September 9 to 15, 2020

local. independent. fresh.

september 9-15, 2020

trash

kills bears

paddleboarding

music

on donner lake

marinas

from the heart

tahoe

peter lassen: an ambitious trailblazer

history arts

get outside eat & drink

delivering the fun since 1982

BOAT RENTALS & FUEL DOCK Fuel dock 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Boat Rentals 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WEATHER PERMITTING

Wye

Grove St.

MARINA

TA H O E C I T Y, C A Truckee

Homewood

Jackpine

TA H O E C I T Y

Incline Village

TA H O E C I T Y

TA H O E C I T Y

MARINA L A K E TA H O E • C A L I F O R N I A

MARINA

L A K E TA H O E • C A L I F O R N I A

(530) 583-1039 · TahoeCityMarina.com

fun. unique. everywhere.

September 9-15, 2020 Courtesy Tommy Jimenez

Volume 39 | Issue 18

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TM

P.O. Box 154 | Tahoe Vista, CA 96145 (530) 546-5995 | f (530) 546-8113 TheTahoeWeekly.com Facebook.com/TheTahoeWeekly @TheTahoeWeekly

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SUBMISSIONS Events & Entertainment Submit at TheTahoeWeekly.com Click on Events Calendar Editorial Inquiries editor@tahoethisweek.com

BEAR League

Entertainment Inquiries entertainment@tahoethisweek.com Cover Photography production@tahoethisweek.com

E-NEWSLETTER

17

SUBSCRIBE

to our monthly e-newsletter at TheTahoeWeekly.com

in this issue

making it happen Publisher & Editor In Chief Katherine E. Hill publisher@tahoethisweek.com, ext. 102 Sales & Marketing Manager Anne Artoux anne@tahoethisweek.com, ext. 110 Art Director Alyssa Ganong production@tahoethisweek.com, ext. 106 Graphic Designer Justeen Ferguson graphics@tahoethisweek.com, ext. 101 Entertainment Editor Sean McAlindin entertainment@tahoethisweek.com Food Editor Priya Hutner priya@tahoethisweek.com Family Editor Michelle Allen michelle@tahoethisweek.com Copy Editor Katrina Veit Contributing Writers John Dee, Barbara Keck, Bruce Ajari, Mark McLaughlin, David “Smitty” Smith, Priya Hutner, Katrina Veit, Kayla Anderson, Lou Phillips, Sean McAlindin, Tim Hauserman, Alex Green, Lisa Michelle, Cam Schilling, Alex Silgalis

bears & wildlife BEAR EMERGENCIES BEAR League (530) 525-7297 (24 hours) | savebears.org A bear walking nearby or through your yard is not an emergency unless it is trying to enter your home or car.

INJURED ANIMALS Lake Tahoe Wildlife Center, South Shore (530) 577-2273 | ltwc.org The Wildlife Shelter, North Shore (866) 307-4216

TAHOE WEEKLY is published weekly throughout the summer and biweekly the rest of the year, with occassional extra issues at holiday times by Range of Light Media Group, Inc. Look for new issues on Wednesdays.

Subscribe to the free digital edition at issuu.com/ TheTahoeWeekly. Visit TheTahoeWeekly.com.

TAHOE WEEKLY, est. 1982, ©2007. Reproduction in whole or in part without publisher’s express permission is prohibited. Contributions welcome via e-mail. The Weekly is not responsible for unsolicited submissions. Member: North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, North Tahoe Business Association, Incline Community Business Association, Truckee Donner Chamber of Commerce, Tahoe City Downtown Association, Truckee Downtown Merchants Association, Tahoe South Chamber of Commerce and Alpine County Chamber of Commerce. Printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks. Please recycle your copy.

HELP PROTECT TAHOE’S BEARS FROM THE PUBLISHER

It’s been more than 20 years since I penned my first editorial about protecting Tahoe’s bears in the former Tahoe Weekly newspaper: “A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear.” It came after public outcry about the killing of a bear reached a crescendo that resulted in the formation of the BEAR League.

SEPT. 9-15, 2020 FEATURES

Paddleboarding on Donner Lake Trash Kills Bears

6 8

Pooping in the Woods

11

I’m saddened to still have to publish stories imploring people to protect all of Tahoe’s wildlife, but especially our black bears. In this edition, we continue our series on the impacts of overtourism and litter in Tahoe due to the pandemic with Priya Hutner’s story “Trash kills bears.”

Peter Lassen

13

Opportunists and scavengers, bears have been habituated by our bad behavior to pick through our garbage and snack off bird feeders and dog bowls left outside. Unsecured garbage, garbage left strewn on trails, beaches and outside bear boxes, food left on back decks, barbecues with leftover food burned on them, food left in cars or garbage stored inside garages – if you have done any of these things, then you are responsible for feeding wildlife (intentionally or not), habituating them to feed off your garbage and for putting their lives at risk.

Sightseeing

4

Lake Tahoe Facts

5

Summer Fun

7

As fall approaches, bear behavior will worsen as they try to increase their calorie intake to prepare for winter’s hibernation. If visitors and locals don’t stop littering our beaches and parks or don’t put trash in bear-proof containers, then you are endangering our bears. And, when they wake next spring with their newborn cubs, they will take their cubs not into the forest to forage, but to local trash cans and teach them the same bad habits.

Bears that do this can be killed. These big, burly beautiful creatures are harmless for the most part, but if you get between them and their dinner – your garbage can – they can become aggressive. And, if bears are roaming our neighborhoods looking for trash, there is a higher chance of them getting hit by a car.

If a bear becomes a nuisance, California law allows for homeowners to request a depredation permit to shoot the bear. Fortunately, California Fish & Wildlife tries to find other solutions before issuing a permit. But, this summer, 5 bears have been killed after permits were issued in California. In Nevada, the Department of Wildlife does relocate nuisance bears, but 2 bears have been killed after being deemed a public safety threat.

To our visitors and locals, please pick up your trash, store garbage in a bear-proof container (purchase one if you can), share this information with your neighbors, and call the BEAR League if you have a problem bear to learn what to do to stop them.

To local officials, you can do better. While several local municipalities offer low- or zero-interest loan programs to buy bear boxes, we need to make bear boxes mandatory for all homeowners.

And, local agencies should fund this program for all full-time residents that can’t afford them and mandate them for all vacation rentals immediately. Officials also need to spend the money to educate visitors – people who don’t normally interact with bears – about what they can do to save Tahoe’s bears.

Because a Fed Bear is a Dead Bear.

TAHOE SLAB DONATION GIVEAWAY We’ve received a lot of support from locals and visitors through our donation campaign, and we were shocked and thrilled when Tahoe Slab Furniture reached out to us to offer to donate one of their custom tables to help support Tahoe Weekly.

GET OUTSIDE

Marinas & Boat Ramps

12

Events

12

THE MAKERS Slime

14

The Arts

14

THE LINEUP Gary Lynn Floyd

15

Live

15

FUN & GAMES Horoscope & Puzzles

16

EAT & DRINK Dress Up Your Greens

17

Tasty Tidbits

17

Broccoli Salad

18

Que Syrah, Part I

19

on the cover A black bear swims in Taylor Creek in South Lake Tahoe. Photography by Sky Emerson | SummitSide.com, @SummitSidePhotoVideo

Tahoe Slab is creating a custom, handcrafted 24” x 48” English walnut and Tahoe Blue epoxy coffee table for our donation giveaway. The table is valued at more than $2,000 and supporters will be entered into the giveaway with every $20 donation to Tahoe Weekly between Sept. 9 and Oct. 5. We will hold a random drawing on Oct. 5.

Follow this progress of the table’s creation by following Tahoe Slab @tahoeslabfurniture on Facebook and @tahoeslab on Instagram. Thank you, Tahoe Slab.  3

LAKE LEVEL Lake Tahoe Natural rim 6,223’

Readings taken on Friday, September 4, 2020 ELEVATION :

RESERVOIR CAPACITY

6,226.91 |

6,228.45

C PACITY CITY:: 40 CIT 0,870 0 BOCA 12,362 CAPA

Explore Tahoe

South Lake Tahoe

(530) 542-2908 | cityofslt.us Urban Trailhead at base of Heavenly Gondola with local exhibits and programs. South Tahoe

Fannette Island

Emerald Bay

(530) 541-3030 | parks.ca.gov Lake Tahoe’s only island is located in Emerald Bay & is home to an old tea house. Boat access only. (Closed Feb. 1-June 15 for nesting birds.)

