Glenbrook Photo Shoot

Aiden, Gizmo, Tinkerbell, Glitter and Chip.

This morning we had planned to do a hike to Zephyr Cove with Sandy from Camp W and the other campers. We were also going to visit our friends who were attending Camp this week. We called ahead and got the gate code. When we arrived we found out that plans had changed, they had a lifeguard for the day so many campers were going to do water sports on the lake. So no hike.
It was so great to see and be greeted warmly by the staff members of Camp W. We have grown to love them all and they are one of the reasons we come back each year. As we visited with friends and staff, Sharon the photographer came over and said they had a cancellation of people wanting to go on the photo shoot, would we like to take their place. YES!!! We love doing that. So after a little shopping at Franny's booth we were off to Glenbrook, about 10 miles away. Glenbrook is a beautiful gated community on Lake Tahoe.
Lori, the Camp W director led the caravan to the location. Once we arrived we drove all around the community so that Sharon could get a look at all the wildflowers available. That was the main purpose of the trip, taking pictures of the dogs with wildflower backgrounds. Sharon's animal pictures are amazing. She sells to calendar companies for a living.
Below, you will see pictures we took. Later I when camp is over she sends us free digital copies of the ones she took. They are always awesome. She is so kind to do this.

Sharon in action.

CHIP

GIZMO

AIDEN

GLITTER

Chip and Tinkerbell.

Tinkerbell, Glitter and Chip.

Sharon with Nancy in background getting dogs to smile.

After a wonderful photo shoot only the hike leader and one other wanted to go on the hike. So we made room in the van for two more people and two dogs. It's all about FUN.

Trout Creek Hike

A favorite Camp W hike of ours, we decided to do this hike in the late afternoon on our own. We went without our map, thinking the hike was behind the Safeway. Once we got in back of the store we realized we were wrong. We drove down Hwy 50 a little further and recognized the right area. Memory can be tricky.

Jan was the hike leader.

Pied Piper

This is a flat hike and for the senior dogs it was right up their alley. Both Glitter and Gizmo were excited to be out of the crate. It goes without saying the other three were happy too. One of our favorite things to do is take a picture on the pounding rock. We do this every time we come.

The famous dogs on pounding rock.

Back to our hike. We were excited to see if Aiden or any other dogs would get in the water. Aiden didn't disappoint us, he got in and got wet. Then he rolled in the dirt. Nancy was real happy with that.

Nancy and dogs by Trout Creek.

Aiden checking out the water. This is where he
learned how to swim at Camp W last year.

When we hike this during Camp W, Sandy always stops at this one area to teach dogs to swim. Today, since we were on our own we decided to hike further and see where the trail went. Here is a picture of the dogs on a rock where the trail ended just a short ways up.

Trails end, Tink, Glitter and Chip.

The sun was beginning to set so we made our way back down the trail. When we came to the meadow with the Indian pounding rock we saw two coyotes romping and playing. At this point we leashed up the dogs. No taking chances. The coyotes watched us as we made our way out of the meadow.

Coyote in the meadow at Trout Creek.

Driving Directions: From Camp W take Hwy 50 to AL Tahoe. Make a left and head towards the post office and park in the lot to the side of the Ross.

Hike Summary:  One of our favorite camp hikes, this one is flat and follows trout creek. 

Hiking Directions: From the parking lot head to the dirt path.

Special Features: Trout Creek was an important fall camp for the Washoe, a Great Basin tribe of Native Americans who caught mountain whitefish there. The Washoe name Mathocahuw O'tha means "river of the whitefish." It is a northward flowing stream. On this hike you can see a Washoe Indian Pounding Rock located in the middle of South Shore near Trout Creek. This is a great place for a group photo. Further on is a pond where Sandy likes to teach dogs to swim.

Incline Village Bike Ride

Our first stop was another virtual geocache relating to the old show Bonanza. Here is the photo I will be downloading to geocache.com to log that I have completed the find.

Ponderosa Ranch Relic GC8257

Download any picture that relates to this area.

N 39° 14.246 W 119° 55.703

What a perfect day for a bike ride. Of course, I think every day is perfect for a bike ride as long as it is clear with a nice temperature. Wheels are good I always say.

