Just a quickie to show you what a Tahoe full moonrise looks like. The last three nights have been Sublime Magnificence!
Moon Peek
August Moonrise
Archive for the ‘Tahoe outdoors’ Category
La Luna
Friday, August 27th, 2010Want a Freebie?
Saturday, August 21st, 2010Then 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…
‘Yak Attack
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010Kayaking, especially in California, is now considered an ‘old school’ activity. Why? Stand-up paddleboarding has pretty much buried it in a wake of coolness with which the sit-down paddle sport just can’t touch. Pics of Lair Hamilton shralping 20′ waves in Hawaii make a day on a kayak seem like an hour trying to move a picnic bench.
But there’s a reason that kayaks became so popular in the first place and they will always be used by many with staunch enthusiasm: they are a silent, easy way to transport oneself across pretty large swaths of beautiful terrain. They’ll also maintain good participant numbers because millions of un-cool people in the East will swear by them for decades. In Tahoe we see people arriving with kayaks from the Maine, Florida, the Midwest and even from our own state. People rig them with fishing set-ups, sails, mini-motors, etc. They are definitely an expression of some folks’ individuality.
North Tahoe Kayakers
Most of us don’t own kayaks, however, so we rent them. Thankfully, all along Tahoe’s shores there are places to pick up them up. The closest to Granlibakken is in Tahoe City but but if you want to venture further out, you won’t drive more that a dozen miles without passing an opportunity to gliiiiide. Give it a shot – then try Stand-up paddleboarding. Judge for yourself which is better – or maybe they’re both just fun ways to explore another beautiful day on Tahoe….
Got High Camp?
Thursday, August 12th, 2010Squaw Valley’s High Camp is one of those crazy attractions where the periphery activities seem to change every 5-10 years but the core ones, and especially the setting alone, keep it high on the list of Favorite Activities up here in the Big Blue Basin. The bungee tower is a relic of itself and a time when ‘rad’ was king; the golf range petered out once the county told owner Alex Cushing he’d have to use biodegradable balls (at a buck a pop); and the Michael Jackson video that was filmed up here never made it off the cutting room floor.
Squaw Mountain Bike Park (photo courtesy SVUSA)
BUT, High Camp is still among the best-skiing peaks in the nation; the meadow up top is still an amazing place to hike; the swimming lagoon is still massive; and the Olympic-size ice rink is still the world’s best outdoor building for hockey. This year, though, additional activities have been added to the mix spicing up an already delicious treat. Here’s a look at what’s on tap:
Mountain Biking is back! This hasn’t been available at Squaw since the late ’90′s. Fifteen miles of trails from intermediate to expert take you near some of the best skiing on the hill – pretty cool to see your favorite ski spots from a bike in August…
Tennis – also back! It hasn’t been open in eons either but these two incredibly-sighted courts are back on the list and if you like smacking yellow-y in different locales then book ‘em now and get ready for your fastest serve and slowest feet ever (elevation 8200′ tends to speed some things up and slow others down…).
Paintball at Squaw (photo courtesy SVUSA)
Paintball, buckaroos: Have yourself an old fashioned, Western shootout along Silverado Ridge. That’s no newly fandangled name for some throw-away spot at Squaw. Silverado is a favorite of the mountain’s most notorious skiers because of it’s unwieldy terrain and danger factor. Paintball takes place on a safe zone above the scariness but you’re still perched on top of…an abysssss.
Disc Golf – Yes, hippies can rejoice. They can fork out good dough to chuck a frisbee around Squaw’s 18-hole course on top of the mountain. There are 3 beginner hole up at High Camp and the other 15 wind down into the Shirley Lake area.
So there we have it: Swimming, hiking, ice skating, mountain biking, tennis, paintball, disc golf, an Olympic Museum, lots of eating options, and a Cable Ride, too. This place rules and it’s only a few short minutes from Granlibakken…
Fleurs du Lac
Thursday, August 5th, 2010I’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.
The Stars at Night…
Sunday, August 1st, 2010Tahoe 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
Bathi-what?
Saturday, July 24th, 2010Bathymetry:the measurement of water depth. Sound boring? OK, I guess I agree. BUT apply it Lake Tahoe, one of only 17 ancient lakes in the world, and you’ve got my attention (for a minute at least). About a million or two years ago Tahoe was formed. Roughly a dozen years ago scientists figured out how to show us what the bottom looks like.
Tahoe Bathymetry (image from USGS)
Pretty cool. Then I learned that there was a massive avalanche or landslide that essentially extended the West Shore by almost 3 miles. See tha bulb of ‘water’ that extends the upper left section a bunch? Well that happened in one incident as actual mountains fell into Tahoe. Tahoe Tessie got one heck of a ride that day as a tsunami thought to be hundreds of feet high whitewashed the shoreline in every direction. The good news was that this landslide created a windfall for Granlibakken. Once located miles from Tahoe’s crystal clear waters, the Big G now became an almost-poolside paradise for all the dinosaurs in Placer County.
West Shore Landslide Bathymetry (image from USGS)
When you look at the full bathymetry map and see all the debris scattered directly across from the landslide it’s impressive. But it’s truly mindblowing when you put the scale in perspective: those huge mountain-pieces traveled miles and miles through extremely deep water to finally rest where they now are – good stuff.
To learn more, check out this link. For a YouTube video go here. And to experience all of this firsthand (and look for dinosaur footprints) swing on over to Granlibakken and take a dip on Tahoe’s newest shoreline….
Deck the Decks with Boughs of…Margheritas
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010Do 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…
Partnership with Nike Tennis Camp
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010Our partnership with the Nike Tennis Camp is older than some of our guests! If we were a marriage, Nike would be giving us a pearl to celebrate our 30th anniversary. To hear more about why Granlibakken and Nike are a great fit, check out our video of Program Director Tony Greco watch?v=vG9LOMsUWho.
Just another little hike…
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