TART/South Tahoe

Heavenly

West Shore

Tallac Historic Site

South Lake Tahoe

(530) 541-5227 | tahoeheritage.org Once known as the “Grandest Resort in the World” as the summer retreat for three San Francisco elite families with the Baldwin Estate, Pope Estate & Valhalla. Grounds open yearround. South Tahoe South Lake Tahoe

Truckee

Kings Beach

North Shore

northtahoebusiness.org Kings Beach is a popular spot for dining and shopping with the North Shore’s largest sandy beach located in the heart of town. Free parking at North Tahoe Beach, Brook Street, Minnow and the Christmas Tree lot on Hwy. 28. TART

North Lake Tahoe Demonstration Garden

Incline Village

Summer | Free (775) 586-1610, ext. 25 | demogarden.org Demonstrations of lake-friendly landscaping using native and adaptive plants, water conservation, soil stabilization techniques, defensible space from wildfires & BMPs. Self-guided tours & clinics. TART

North Tahoe Arts Center

Tahoe City

(530) 581-2787 | northtahoearts.com Featuring exhibits of work by local artists and works for sale by local artists. TART

Tahoe Art League Gallery

South Lake Tahoe

(530) 544-2313 | talart.org Featuring local artists, workshops. South Tahoe

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truckeehistory.org | truckee.com Settled in 1863, Truckee grew quickly as a stagecoach stop and route for the Central Pacific Railroad. During these early days, many historical homes and buildings were built including The Truckee Hotel (1868) and the Capitol Building (1868). Stop by the Depot for a walking tour of historic downtown. Paid parking downtown. TART

Vikingsholm Castle

Emerald Bay

200,000 AF

225

175

100,000 AF

75

50

25

Gatekeeper’s Museum

Tahoe City

Truckee River | FLOW AT FARAD 500 (530) 583-1762 | northtahoemuseums.org Featuring historic photos, the Steinbach Indian Basket Museum and historical memorabilia. TART

KidZone Children’s OPENING TBD Museum

Incline Village

Tues.-Fri. & by appt. | Free (775) 881-7566 | tahoesciencecenter.org University of California, Davis, science education center at Sierra Nevada College. Exhibits include a virtual research boat, biology lab, 3D movies and docent-led tours. Ages 8+. TART

Truckee Railroad Museum OPENING TBD

Measured in Cubic Feet Per Second (CFS)

TROA.NET

Truckee

Sat.-Sun. & holidays truckeedonnerrailroadsociety.com Learn about the historic railroad. Located in a caboose next to the Truckee Depot. TART

Truckee

Tues.-Sun. | Locals’ first Tues. half price (530) 587-5437 | kidzonemuseum.org Interactive exhibits, science & art classes for kids up to age 7. BabyZone & Jungle Gym. TART

Find more places to explore

Lake Tahoe Museum

VISITORS’ CENTERS

South Lake Tahoe

Museum of Truckee History

High Camp OPENING TBD

TROA.NET

Measured in Acre Feet (AF)

Tahoe Science Ctr OPENING TBD

Truckee

2 PROSSER 11,061 CAPACITY: 29,840 (530) 582-7892 | parks.ca.gov CAPACITY: C 9,500 5 features exhibits DONNER 4,690 The Emigrant Trail Museum and artifacts on the Donner Party (1846-47) at 8 INDEPENDENCE 1,3763 CCAPACITY: 18,300 Donner Memorial State Park. See the towering Pioneer Monument.

A TART 20,400 40 MARTIS 1,052 CAPACITY:

Thunderbird Lodge CLOSED

East Shore

Measured in Cubic Feet Per Second (CFS)

CAPACITY: C 226,500

Emigrant Trail Museum

(530) 541-5458 | laketahoemuseum.org Features Washoe artifacts and exhibits on early industry and settlers. South Tahoe

Parking fee | parks.ca.gov (530) 525-7232 Park | (530) 583-9911 Tours Sugar Pine Point State Park is home to the historic Ehrman Mansion (summer tours), see boathouses with historic boats and General Phipps Cabin built in the late 1800s. TART

(800) 403-0206 | squawalpine.com Aerial tram rides with views of Lake Tahoe, Olympic Heritage Museum, events and more.

Ticket required. TART

500

(530) 543-2674 | fs.usda.gov Features Stream Profile Chamber to view slice of Taylor Creek, nature trails & more. South Tahoe

May-October | thunderbirdtahoe.org The former Whittell estate. This magnificent lakefront home features the Lighthouse Room, Old Lodge, 600’ underground tunnel (with a former lion cage) and Boat House, home to the “Thunderbird,” a 1939 wooden boat. Ages 6+ only.

No on-site parking. Tours by reservation only.

Olympic Valley

STAMPEDE 19,9661

FLOW AT FARAD

6,228.45

200,000 AF

North Shore

Summer | (530) 583-3279 | terc.ucdavis.edu This 1920s-era building features a history of the field station, current UC Davis research projects, interactive exhibits and demonstration garden. Ages 8+. TART

Taylor Creek Visitor Center South Lake Tahoe

(775) 586-7000 | skiheavenly.com Enjoy a 2.4-mile ride on the gondola to the top with panoramic views. Ticket required. South Tahoe

Hellman-Ehrman Mansion

Tahoe City Field Station

|

6,226.91 |

175

Eagle Rock, one of the lake’s famous natural sites, is a volcanic plug beside Highway 89 on the West Shore. Trail to top is on the south side. TART

Truckee River C PACITY CAPA CITY:: 40 CIT 0,870 0 BOCA 12,362

ELEVATION :

150,000 AF

West Shore

visittahoecity.com Popular for shopping and dining with historical sites. At the junction of hwys 89 & 28, visitors may see the Tahoe City Dam, Lake Tahoe’s only outlet, and Fanny Bridge. Peer into Watson Cabin (1909) for a glimpse at pioneer life. Free parking at Commons Beach, Grove St., Jackpine St. and 64 acres at Hwys 89 & 28. TART

RESERVOIR CAPACITY

Readings taken on Friday, September 4, 2020

125

Eagle Rock

North Shore

50

Drive through one of the area’s natural wonders at Cave Rock, the neck of an old volcano.

The area is named for the small caves above Highway 50 that were cut by waves when Lake Tahoe was 200 feet higher during the ice ages.

Tahoe City

25

East Shore

CAPACITY: 18,300 C 8

LAKE LEVEL A 20,400 40 MARTIS 1,052 CAPACITY: Lake Tahoe Natural rim 6,223’

150,000 AF

INDEPENDENCE 1,3763

Check schedules & openings before visiting.

Cave Rock

Clouds reflected on Webber Lake during an early morning stroll. | Katherine E. Hill

CAPACITY: 9,500 C 5

125

DONNER 4,690

CAPACITY: 29,840 2

100,000 AF

ATTRACTIONS

PROSSER 11,061

CAPACITY: C 226,500

75

SIGHTSEEING

STAMPEDE 19,9661

Measured in Acre Feet (AF)

225

TheTahoeWeekly.com

Truckee

Thurs.-Mon. | (530) 582-0893 | truckeehistory.org Housed in the original Depot, built in 1901. Exhibits cover different eras in Truckee history. TART

Old Jail Museum

Truckee

at TheTahoeWeekly.com

Kings Beach Kings Beach State Rec. Area (Thurs.-Mon., July-Aug.)