Jan pulling the Croozer with Glitter and Gizmo.

Nancy is learning to shift. Soon she will want to tow a cart.

Today we packed up and headed to a part of Lake Tahoe we haven't visited, Incline Village on the North Shore overlooking Crystal Bay. The planned ride is along a beautiful section of shoreline with exclusive lake shore estates.

Gate to one of the estates.

Sculpture on one of the homes.

About one mile out on our ride we discovered that we had forgotten our leashes. We like to take them in case we need to take the dogs out. So we rode back to the van. We decided to eat lunch before doing our ride.

Yes, I love bike riding.

My bike and the Croozer cart with Tink, Aiden and Chip.
Yeah, I have the heavier load.

A view of Crystal Bay from our bike ride.

On our way back to South Lake Tahoe, we pulled into a vista point. What a beautiful view.

Driving Directions: From the cabin take Hwy 50 north until you reach the junction, then take Hwy 28 into Incline Village.

Bike Directions: Known locally as the "The Jogger's Trail" this 2.5 mile long paved trail starts at Gateway Park off Hwy 28 and Lakeshore Dr. and follows the shore of Lake Tahoe. Trail ends at the top of Hwy 28.

Biking Summary: In North Lake Tahoe, there are two paved bike paths. A 2.5 mile section runs between Lakeshore Drive passing exclusive lakeshore estates, gardens in Incline Village and provides great close views of Crystal Bay. The path ends at Selby Drive near the Ponderosa Ranch. Another 2 mile sections runs between Sierra Nevada College and the lake.

Special Features: Incline Village comes by its name honestly. Flat it ain't. In 1878 loggers built the Great Tramway of Tahoe, an incline cable railway, ran to the top of the mountain to carry logs to the flume to Carson City, hence the name “Incline Village.” Now Incline Village offers a great mix of specialty shops located in the downtown area. It’s a delight to explore downtown Incline Village, where many visitors find themselves spending entire evenings. Most of the shopping is found on the main Tahoe Blvd. Visit the Artist’s of Tahoe Gallery and take home a glimpse of Lake Tahoe’s pristine beauty. Or visit Redbeard’s Book Den for books out of print since you were born. Small family shops offering unique gifts such as homemade candles and old time kites populate the narrow streets, as well as huge sporting good and fashion spots such as the Tahoe Emporium where you’ll find the latest in sporting goods.

The famous “opening scene” of Bonanza was filmed on this location at North Lake Tahoe near Incline Village, and Lake Tahoe was among the outdoor locations used to film the weekly episodes. The cast and crew traveled to Incline Village in summer of 1959 as a starting point for filming around the Lake Tahoe basin. The only filmed footage at Incline Village was filmed in June of 1961 of the cast riding their horses through a wooded clearing with the Mount Rose Peaks in the background, for establishing shots that would be edited in with many episodes over the years. The house, both interior and exterior, was located on a Hollywood sound stage.

Bonanza

We chased lady luck, 'til we finally struck Bonanza.

With a gun and a rope and a hat full of hope,

planted a family tree.

We got hold of a pot of gold, Bonanza.

With a horse and a saddle, and a range full of cattle,

how rich can a fellow be?

On this land we put our brand, Cartwright is the name,

Here in the West, we're livin' the best,

fortune smiled, the day we filed the Ponderosa claim.

Bonanza,if anyone fights any one of us,

he's got a fight with me, Bonanza.

Hoss and Joe and Adam know every rock and pine,

no one works, fights, or eats, like those boys of mine.

Here we stand in the middle of a grand Bonanza.

With a gun and a rope and a hatful of hope,

we planted our family tree,

we got hold of a pot full of gold, Bonanza.

With a houseful of friends where the rainbow ends,

how rich can a fellow be?

On this land we put our brand, Cartwright is the name,

fortune smiled, the day we filed the Ponderosa claim.

Here in the west we're livin' the best Bonanza.

With the friendliest, fightingist, loving band,

that ever set foot in the promised land,

and we're happier than them all.

That's why we call it Bonanza...Bonanza...Bonanza...

