| |
Archive for the ‘Tahoe outdoors’ Category
Friday, October 15th, 2010
Happy Blog Action Day! Today we all take a moment to gather the cyber world together to create correspondence about a very important issue. The internet is one of the most powerful sources of information and on this day we flex our electronic muscle and bring awareness about an important cause, our drinking water.
Today, take 5 minutes to understand where your fresh water really comes from and how much there actually is. The world contains over 1.4 billion cubic kilometers of water, and only 35 million of that or 2.5% is actually freshwater.
These statistics bring up a very important point. We only have so much water and we only have so much time. Knowing important information about water can help you save precious drinking water for our future generations and precious dollars in this tight economy. To put it in perspective, humans need roughly 2-4 liters of water per day; however its takes roughly 2000-5000 liters of water a day to produce a human’s daily food intake.
Granlibakken has worked in conjunction with the Tahoe Regional Protection Agency to help protect Lake Tahoe’s precious fresh water and doing their part in conservation efforts. The Resort asks guests to please hang up and reuse their towels if they are not dirty. Also, the resort has installed automatic turn off switches on faucets and is currently working on retrofitting the shower heads of the resort with new low flow shower heads to increase water conservation.
Let’s take a look at ways we can all help conserve this vital resource to our survival. First and foremost the majority of water waste is in the bathroom. Did you know that turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth could save your family 5-10 gallons of water per day? The next time you take a bath, close the drain while you wait for the water to warm up. You can offset the cold water by simply turning your handle further towards the hot side.
In addition to water waste inside, the majority of people waste far too much water on their lawns. It takes 660 gallons of water to supply 1000 square feet of lawn with 1 inch of water! You can minimize your water usage by only watering in early morning and evening times. This prevents evaporation and allows plants to retain more moisture for their growth. If you are looking for an easy way for your yard to look great with minimal effort consider “zero scaping.” By decorating your yard with rocks and local flora you can cut down dramatically on your water usage and not sacrifice your yard’s esthetics. To help conserve the purity of this regions drinking water Granlibakken certifies that all building and roadway runoff is treated before flowing into the Truckee River.
Regardless of who you are, everyone can help play a part in the conservation of our freshwater. The next time you see water flowing out of the drain, think a little bit harder about where it goes and if you can get it back.
Posted in Lake Tahoe Events, Tahoe outdoors | No Comments »
Friday, October 8th, 2010
It is October. Fall is here and the weather is gorgeous in Lake Tahoe. What are you doing sitting at home? Known as the “shoulder season,” fall presents a great opportunity for families and couples to enjoy Lake Tahoe as we Locals do. Sales, deals, and events make this season the perfect for any vacationer looking to wind down from a busy summer. The privacy of being nestled in trees above Lake Tahoe mixed with the excitement of the Lake’s recreational opportunities just minutes away makes Granlibakken the ideal lodging for your fall getaway.
Granlibakken is offering a $99/night fall deal for October inviting you to enjoy the Lake like a Local. Feel autumn in the air as you stroll the streets of Tahoe City and take advantage of shopping deals and dining specials.
Start your day off with a complimentary hot, hearty breakfast buffet. Stay on site and relax in a heated pool, Jacuzzi and sauna, or work up an appetite at the state of the art tennis facility. With on site hiking trails and bike rentals Granlibakken makes it easy to experience the outdoors, and for only $99 a night, makes it affordable too.
With perfect temperatures outside fall is a prime season for events around the Lake. Tahoe City’s Annual Cobblestone Oktoberfest, Saturday October 9th , is a day full of apple bobbing, pumpkin painting, and yes, plenty of beer! Enjoy live music from Déjà vu, and wines from Uncorked Tahoe City.
On Saturday October 16th Harvest Fest will be in Tahoe City. A pumpkin patch, pony & hay rides, games for the kids & delicious food guarantee a memorable family experience. With free entry and the backdrop of Lake Tahoe the price is right too.
Don’t miss out on living like a local this October at Gralibakken.
Posted in Lake Tahoe Events, Lake Tahoe Specials, Tahoe City, Tahoe hikes, Tahoe outdoors, walking | No Comments »
Sunday, August 29th, 2010
Yes, we had a very light snow on the highest elevations last night. Someone told me this is the earliest snow in 10 years and I’m believing – I must have been asleep for a few years because I don’t remember August snow in Tahoe ever!
 New Snow High above the Truckee River If you’re a typical Californian you long for long summers and warm temps. Well, don’t worry we’ll back into typical August temps by Tuesday but you can still brag about the craziness of Golden State weather by letting all those East Coast hurricane chasers know that we already have powder…
A random look at some of Truckee:
 Ever seen this place?  Island in the Stream
Tags: tahoe snow
Posted in Tahoe outdoors | No Comments »
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 »
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
Kayaking, 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….
Tags: kayak tahoe, paddeboard tahoe, tahoe sup
Posted in Tahoe outdoors | No Comments »
Thursday, August 12th, 2010
Squaw 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…
Tags: high camp, high camp paintball, squaw bungee, squaw disc golf, squaw hiking, squaw ice skating rink, squaw mountain bike, squaw mountain biking, squaw paintball, squaw swimming, squaw tennis, tahoe tennis
Posted in Squaw Valley, Tahoe outdoors | 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 »
Saturday, July 24th, 2010
Bathymetry: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….
Tags: ancient lakes, bathymetry, tahoe bathymetry, tahoe dinosaurs, tahoe history, tahoe tessie, tahoe's bottom
Posted in Tahoe outdoors, Uncategorized | No Comments »
|
|