Incline Village 969 Tahoe Blvd. (800) 468-2463 Stateline 169 Hwy. 50 (775) 588-4591 Tahoe City 100 N. Lake Blvd. (530) 581-6900 Truckee 10065 Donner Pass Rd. (Depot) (530) 587-8808 U.S. Forest Service | Incline Village

Open by appt. | (530) 659-2378 | truckeehistory.org One of a few surviving 19th Century jailhouses used from 1875 until May 1964 (summer tours). TART

855 Alder Ave. (775) 831-0914 (Wed.-Fri.)

Olympic Museum OPENING TBD

U.S. Forest Service | Tahoe City

Olympic Valley

(800) 403-0206 | squawalpine.com Squaw Valley, host of the VIII Winter Olympic Games in 1960, celebrates its Olympic History with the Tower of Nations with its Olympic Flame and the symbolic Tower of the Valley at the entrance to the valley. The Olympic Museum at High Camp features historic memorabilia and photographs. TART

U.S. Forest Service | South Lake Tahoe 35 College Dr. (530) 543-2600

3080 N. Lake Blvd. (530) 583-3593 (Fridays)

U.S. Forest Service | Truckee 10811 Stockrest Springs Rd. (530) 587-3558

TRANSIT North Tahoe & Truckee (TART) | laketahoetransit.com South Tahoe | tahoetransportation.org

Parking fee | (530) 541-3030 | (530) 525-9529 ADA parks.ca.gov or vikingsholm.com Tour the grounds of Vikingsholm Castle (summer), see Eagle Falls and Fannette Island (the Lake’s only island), home to an old Tea House. TART/South Tahoe

Watson Cabin

Tahoe City

(530) 583-1762 | northtahoemuseums.org Watson Cabin, built by Robert Watson and his son in 1909, is the oldest building in Tahoe City and on the National Register of Historic Places. (summer tours). TART

MUSEUMS Donner Summit Historical Society

Soda Springs

donnersummithistoricalsociety.org At the corner of Old Hwy 40 & Soda Springs Rd. 20-mile interpretive driving tour along Old 40. TART

Boots McFarland by Geolyn Carvin | BootsMcFarland.com

September 9-15, 2020 GRAY ’S CROSSING COYOTE MOON

TAHOE DONNER

Donner Summit

Reno & Sparks

TRUCKEE AIRPORT

Donner Lake

The Lost Sierra

OLD GREENWOOD

Truckee

BOCA RESERVOIR STAMPEDE RESERVOIR

GRAEAGLE MEADOWS GRIZZLY RANCH WHITEHAWK RANCH

h Ta

N

Tahoe City

Alpine Meadows

LAKE FOREST

Dollar Hill

TAHOE CITY MARINA

Sunnyside

BOAT RAMPS

SUNNYSIDE

Ta h o e R i m

il

Lake

Spooner Lake

Homewood

East Shore

OBEXER’S

e Ri m Tr a i l

CA

MEEKS BAY

Cave Rock

Zephyr Cove

Eagle Lake

Average Surface Water Temperature: 51.9˚F

South Lake Tahoe

SKI RUN TAHOE KEYS

CAMP RICHARDSON

Highest Peak: Freel Peak at 10,881 feet Ta h oe

R i m Tr ail

Stateline

Fannette Island

Cascade Lake

Average Surface Temperature in July: 64.9˚F

Fallen Leaf Lake

Average Snowfall: 409 inches

LAKESIDE BIJOU

South Shore Meyers

LAKE TAHOE AIRPORT

Echo Lakes

Kirkwood

About 3 to 5 million years ago, the valley that would become the Tahoe Basin sank between parallel fractures in the Earth’s crust as the mountains on either side continued to rise. A shallow lake began to form in the resulting valley.

Roughly 2 to 3 million years ago, erupting volcanoes blocked the outlet, forcing the lake to rise hundreds of feet above its current elevation, and eventually eroded down to near its current outlet.

Between 1 million and 20,000 years ago, large masses of glacial ice covered the west side of the Tahoe Basin. Current geologic theory suggests an earthen berm (moraine) left by a receding glacier near Olympic Valley acted as a dam, causing the lake level to rise and then draw down rapidly when the dam catastrophically failed. Between

7,000 and 15,000 years ago, a four-mile segment of the West Shore collapsed into the Lake causing a massive submerged debris avalanche, widening the Lake by three miles and creating McKinney Bay.1 The Tahoe Basin is mostly granite, with little topsoil, and therefore few nutrients have washed into the lake to promote the growth of algae and other organisms that make water murky.

As well, 40 percent of the precipitation falling into the Tahoe Basin lands directly on the lake. The remaining precipitation drains through the decomposed granite soil found in marshes and meadows, creating a good filtering system for water.

Urbanization of the Tahoe Basin has eliminated 75 percent of its marshes, 50 percent of its meadows and 35 percent of its steam zone habitats. About 85 percent of all wildlife in the Tahoe Basin use these habitats.

Lake Tahoe has a surface area of 191 square miles. If Lake Tahoe were emptied, it would submerge California under 15 inches of water.

Learn about the natural history of the Tahoe Sierra

at TheTahoeWeekly.com

LAKE TAHOE

Number of Visitors: 15 million annually

Shoreline: 72 miles

FREEL PEAK

TAHOE PARADISE

Permanent Population: 66,000

lake tahoe facts

Lake Tahoe sits at an average elevation of between 6,223’ and 6,229.1’. The top 6.1’ of water is controlled by the dam in Tahoe City and holds up to 744,600 acre feet of water.

Lake Tahoe is as long as the English Channel is wide.

EDGEWOOD TAHOE

CAVE ROCK

Watershed Area: 312 square miles Emerald Bay

There is enough water in Lake Tahoe to supply everyone in the United States with more than 75 gallons of water per day for 5 years.

Size: 22 miles long, 12 miles wide

Age of Lake Tahoe: 2 million years

Average Water Temperature: 42.1˚F

Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the U.S. (Crater Lake in Oregon, at 1,932 feet, is the deepest), and the 11th deepest in the world.

Natural rim: 6,223’

Meeks Bay

How the lake was formed

Carson City

Glenbrook

Tahoma

CASINOS

Maximum depth: 1,645 feet

Volume: 39 trillion gallons

NV

TAHOE VISTA REC AREA

o Ta h

West Shore

HOMEWOOD

Marlette Lake

SAND HARBOR

Tahoe

Eagle Rock

GOLF COURSES

DEEPEST POINT

NORTH TAHOE

TAHOE CITY

INCLINE VILLAGE CHAMPIONSHIP

Crystal Bay

COON ST. BOAT LAUNCH

SIERRA BOAT CO.

Average depth: 1,000 feet

Incline Village

Kings Beach

Carnelian Bay

RESORT AT SQUAW CREEK

a Tr

INCLINE VILLAGE MOUNTAIN

OLD BROCKWAY

Olympic Valley

MARINAS

North Shore

Tahoe Vista

NAKOMA FEATHER RIVER PARK

oe

NORTHSTAR

Truckee River

WEST EAST SOUTH

ra Rim T

il

SCHAFFER’S MILL

PLUMAS PINES

RENO-TAHOE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

PROSSER RESERVOIR

PONDEROSA

DONNER LAKE

Hope Valley Markleeville

About the lake Lake Tahoe is located in the states of California and Nevada, with two-thirds in California. It is fed by 63 streams and two hot springs.

The Truckee River is Tahoe’s only outlet and flows from the dam in Tahoe City east through Reno and eventually drains into Pyramid Lake in the Nevada desert.

However, water releases are not permitted when the lake surface level falls below the natural rim at 6,223.’ The lowest lake level on record (measured since 1900) was 6,220.26’ on Nov. 30, 1992.

The Lake of the Sky appears blue in color as other colors in the light spectrum are absorbed and blue light is scattered back.

Lake clarity The University of California, Davis, operates the Tahoe Environmental Resarch Center, which monitors, among other

things, the clarity of Lake Tahoe. Clarity has been measured since 1968 and was first recorded at 102.4’.

The waters of Lake Tahoe were clear to an average depth of 62.7 in 2019. The lowest average depth on record was 64.1’ in 1997. Lake Tahoe is losing clarity because of algae growth fueled by nitrogen and phosphorus.