Perhaps the most interesting thing (and the most disturbing to idyllic childhood memories) was that Bonanza was created to sell a commercial product. Hours spent watching Bonanza, dreaming of the Wild West and swooning over Little Joe came about because RCA, NBC’s parent company, wanted to sell more color televisions!

Geocaching: 

Ponderosa Ranch Relic GC8257

Virtual cache
Download any picture that relates to this area.

N 39° 14.246 W 119° 55.703

"Please Don't Litter" GC2ZEGN

Hint: Cammo is brown.

N 39° 15.086 W 119° 58.27
This is a pill container hidden close to Preston field. It is a short walk from there to the cache. This may be a hard find for some as there are many spots in the rocks, trees and bushes for the hide. (Preston field is closed for 2011, but there is a spot off the 28 right next to Preston field to park for now). BYOP, since this is a log only cache.

Cascade Falls Hike

After our bike ride we were all hungry. We'd brought a nice lunch, but there were no picnic tables and so we decided to drive to our hike destination and eat there. The drive was beautiful. And you know what, after driving to Cascade Falls I am sooooo glad that I did not sign up for Bike Big Blue. The hills are too BIG for me.
We ended up eating our lunch across the street from the trailhead at Inspiration point. This is the only geocache we did today because I could not figure out how to use my GPS for geocaching. Will have to work on that. Lunch was nice, now on to the hike!

Virtual Cache  "Inspiration Point" GC80AA

N 38° 56.801 W 120° 05.914

We walked through Bayview Campground to the trailhead. This hike turned out to be much more difficult than we had anticipated. Not a hike for our two senior dogs at all. Very rocky, very steep. On a side note: look at Jan go! Just hiking like I haven't seen in years. I was so delighted to see him feeling better.

Cascade Lake in the foreground, Lake Tahoe in the
background. Spectacular hiking views.

Nancy and Gizmo.

"Hey, why are we stopping?"

Cascade Lake view.

Cascade Falls

Jan hiking with Glitter. She had to
be carried in some spots.

Nancy enjoying the view.

Done with hike, time for another dog water break.

Stats for the hike: 2 miles


Hike Information:


Driving Directions:  From the "Y" junction of Hwy 50 and Hwy 89, drive 7.6 miles northwest on Hwy 89 to the Bayview Campground on the left. Turn left and continue a short distance to the trailhead parking lot at the end of the road. You can see these beautiful 200 foot falls off in the distance when you are making those hair pin turns between Lake Tahoe and Cascade Lake.


Hike Summary: The Cascade Falls hike combines a short hike with little elevation gain with a real feeling of remoteness once at the falls. It can feel like you are miles into the wilderness with distant Tahoe views as well as grand mountain views to the west. 

Hiking Directions: The trail at the south end of parking lot is easily followed to the falls. It starts as a wide path on the left winding through a fragrant pine and fir forest. About 100 yards from the trailhead is a junction, go to the right.  The trail begins an ascent up a small rocky knoll and curves along the side of the mountain providing scenic views of Cascade Lake, Emerald Bay and Lake Tahoe. Although the trail is fairly easy, don't let the beautiful scenery make you miss the sloping rocks covered with a thin layer of sand which can be very slippery. The trail descends gently then climbs again toward the falls. In the spring, the falls dominate your attention both orally and visually. But, in the summer the creek slows to bubbling brook that allows more intimate discovery of her wonderful secrets. To get back to the trail head, just reverse your travel.

The falls are steep, the rocks slippery, and in the spring, the current is strong. As seems very obvious, be wary and watch dogs carefully! To paraphrase a sign we read in Yosemite, "If, for any reason, you go over the falls, you WILL die."

Special Features: This area is a good spot to see the effects of the glaciation that played such an important part in the formation of Lake Tahoe. Polished granite worn smooth from thousands of years of ice sliding slowly over it towards the valley that is now Lake Tahoe is prevalent in the area. Also visible from the falls, the ridges on both sides and at the end of Cascade Lake are actually lateral and terminal moraines where rock debris, pushed along by the glacier was finally deposited as the weather warmed and the glacier receded.

Geocaching:

"Rose Marie 1935" GC1V4BQ

The hint is don't forget to pay special attention to the cache description & take a copy with you.

