the Lake Tahoe Music Festival Orchestra Academy and site of the Strictly Classical Performances taking place this month on July 21st and July 28th.
The Orchestra Academy, the only paid residency program on the West Coast, offers a 10-day intensive professional experience with training by world-class soloists. The Academy has recruited 36 of the most talented young musicians from across the country to live and rehearse at Granlibakken Resort.
July 21st’s performance is Classics New and Old featuring special guest Ariana Ghez, principal Oboist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
July 28th’s performance is Music in the Key of D featuring special guest Jerry Grossman, principal Cellist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
Granlibakken’s Executive Lawn Venue is the perfect setting for this musical extravaganza. There will be a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres at 5pm before each concert. Concerts begin at 6pm and end at 7pm.
For those attending either performance, Granlibakken is offering a special Lake Tahoe Music Festival Lodging Package with rates starting at $122. This package includes lodging, full hot breakfast buffet and access to on-site amenities.
Tickets to Strictly Classical cost $10. Seating is limited. Contact tahoemusic.org to reserve your tickets.
Tags: Ariana Ghez, Jerry Grossman, Lake Tahoe Music Festival, Strictly Classical
Posted in Lake Tahoe Events, Lake Tahoe Specials, Summer, Tahoe City | No Comments »
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