Lake Tahoe’s discovery The first recorded discovery of Lake Tahoe by white explorers was on Feb. 14, 1844, when John Charles Frémont and Charles Preuss spotted the lake from atop Red Lake Peak. The lake went through several names before it was officially named Tahoe in 1945.

Tahoe is a mispronunciation of the first two syllables of the Washoe’s word for the lake – Da ow a ga, which means “edge of the lake.” 

Learn more: Visit the Tahoe Science Center in Incline Village or tahoesciencecenter.org. Sources: Tahoe Environmental Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service, “Tahoe Place Names” and David Antonucci (denoted by 1).

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TheTahoeWeekly.com

GET outside

Email news to editor@tahoethisweek.com

the outdoors | recreation | events | mountain life

PA D D L E B OA R D I N G A DV E N T U R E S AT

Donner Lake TINS hosts Nature Chase

S TO RY & P H OTO S BY K AY L A A N D E R S O N

D

onner Lake is a popular body of water offering many recreational activities outside Truckee. Accessible from Interstate 80 and the Old Highway 40, Donner Lake is .6 miles wide, 2.7 miles long and 200 feet deep. Here people boat, wakeboard, fish, sail, use personal watercraft and paddle from one end to the other until the wind kicks up.

Take the Donner Pass Road exit from I-80; drivers going east will take a right onto Donner Pass Road and drivers going west will take a left. Donner Memorial State Park, on the eastern side of the lake, offers the Emigrant Trail Museum and the infamous Pioneer Monument. The park offers more than 100 campsites, with many

Discover the Tahoe Sierra this month with the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science’s month-long Nature Chase.

Participate in daily nature challenges and tune in with the outdoors as the seasons change from summer to fall.

Visit the website for a printable Nature Chase calendar with daily activities throughout the month. Then, submit photos and observations via the Facebook or Instagram @tahoesnaturalists and tag #TahoesNaturalists. Don’t forget to share observations using the iNaturalist citizen science app.

I always have a good time when I go to

The Nature Chase is free and open to anyone, but support TINS by becoming a member starting at $35 a year. | tinsweb.org

Donner Lake … it’s always a different experience.

Follow Kayla’s summer exploits

beach areas and day-use sites. Keep driving south past the Tahoe Donner Beach Club Marina, which is for members only, to the Loch Leven Lodge and Donner Pines shopping center.

Sandwiched between the shopping center and the boat ramp is Shoreline Park with picnic tables, a restroom, access to a fishing dock, a tiny launch ramp for human-powered vessels and about 15 parking spaces. There were only a few available spots at 8:30 a.m. on an early August morning and I got there just in time; the lot filled up by 8:45 a.m.

The air was crisp, the sun shining, the lake was calm and after pumping up my inflatable standup paddleboard I was in the water paddling north back to the state park. I passed a number of public docks, most of which had already been claimed.

As I approached the long sandy beach in Tahoe Donner Beach Club Marina, people were swimming and playing in the water or pitching shade coverings on the shoreline.

Circumnavigating the lake, I found China Cove with a little island in the center and a heavily forested channel. I paddled a couple hundred yards to the end, gazing below into what looks like an overgrown underwater lawn. The channel stopped at a shack managed by Donner Lake Watersports and the friendly staff was renting people kayaks, paddle boats, personal watercraft and SUPs. I jumped off my board and walked into the campground. People were jogging and meandering on the hardpacked dirt 6

at TheTahoeWeekly.com

path. I found a Porta Potty that was wellmaintained.

I navigated back to my SUP and got on the water as the campground started to wake up. The wind had picked up a bit and so I paddled back toward the other side of the lake. Twenty minutes later I was back at Public Pier No. 22 next to Shoreline Park enjoying a frosty beverage after an hour of battling a headwind on my board.

I relaxed on the dock for a bit, then loaded my SUP back into my car and drove south. I passed Donner Lake Boat Ramp, a gift shop, Little Truckee Ice Creamery, lodging properties and The Pub at Donner Lake. Some people continue straight on Donner Pass Road to Highway 40 toward Donner Summit, but I turned left onto South Shore Drive where you can find the public West End Beach. Here it’s just as busy as the eastern end. For a fee, you can use the beach, which contains a large beach, many grassy areas, two playgrounds, a snack bar and restrooms, picnic tables with grills and water toys available for rent.

I drove past the beach through a busy neighborhood for a mile or so. The road crept up the ridge, offering beautiful vistas of the lake. The road eventually dead ends but continues via a smaller paved bike path that connects to the far end of Donner Memorial State Park.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The channel that ends at the campground and Donner Lake Watersports; The campground; Donner Lake Kitchen; Launching my SUP at Shoreline Park.

It was midafternoon and I was starving.

I drove back around to Donner Pass Road and stopped at Donner Lake Kitchen for lunch. It offers a full menu of breakfast and lunch items; I eventually settled on the Sierra-style eggs benedict and ordered it to go. I was tempted to get one of the 20 different flavors of mimosas or Moscow mules, but kept with water instead.

My meal tasted every bit as good as it looked; I ate half of it in the car before I even left the parking lot.

Heading home, I thought about how I always have a good time when I go to Donner Lake and how it’s always a different experience. This is the place where I went wakeboarding under a full moon, where my friend Josh drank too much tequila on a pier and got so sunburned he looked like a lobster for months and where I tearfully hugged one of my best friend’s goodbye at her going-away party held at West End Beach. It’s a fun place to hang out with friends but it’s also a good idea to come prepared for anything — and where points of interest such as “Donner Party Island” take on a new meaning. 

• Beach hopping by bike on the West Shore • Discovering sun, sand and summer fun at Zephyr Cove

New trail opened

at Van Sickle

Volunteers from the Tahoe Rim Trail Association and TAMBA (Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association) have completed and opened the extension of the Cal-Neva Loop in Van Sickle Bi-State Park on the South Shore.

The new half-mile trail offers an extended loop option in the park and provides an alternative for the lower section of the Tahoe Rim Trail Access Trail that leads to the popular waterfall in the park. Crews continue to construct a sustainable portion of the K to K Trail in the park and are beginning work on the first of several bridges this month. | tahoerimtrail.org

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TRASH

KILLS BEARS

TAHOE’S WILDLIFE AT DANGER FROM HUMANS, LITTER S TO RY BY P R I YA H UT N E R

rash kills wildlife. In Tahoe, bears are most at risk. Unsecured garbage, bird feeders, fruit trees, vegetable gardens, compost, or even feeding domestic pets outside can attract foraging wildlife, especially bears. Once a bear finds an easy food source (i.e. garbage) they’ll come back repeatedly. And, if bears don’t find it in the garbage the next time, they will start searching in nearby cars and homes looking for the next easy meal.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third part

in a series covering the tourism impacts that locals and visitors alike have experienced this summer. Read Part I, “Tahoe’s tourism tipping point,” and Part II, “Garbage & Grievances,” at TheTahoeWeekly.com.

ABOVE A bear takes advantage of some goodies left outside a house. | BEAR League

8

Bears that return time and again can prompt a depredation permit to be issued, which means a bear will be shot. Most people who live in bear country don’t want this to happen.

Many visitors to our area, however, are not bear savvy and don’t know that unsecured trash or even trash cans in a garage can attract bears. Due to the pandemic, the Tahoe Sierra has seen a record number of visitors to the region and more trash being dumped illegally and left lying around on beaches, trails and next to bear-proof garbage containers and the bears are foraging off that human garbage.

And while there is something magical about seeing a bear in a yard or in the wild, according to the Tahoebased BEAR League, it is imperative not to engage with them, feed them, get close to them or leave trash out. Feeding bears or leaving garbage unsecured can be a death warrant for wildlife. If bears get too familiar, they break into cars and homes looking for food. If they become a nuisance or pose a safety threat and this is reported to authorities, there is a chance it will be euthanized.

There are an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 black bears in the Sierra Nevada. They are omnivores and subsist on a diet of grass, berries, blossoms, grubs, fish, small mammals and birds including chickens. In the fall bears prepare for hibernation by consuming more than 20,000 calories a day, and in Tahoe that includes feeding off trash. Black bears rarely attack, according to California Fish & Wildlife, but at times, may become food aggressive.