N 38° 56.769 W 120° 06.013

"GTS036 Ribbon Tree" GC2YPP7

The hint is woodpile closest to this tree with the ribbon. Notorious bad gps signal on the way up, but this site has a lock, pile it on!

N 38° 56.519 W 120° 06.094

"SLT13 Cascade Falls Stroll" GC1TT5C

The hint is 6 feet from the tree, under the rocks. Catch the views of Cascade Falls from GZ. This is an easy .3 mile hike from the parking area. The trail can be very busy on the weekends as it is one of the most popular trials on that side of the lake. Please rehide better than you found it!

N 38° 56.280 W 120° 06.077

"Kolly Wobbels #10 Cascade Falls" GC1TT5C

The hint is cache is in a crevice of rocks covered by medium sized flat rocks. These coordinates take you near the top of the falls. Cache is in a 8" by 4" by 2" Rubbermaid container.

N 38° 56.104 W 120° 06.099

Forest Bicycle Trail

Glitter, Tinkerbell, Chip, Gizmo and Aiden at Kiva Beach.

Today we decided to do a bike adventure in the morning. With three people to help getting ready was sweet. First feed dogs, then our breakfast. Then we put dinner in the crock pot: roast, potatoes, and carrots. After that Nancy and I made our picnic lunch: turkey sandwiches, apple, string cheese, cookies and a couple carmels and while Jan began by loading by folding the dog carts.
Before we could load the bikes though, the bike rack we had purchased had to be fixed. Salt Lake City Bike Company had put it together wrong. No wonder it was low causing us so many problems. Two of the bars that hold the bikes were pushed into the hold but never screwed in. First Jan had to hunt up tools. Across on another street they were building a house and he was able to borrow a metric socket set - exactly what we needed. Then he figured out why they put it together wrong. There were some medal burrs stopping it from going together EASILY. Out of his bike kit he got a tiny piece of sandpaper (1" square. LOL) and started sanding. Long process with sandpaper this small! I got out my WD40 from the everything bag and when we still couldn't get it in Nancy remembered she had a hammer in her car. Finally, as a team, we had success. Loading the bikes took time but finally by 11am we were ready and just happy to be going.
Here are the guides for the days adventure:


Driving Directions: From the cabin take Hwy 50 to the "Y" then take Hwy 89 to 13th street. Park on the side streets. The path can be found one block over.

South Lake Tahoe Bike Path

Also called the Forest Bicycle Trail, this blacktopped trail is completely separate from the highway and meanders through the forest for ten miles. Peddle at your own pace and stop along the way to enjoy the sun at two beautiful Lake Tahoe beaches (Pope and Baldwin), visit the restored Baldwin Estate and browse at the Forest Service Visitor Center. Breathe in the pine-scented air as you cross a sparkling mountain stream on a bicycle bridge. Starting where U.S. HWY 50 first touches El Dorado Beach and Picnic Area, this increasingly popular paved path connects to other bike trails and lanes throughout the city of South Lake Tahoe and into Nevada. This trail includes the Pope-Baldwin Bike Path described next.

Pope-Baldwin Bike Path

The Forest Service maintains this nearly flat 3.4 mile path located on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe. Running parallel to SR 89, it begins where the four-lane highway narrows to two lanes. This popular paved path passes through Historic Camp Richardson Resort and offers several scenic side trips to Pope Beach and Baldwin Beach, the Tallac Historic Site, the Lake Tahoe Visitor Center and Fallen Leaf Lake. Please stay on the paved bike trail when passing through the Tallac Historic Site!

Getting ready for the bike hike.

Our adventure began well. We found the location easily, parked, and unloaded the bikes and carts and then assembled the carts, loaded doggies and we were off. In my Croozer dog cart I had Tinkerbell, Aiden and Chip. Jan was pulling our two senior dogs, Glitter and Gizmo. Nancy was just getting use to her new bike, learning how to shift and adjusting to riding a bike. You know what its like in a new "saddle."

Jan my man.

The bike ride was lots of fun. Nancy's dogs are just getting use to the carts, and as long as she rides behind Gizmos cart he is as happy as he can be in a crated situation. And Tinkerbell too, she likes to be in my cart. First stop for us was Kiva Beach, a dog friendly beach where we stopped to rest and do some picture taking.