The BEAR (Bear Education Aversion Response) League, seeks to protect bears and educate visitors and locals, and the group of volunteers want to be the first call someone makes if they have a bear encounter or a nuisance bear, operating a 24-hour hotline. Volunteers use methods to scare off bears and to educate people about how to keep them from returning. The organization has 200 trained volunteers and 2,000 members whose mission is to educate people about bears, and rescue injured or orphaned bears in the Tahoe Sierra.

September 9-15, 2020 FEATURE

“Twenty years ago, there was no education whatsoever in the Tahoe Basin about bears. People would put their trash out with no bear bins and no protection, and some of them would freak out and call the Department of Wildlife who would come and kill the bear,” explains Ann Bryant, executive director and founder of the BEAR League, who has been working to save bears for 35 years.

Educating Tahoe’s visitors on how their actions impact wildlife is imperative say local advocates, which includes not leaving trash unsecured. Both Bryant and Will Richardson, executive director of Tahoe Institute of Natural Science (TINS), are seeing the effects of visitors and garbage as it relates to wildlife and their natural habitats “At this point, I feel like there may be more people than ever on the trails. And it seems that people are inspired to go a little further off the trail into the wilderness to spread out and get away from people as more people try to escape from highA kitchen that was visited density urban areas. With more by a bear. | BEAR Leaque people on the trail, it seems it may have real behavioral impacts on some of the creatures,” explains Richardson, who adds more garbage attracts more wildlife, and they associate food with garbage.

Richardson also notes that while bears are the most impacted in the Tahoe Sierra so are raccoons, birds, squirrels and chipmunks. Richardson also points out that South Lake Tahoe saw the first bubonic plague case in human since 1980 this year. The human and wildlife relationship is fragile and increased interactions are a direct result of the pandemic as more visitors flock to local beaches, parks, trails and waterways, he says.

The BEAR League has been “busier than ever,” says Bryant. “All I know is that there are more people up here this summer than I’ve ever seen. We’ve been busier than ever with phone calls, and wildlife situations, busier than I have ever seen in the last 35 years. People come here with a city mentality; they’ve got a lot of fear,” she says, noting that many people’s first response is to call authorities for non-emergencies. Bryant would like that first call to be to the BEAR League.

“We have a very robust bear population in the area. For better or worse, wildlife lives on the human population in terms of the garbage, restaurant food and people feeding the wildlife,” says Peter Tira, spokesperson for California Department of Fish & Wildlife, an agency that is often called on to deal with wildlife issues.

“The bears in Tahoe are way above the carrying capacity of the natural habitat, and they survive because they’ve learned to adapt and thrive off the human environment,” explains Tira. “They’ve learned to break into people’s homes, cabins and campers.

It’s really on us, as people, to be vigilant in securing our garbage, use bear canisters when hiking, and not leave food in our trucks or cars.”

“The animals are trying to profit from the easy access, but then they're dying because we're killing them.”

– Ann Bryant According to Tira, if California Fish & Wildlife receives a bear complaint, the agency will try to work with the homeowner or tenant to address the root cause of why the bear is there. Officers will assess food sources, garbage, vehicles and unclean barbecue grills.

They may also recommend an electric fence. Bears have a keen sense of smell and will think nothing of breaking into a garage if trash is stored there.

But to be clear, the agency does not relocate bears.

If a bear keeps returning, they may issue a depredation permit if it becomes a public safety issue, which legally allows for the bear to be euthanized. Tira noted that it rarely happens in Tahoe and it’s the last thing they want to do. However, Tira says if someone feels like they are in danger, they should call 911.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife also uses a number of methods when they receive a call about bear issues and does relocate problem bears.

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It’s not just bears that are impacted by a lack of awareness, however. Tira says that deer and other wildlife are also a victim of people’s negligence.

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“We don’t issue depredation permits. We use aversive conditioning. We trap the bear in a capture culvert, and release the bear in a nearby area. We use noise, bear dogs and rubber bullets to scare them,” says Ashley Sanchez, public information officer for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. Once the bear is caught, they are collared before they are released. Sanchez says euthanizing bears is a last resort.

“We have seen a huge increase in bear activity this year. Bears are coming down from higher elevations due the dry year and finding their way into the lower valley and into neighborhoods,” she explains, adding that unsecured garbage and fruit trees are two of the main factors.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife received 400 bear-related calls from June through August of this year. Most were sightings or questions.

The organization trapped and relocated 50 bears.

Two bears were deemed a public safety threat and had to be euthanized. Sanchez says she can’t stress enough the need for people to secure garbage and other items Always clean your grill. | BEAR Leaque that attract bears.

California Fish & Wildlife reports that it has received 88 bear-related calls between May and August: 56 in El Dorado County and 32 in Placer County.

Tira said that they received a number of requests for depredation permits – 37 in El Dorado and 21 in Placer. After investigating the complaints, 17 permits were issued in El Dorado and 10 in Placer due to public safety concerns. Of those, 3 bears were killed in El Dorado and 2 in Placer.

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BEAR DOS & DON’TS Never feed wildlife.

Never approach wildlife.

Store trash in properly closed bear-resistant garbage containers.

Never leave groceries, animal feed or anything scented in vehicles and keep doors locked.

Bears can open vehicle doors.

Keep barbecue grills clean and stored in a garage or shed when not in use.

Keep doors and windows closed and locked when the home is unoccupied.

A repeat offender. | BEAR Leaque CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

“There’s plenty of food for the wildlife. People don’t need to feed these animals. And it’s illegal to feed bears and deer, but people like to do it nonetheless,” Tira noted. “This happens with deer all the time, and then they go looking for food in backyards, their antlers tangled up in all sorts of things like hammocks and playgrounds. Animals get their neck stuck in chicken feeders or wiring fencing and rope swings.”

Tira adds that if people have chickens it’s essential to secure them at night and ensure they are not accessible by wildlife, especially bears and coyotes who feed off chickens.

Richardson also points out that there is are some serious effects on the environment.

“There are very direct and indirect impacts of litter on wildlife, up and down the food chain, and on us, too,” says Richardson. “As far as wildlife and litter, a lot of this stuff will get washed down in the storm drains into [Lake Tahoe] and into our watershed. Some of it may degrade the landscape. Things like cigarette butts are going to degrade into microplastics.”

LACK OF BEAR BOXES Bear-proof trash containers, commonly called bear boxes, secure trash so bears can’t get into it. However, bear-proof containers are not required in most of the Tahoe Sierra.

Placer County only requires that homes above 5,000 feet in elevation install a bear box for new construction or additions larger than 500 square feet.

The county does offer a bear box loan program for homeowners, as well.

CONTACT 24-hour hotline | (530) 525-7297 (BEAR League) Emergencies | 911 (a bear in your yard is not an emergency; only if they are trying to enter your home) BEAR League | savebears.org California Department of Fish & Wildlife | (916) 445-0380, wildlife.ca.gov Keep Tahoe Bears Wild group | tahoebears.org Nevada Dept. of Wildlife Bear Hotline | (775) 688-2327

BEAR BOXES El Dorado & Douglas counties and South Lake Tahoe South Lake Refuse (530) 542-8320, southtahoerefuse.com Placer County | (530) 886-4918, placer.ca.gov Washoe County | Waste Management (775) 329-8822, washoecounty.wm.com 10

In the town of Truckee, there is no bear box regulation. Truckee Mayor Dave Polivy says that he thinks bear boxes would help, noting that the town council is looking at making bear boxes mandatory as part of its forthcoming short-term rental regulations. Polivy, however, cites concern for local resident’s ability to afford a $1,500 bear box on top of their mortgage.

“If we want to require everybody to have bear bin some can afford it, and some will do it, but at the end of the day, we’re probably going to have to fork over half a million dollars to get the whole community into compliance,” says Polivy.