Nancy, Gizmo and Aiden.

Jan, Chip and Glitter relaxing at Kiva Beach.

Everyone had their first "Stinger Waffle" for strength. That went over big, I love those things. Back to the bikes. After we left beach it was a short uphill ride back to the bike trail. We were headed back in the direction of the van. Our next stop would be the Tallac Historic Estates. Tinkerbell decided she didn't like riding in Jan's cart (we had switched her) and she figured out how to bail out of my homemade cart. Nancy said she rolled. Luckily she was unharmed. We were able to ride the bikes right in and see most of the historic area. Very few people because it was a weekday. That was nice.

Historic site with several old estates.

Lots of shade and beautiful gardens to see. Also found this photo opportunity. These estates had livery stables, servants quarters, blacksmith shops, etc.

Marsha and Jan in a fake car.

Nancy and Marsha in the same fake car.

As we left the historic site we had a nice view of the lake, then we continued on back down the trail to the van. Stats for the ride: 8.26 miles.

Beach at Tallac Historic Estates.

Jan at split tree.

Cabin in South Lake Tahoe

Our cozy cabin for the week. We get warm
feelings as we sit together in the living room.

Here is our home for one week. We are very excited to be spending an extra week in Lake Tahoe before Camp W. In previous years we've come a couple of days early, but this time we plan on really getting out and being adventuresome with some new hikes and some biking towing the dogs. Hopefully the two senior dogs, Glitter and Gizmo, will really appreciate riding while they enjoy the Tahoe scenery. I know the younger dogs like to "run" but we can tire them out with a ball session.

You can see the pretty "welcome lights" at night.

Our arrival at the cabin was delayed because we didn't leave Salt Lake until 3:30 in the afternoon. I don't even want to relive or tell about that part of the day. So we got here at 1:00am. One nice thing: Christmas lights on the cabin, easy to find it in the dark. Nice motion yard lights. The bummer. I got the door key code months ago, well it had been changed. We spent a half hour trying it. We gave up and finally called the Sherich's. Monica was so cheerful and called us right back (remember this is the middle of the night) - giving us the correct code. Finally we were in. Unloaded our bikes, and grabbed our dogs and pillows and hit the bed!
Before Jan was up this morning I was unloading our stuff from the car. Sorting through the things we need for camp and what we will be using this week. It was so nice out this morning. After I brought all the stuff in, then I had to figure out where to put everything. Since we won't be using the fireplace, I lined all my stuff up in from of it.


Jan and I got ready this morning for church at 10am. Showed up at the building on Spruce about 9:45. Hmmmm the parking lot was empty except for one car. It didn't take long to find out they were having stake conference in Carson City. So all of us out of town visitors were out of luck. Too late and we really didn't want to go that far.

Jan & Glitter by Aspen Ave.

We came home and took a nice mile walk around the neighborhood with the dogs. My Garmin said that it was 93. Wow, hot. But we tried to walk where there was shade. Saw lots of cabins for sale. Headed back to the cabin to wait for Nancy to arrive.

Backyard photo opportunity.

After Nancy arrived and we got her car unloaded and everything into the cabin. First thing: we draped all the furniture with sheets. We had bathed & brushed all the dogs two weeks ago, but it will just give us an extra edge on dog hair and keeping things clean. We then headed off for a trip to the grocery store to load up on food for the week. We have planned to cook most of our meals.


Tonights menu: Salad with a special homemade dressing, baked Salmon, corn on the cob, and zuchinni from our garden. Drink: bottled water. We enjoyed this meal in the beautiful backyard garden at the picnic table.


After dinner we went for a bike ride around our neighborhood and then down on the bike path along Lake Tahoe Blvd. We rode about 2.5 miles. Nancy enjoyed her birthday present: a new Diamondback Serene bike.

Loading the game. 5 Shelties ready to play.

The last entertainment for the evening was a dog game. Put the treats in this game called Dog Brick. ‘Dog Brick’ requires a dog to first dislodge the removable bones, then to push the sliding covers and access hidden treats. The level of difficulty for the Brick can be varied, depending upon the dog’s experience and his enthusiasm for the game.

Playing Dog Brick.