Incline Village General Improvement District (IVGID) does not mandate bear boxes, but according to the Public Works Department, they will fine people for unsecured garbage. First offense is a mandatory upgrade to a wildlife-resistant can. A second offense, more fines and homeowner will be required to get a bear box. IVGID does offers a $300 rebate for bear boxes for new homeowners. Washoe County homeowners can obtain bear-proof containers by contacting Waste Management.

In the City of South Lake Tahoe, bear boxes are only mandatory for vacation rentals. El Dorado County requires bear boxes for new homes built within the Tahoe areas of the county. South Tahoe Refuse does offer a bear box loan program for homeowners in El Dorado and Douglas counties, as well as in the City of South Lake Tahoe.

The other issue is that bear boxes only work if secured and there is a lot of operator error, says Jeanette Tillman of South Tahoe Refuse.

“Wrap up smelly food, use ammonia or pine sol in the bottom of your garbage can,” says Tillman, to dissuade bears from attempting to break into the bins.

And, if you are using garbage cans, don’t put them out the night before trash night.

“Ninety percent of the local people that live here don’t have that problem with bears and garbage,” adds Tillman, who notes that before the pandemic there were less bears in neighborhoods.

“Bears were starting to leave certain neighborhoods, and we had a good handle on the situation before COVID. And now it’s because people are not using their bear boxes properly,” she says. “And they’re stuffing them with as much as they can or not closing them all the way, the bears are learning that inside these bear boxes is lots of garbage.”

When asked about her thoughts on why bear boxes aren’t mandatory in bear country, Bryant said that it shows a lack of leadership from local officials.

“No agency has the backbone to step up and say this is what we need to do,” she says. “We’ve gone to TRPA. We’ve gone to every county. We’ve talked to every mayor and every supervisor that we want bear boxes to be mandatory. All of our governing agencies want to pass the buck. It’s a no brainer that every home should have a bear box, and everybody needs to lock up their trash.”

Vegetable gardens, compost piles, orchards and chickens can attract bears. Use electric fences to keep bears out.

Don’t hang bird feeders.

Don’t block a bear’s escape route if it enters your home.

Do yell at bears in your yard to scare them off.

Wildlife are attracted by suntan lotion, toothpaste, shampoo, soap and moisturizers, so secure them in bear canisters while camping.

EDUCATING THE PUBLIC Another issue is trying to educate the public – locals and visitors alike – about how to secure trash and live with bears in bear country.

With numerous jurisdictions and agencies all trying to deal with the issues of tourism, litter and the impact on wildlife, it can be frustrating and overwhelming.

Two states, five counties and three cities is just the tip of the iceberg of governing bodies in the Tahoe Sierra, and they all need to work in conjunction with California and Nevada state parks, the Forest Service, California Fish & Wildlife, the Nevada Department of Wildlife and a myriad of nonprofit land trusts.

“We’re all doing it from different vantage points, with local government, parks, the Forest Service, wildlife agencies and the sheriff ’s departments, which are typically the first ones who get called to deal with a situation. We’re all working together,” says Tira.

He added that California Fish & Wildlife tries to reach the public through press releases, media events, festival booths, television and working with schools, but some of these outlets have been hindered due to COVID restrictions.

But Tira says getting the message out about bear awareness is a never-ending process. California Fish & Wildlife also works with the TRPA, California State Parks, Nevada Department of Wildlife and the U.S. Forest Service to educate people about bears through its website tahoebears.org.

TINS is working to educate the public through its programs including working with the Take Care Tahoe campaign to try to educate visitors about trash and wildlife interactions.

The BEAR League has been working for more than 20 years to educate people about garbage and bears.

“We try to educate people. If you’re going to live in bear territory, you have to think about these animals that have been here for millennia,” says Bryant. The organization uses literature, signage on dumpsters and messaging through its website and Facebook page.

“The animals are trying to profit from the easy access, but then they’re dying because we’re killing them.”

“Our goal is just to let everybody know that this is forest. And wildlife makes the forest what it is. And we can help you understand the animals, and we can help you feel comfortable with the animals and appreciate them,” says Bryant. 

September 9-15, 2020 FEATURE

Pooping in the Woods T I M ’ S T I P S O N P OT T Y ET I Q U ET T E S TO RY BY T I M H AU S E R M A N

B

ackpacking is all about simplicity: Living life with everything you need on your back, focusing only on the basic necessities of life, moving from place to place, acquiring water to sustain life, setting up a temporary home, eating and, of course, peeing and pooping. In the civilized world, pooping is a quick process that is done without thought while reading a magazine. In the woods, however, it takes on new importance.

I dropped trou and was just getting down to business when a young woman popped around the corner about 3 feet away.

For me, pooping in the woods begins with picking up the neon-orange plastic shovel and toilet paper and setting out from camp. The shovel has two purposes.

First, of course, you use it to dig a hole for your dung drop. The second is equally important, to warn other campers in the area: “Whoa, stay away from the shovel or you will see something that you don’t want to see.”

Read Tim’s story on following the Leave No Trace principles at TheTahoeWeekly.com The next step in the process is finding the perfect place to lay a deuce. Some folks are so uncouth as to just take a few steps from the tent and start shoveling.

How lame. For me, it takes a good bit of exploration to locate the perfect spot because there are quite a few requirements that must be met. First is privacy. Second is follow the Leave No Trace principles, which means be at least 200 feet from water and carry out your toilet paper.

Then it’s important to find a smooth rock behind the dumping zone on which to lean. As a guy who was never a baseball catcher, I don’t have a lot of experience holding a squat for a long period of time, so I need something to lean on.

Next find dirt that is soft enough to dig down 6 inches; it must be real dirt, not a thick pile of pineneedle duff, which will not allow a successful recovering of the doo-doo. Often rocks or roots can make your chosen site impossible to dig into and this can really be an issue if you wait until the last possible moment to take your scat stroll.

Once you have all of these necessary requirements in hand, the pièce de resistance is a nice view and sunshine adorning your throne. Just make sure that the tent across the lake from you does not contain a person with binoculars who loves surveying his or her surroundings. Sometimes finding just the right spot can be a true highlight of your backpacking trip.

While I consider myself an aficionado of wilderness excrement evacuation, I’ve certainly had my share of challenges over the years. I remember one early morning near busy Showers Lake on the Tahoe Rim Trail/Pacific Crest Trail. There were lots of folks around, but I thought I’d located just the right spot in between two boulders. I dropped trou and was just getting down to business when a young woman popped around the corner about 3 feet away and nearly knocked me over before gruffly apologizing and slowly backing away.

While life in the wilderness is simpler, without the benefits of civilization those few things that have to be done

become complicated. At home, you turn up a lever and water pours out. In the woods, you have to put in the timeconsuming process of slowly filtering your water supply. You have to set up a tent, fill up an air mattress and in the morning wander around in the woods attempting to discover the perfect place in which to add your personal DNA to the forest floor. It’s all part of the process of slowing down and focusing on the real basics of life.

All you need to pack out your used toilet paper (and feminine care items) is a small plastic bag and a large plastic bag.

Put a teaspoon of powdered bleach or baking soda in the small bag. Fold up and place your used toilet paper in that bag.

Seal it and then put it in the big bag.

Seal that and you are done. 

CARRY OUT THE TP Wait, did I say you have to carry out the toilet paper? Yes, please. Anyone who has backpacked around Tahoe recently has most likely experienced the less than wholesome sight of toilet-paper flags popping out from under rocks or just flying in the breeze in the wilderness. Yeck.

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BOAT INSPECTIONS MANDATORY INSPECTIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR LAKE TAHOE, ECHO LAKES, FALLEN LEAF LAKE, DONNER LAKE, AREA RESERVOIRS & WEBBER LAKE. LAKE TAHOE

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NORTH SHORE LAKE FOREST: Lake Forest Rd. | ALPINE MEADOWS: Hwy. 89 at Alpine Meadows Rd. TRUCKEE TRUCKEE-TAHOE AIRPORT: Hwy. 267 off Airport Rd., Truckee.

EAST SHORE CAVE ROCK: Hwy. 50. | SPOONER SUMMIT: Junction of Hwys. 28 & 50. No vessels more than 30’.

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Mandatory self inspections are in place at Prosser, Boca, Jackson Meadows & Stampede reservoirs.

CALIFORNIA BOATER CARD

Fires, charcoal ban still in effect The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team reminds residents and visitors that recreational fires, including campfires, bonfires, warming fires, wood fires, charcoal fires or any other kind of outdoor fires involving solid fuels are not permitted on public or private property including residential properties, vacation and short-term rentals, campgrounds, resorts and other recreational areas throughout the Lake Tahoe and Truckee region until the end of November due to wildfire danger.

Additionally, all sources of outdoor open flames including outdoor gas appliances such as pressurized gas fire pits, grills and portable stoves are not permitted during Red Flag Warnings. Red Flag Warnings are issued by the National Weather Service to indicate critical fire weather conditions are occurring or imminent. Outdoor pressurized gas appliances are allowed during non-Red Flag Warning days. | tahoelivingwithfire.com

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Hwy. 28, Bottom of National Ave.

Hwy. 28, Bottom of Coon St. in Kings Beach

SAND HARBOR

(775) 831-0494

Hwy. 28, 2 miles south of Incline Village

CAVE ROCK

(775) 831-0494

6 a.m.-8 p.m. Picnic area, restrooms.

Hwy. 50, East Shore

EL DORADO BEACH

6 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Picnic area, beach, Visitors’ Center, food, restrooms.

Sealed boats only.

(530) 542-2981

Hwy. 50 at Lakeview Ave., South Lake Tahoe

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Picnic area, restrooms.

AREA LAKES

BOCA/STAMPEDE RSVR.

(530) 587-3558 I-80, Hirschdale exit

DONNER LAKE

(530) 582-7720

I-80, Donner Lake exit

INDEPENDENCE LAKE

(775) 322-4990

Independence Lake Rd., 20 miles north of Truckee

PROSSER RSVR.

(530) 587-3558

Hwy. 89, 2 miles north of Truckee

WEBBER LAKE

(530) 582-4711

Henness Pass Rd., 26 miles north of Truckee

45 mph speed limit. No launching fee. $10 parking. Subject to closure during low water levels. Mandatory inspections.

Call for schedule. 2 boat lanes, fish cleaning station, restrooms.

Restricted to on-site watercraft: kayaks, tubes & small motor boats available on first-come, first-served basis until Oct. 1 at no charge. No outside craft. Boat schedule at nature.org.

10 mph speed limit strictly enforced. No fees for parking or launching.

Mandatory inspections.

5 mph speed limit. Boat ramp & trailer parking. Self inspection required.

Sierra County Inspection form at sierracounty.ca.gov.

PUBLIC PIERS Public piers are free, but have limited space; often limited to loading and unloading.

DONNER LAKE

DONNER LAKE

I-80, Donner Lake exit

37 public piers on north shore from the boat ramp east. Fenced piers are private.

LAKE TAHOE

GAR WOODS

Carnelian Bay

KINGS BEACH

Bottom of Coon St.

SKYLANDIA PARK

Lake Forest

Access to restaurant, small beaches. Restrooms.

Busy pier adjacent to town, public beach, picnic sites. Restrooms.

Small beach, picnic facilities. Restrooms.

KASPIAN PICNIC AREA West Shore

Between Tahoe City and Homewood. Picnic area, beach. Restrooms.

GROVE STREET

Open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Located east of Commons Beach. Restrooms at Commons Beach.

Center of Tahoe City

SUGAR PINE POINT 12

Tahoma

Hiking, Ehrman Mansion tours, nature trail. Restrooms.

Join kayak

for citizen science Join Scott Fitzgerrell and UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center director Geoff Schladow as they kayak Lake Tahoe in support of the Citizen Science Tahoe project with day trips from Sept. 20 to 25. Using the app, they will collect valuable water quality, algal growth and microplastics data.

All participants are responsible for bringing their own watercraft, personal protective equipment (flotation device while on the water and a mask while on land), food, beverages, and planning their own transportation to/from the departure and arrival sites.

Download the Citizen Science Tahoe App at citizensciencetahoe.org to contribute data during the paddle. Visit TheTahoeWeekly. com for the itinerary. | Register hmsegale@ ucdavis.edu, amyshyakova@ucdavis.edu

eve n ts

The Great Race #forever14 Sky Tavern | Reno | Sept. 12

A Washoe County community effort to lock arms in The Great Race to be #SuicideFreeBy2023. 8 a.m. $40 | (775) 323-5125

Free Outdoor Movie Nights Chicken in a Barrel South Lake Tahoe | Sept. 12, 13

The movie begins at dusk, 8:45 p.m. 8:45 a.m. Free | tahoesouth.com

Technical Terrain Skills Mountain Bike Clinic & Yoga Tahoe XC | Tahoe City | Sept. 12

Advanced skills, suitable for riders who consider themselves intermediate/experienced.

9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $95 | facebook.com

Balls in the Ruff Schaffer’s Mill Golf & Ski Club | Truckee | Sept. 14 Proceeds go to Humane Society of TruckeeTahoe. 8 a.m. $225 | hstt.org

Kings Beach Clean Vibe Crew Kings Beach State Recreation Area | Sept. 14

Every Monday morning (socially distanced).

“Come for the trash, stay for the donuts.”

8-10 a.m. Free | facebook.com

Baby Storytime on Facebook Truckee Library | Truckee | Sept. 14 Free | facebook.com

MOOP the Lake Area venues | Tahoe City | Sept. 9, 10

Find a location that works for you and show up in your Burner Best, ready to help.

Radical self-reliance required. 9 a.m. Free | moopthelake.org

Sierra Nevada Alliance’s Biennial Conference Online | Tahoe City | Sept. 10, 11 Uniting environmental professionals and interested citizens. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. $30-$50 | sierranevadaalliance.org

LEGO Challenge on Facebook Live Truckee Library | Truckee | Sept. 15

4-4:30 p.m. Free | facebook.com/nevadacountylibrary, mynevadacounty.com

Tahoe Blue Crew Training Online training | Stateline | Sept. 16

Be a part of the solution by joining Tahoe Blue Crew and taking action to remove litter from your Lake Tahoe community. 10 a.m.

Free | keeptahoeblue.org

September 9-15, 2020 HISTORY

Peter Lassen:

MARK’S COLUMN IS

AN AMBITIOUS TRAILBLAZER W H O G O T L O S T, P A R T I

SPONSORED BY

S TO RY BY M A R K M c L AU G H L I N

F

or a small man, Peter Lassen accomplished some big things in his life. But sometimes his insatiable optimism and opportunism led to bad outcomes.

He was born Peter Larsen on Oct. 31, 1800, in Denmark to Joanne and Lars Nielsen. His last name was a matter of cultural tradition: Lar’s son. The Nielsen family was poor, surviving as itinerant farm laborers. During his teen years, he left his parents and siblings to live with his uncle who taught the boy the art of blacksmithing — an indispensable pioneer skill of turning raw iron into functional essentials like wagon wheels, farming implements, kitchenware and weapons.

Like other infamous, failed trailblazers before him, Lassen overestimated his ability as a trustworthy trail guide and underestimated the overwhelming challenges emigrants would encounter on an unproven route.

In his early 20s, he plied his new trade for a few years in Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital and largest city. Military service was required for certification as a master blacksmith, but he was barely 5 feet 3 inches, too short for acceptance into the army. Ever resourceful, he got around that obstacle in 1827 by petitioning the King of Denmark for permission to join Copenhagen’s Civic Guard instead. The royal office approved the request and he succeeded in becoming a master blacksmith.

Three years later, the 30-year-old again petitioned the king, this time for approval to immigrate to the United States. On his arrival in Boston in 1830, he changed his surname to Lassen. He soon caught the bug to push west and moved to the American frontier in Missouri, where he met and befriended John A. Sutter, a Swiss national, who would go on to play a major role in California in the decade before the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. Sutter had his faults, but he is still respected for his efforts to support the rescuers and survivors of the 1846 Donner Party.

In 1838, Sutter headed for the Pacific Coast and the following year Lassen followed suit taking the Oregon Trail, still in its infancy and exceedingly difficult.

At the trading post of Fort Hall on the Snake River of eastern Oregon Country, Lassen’s small party was joined by nearly 30 trappers. These seasoned mountain men led the rest of the way and Lassen safely reached Willamette Valley before winter set in.

In July 1840, Lassen sailed to California. The ship landed in Bodega Bay where Mexican authorities attempted to arrest everyone on board until the Russian governor of Fort Ross, located on the coast north of San Francisco, intervened on their behalf.

The energetic blacksmith hoped to lead farming and ranching families into far northern California along a new trail where he could sell them land from his rancho and they could settle and civilize the vast, wild country.

It was an ambitious dream, inspired by his friend Sutter, who had established himself as ruler of his own fiefdom in the southern Sacramento Valley. Lassen aimed to do the same in the north.

Like other infamous, failed trailblazers before him, including Lansford Hastings of the 1846 Donner Party and Stephen Meek on the 1845 Oregon Trail who, combined, led more than 80 people — mostly children — to their deaths, Lassen also overestimated his ability as a trustworthy trail guide and underestimated the overwhelming challenges emiPeter Lassen. | Courtesy California State Library grants would encounter on an unproven route. His plan Ten days later, Lassen traveled to Sutter’s was to redirect wagons off the difficult but New Helvetia settlement at the confluence survivable California Trail onto a new route of the Sacramento and American rivers that incorporated the so-called Applegate where he was greeted warmly. Next, Lassen Trail to Oregon. This route branched off traveled to San Jose on Sutter’s launch the Humboldt River in Nevada and ran where he received official permission to northwest across the desiccated Black stay in California and was issued a passport Rock Desert, through the rugged Siskiyou

by Mexican officials.

Mountains and into Rogue River Valley During the winter of 1840-41, Lassen before finally reaching Oregon’s fertile and some partners built California’s first Willamette Valley. In Lassen’s mind, all he water-powered sawmill near Santa Cruz. needed to do was split off the Applegate In 1843, he converted to Catholicism and Trail at the appropriate point and cross became a Mexican citizen — two necessary west into California to reach his ranch. steps to legally acquire a land grant — and The Applegate Trail was born out of changed his name to Don Pedro Lassen. tragedy. Charles, Lindsay and Jesse AppleHe secured an immense 22,000-acre gate were heading to Oregon Country parcel in the northern Sacramento Valley, in 1843, when, after abandoning their located midway between Sutter’s Fort and wagons in rough country, one of their rafts the Oregon border, where he established a overturned on the turbulent Columbia cattle ranch and raised grapes and wheat.

River. Charles and Lindsay each lost a The Mexican-American War broke 10-year-old son. In response to the calamout in 1846, but Lassen remained on his ity, the brothers blazed a marginally safer rancho and avoided the conflict. In the wagon route to Oregon. In the following summer 1848, Lassen decided to travel years, the Applegate brothers promoted east on the California Trail along the their trail for those pushing toward the Humboldt River in present-day Nevada to Willamette Valley. Jesse wrote a pamphlet divert westbound emigrants to his rancho. advocating the crude path: “The advantage

MARKETPLACE

LOCATED IN

TAHOE CITY, TRUCKEE, SQUAW VALLEY & KINGS BEACH TahoeDaves.com

gained to the emigrant by this route is of the greatest importance — the distance is considerably shortened, the grass and water plenty, the sterile regions and dangerous crossings of the Snake and Columbia rivers avoided as well as the Cascade Mountain — he may reach his place of destination with his wagon and property in time to build a cabin and sow wheat before the rainy season.”

Despite the persuasive claims, the Applegate Trail was actually 255 miles longer than the old route, riddled with steep river canyons and cursed by long stretches devoid of reliable water and forage. One emigrant who took the trail wrote: “The roads were very bad, pasture indifferent, having heavy beds of sand without wood, water or grass, for 45 or 50 miles, to travel through; the dust was intense, and both man and beast had to cough and sneeze, the cattle would frequently bawl from suffering.”

Read Mark’s stories on Lansford Hastings and Stephen Meek at TheTahoeWeekly.com The barren Black Rock Desert killed many oxen and the whole route was populated by hostile Indians who attacked wagon trains with lethal force. Instead of reaching Oregon City in time to build a cabin before the winter rains, each year found hundreds of starving settlers still on the trail when the rainy season commenced. More than a dozen people died in 1846 alone. Yet, Lassen was willing to use this trail and the unexplored landscape that emigrants would travel through to reach his ranch.

Read Part II in the next edition and at TheTahoeWeekly.com.  Tahoe historian Mark McLaughlin is a nationally published author and professional speaker. His award-winning books are available at local stores or at thestormking.com.

You may reach him at mark@thestormking.com.

Call (530) 546-5995, ext. 110, to be included in Marketplace.

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13

TheTahoeWeekly.com

THE makers

creative awareness | arts & culture | the makers movement

Tommy Jimenez L O C A L T E E N C R E AT E S S L I M E , C A N DY B U S I N E S S S TO RY BY K AY L A A N D E R S O N | C O U R T E SY TO M M Y J I M E N E Z

I

n 2017, a then 12-year-old Tommy Jimenez was at school one day in South Lake Tahoe when one of his classmates brought in some fluffy slime. Noticing that it was trending among kids and adults alike — playing with slime is oddly relaxing and fun — Jimenez went on YouTube and started looking up tutorials and he tried making it at home. After a bit of experimenting, he came up with a viable product and posted his first Slime by Tommy product in March 2017 to Snapchat and Instagram. Soon after, inquiries about where to buy it started pouring in.

Email news to editor@tahoethisweek.com

the art s Call for Artist Submissions Glass Garage Collective Stateline | Sept. 9-March 6

The Glass Garage Collective has issued a call to artists for “We Are All Guests Here” project to all participants to submit art on the theme: People + Place. Glass Garage Collective is a media and correspondence platform founded in 2020. 1 p.m. | glassgaragecollective.com

Tommy Jimenez has made more than 500 slimes

Sierra Nevada Yarn Crawl

since that first fluffy slime,

To keep our community safe while also offering a fun experience, this year’s crawl has become virtual. | (530) 386-2700, ateliertruckee.com

Virtual | Truckee | Sept. 10-13

experimenting with textures,

ABOVE: Tommy Jimenez at the 2019 Sacramento

scents and names such as

Slime Time 2 show.

LEFT: Slime by Tommy, Cotton Candy slime.

Cotton Candy Milk, Banana

In March, he saw a type of crazy candy come on the market through social media that was growing in popularity. As he did with the slime, instead of buying dulce locos candy through Instagram, he researched and went out and bought the ingredients and learned how to make the candy himself.

Cloud, Churro Bread and Pineapple Cream Cheese.

“The first slime I posted was a basic contact glue with shaving cream in it,” Jimenez says.

I have to admit, watching his videos of him playing with the slime are comforting in itself. His slimes act like the modernday stress balls that give people the opportunity to play with nonedible food.

A strawberry-scented Slime by Tommy.

Jimenez has made more than 500 slimes since that first fluffy slime, experimenting with textures, scents and names such as Cotton Candy Milk, Pool Party, Banana Cloud, Fanta Slushee, Strawberry Soda, Churro Bread and Pineapple Cream Cheese. Jimenez says it took him about a year to find a good contact solution and master the process, along with creating the packaging and brand to start selling it.

14

Yvonne McGrath “Sound and Vision” Scott Forrest Fine Art Studio South Lake Tahoe | Sept. 12

Join Make Tahoe Records at Scott Forrest Fine Art Studio for The Art and Music of Yvonne McGrath in the premiere of “Sound and Vision”, a series of introductions to the work of visual artists and the reciprocal connections of music and their art. A portion of the proceeds support the Tahoe Art League.

10 a.m.-4 p.m. | ScottForrestArt.com

Explore Tahoe’s vibrant arts scene

at TheTahoeWeekly.com

In 2018, Jimenez started selling restocks, which feature weekly batches of new slimes. His holiday collections, especially Halloween slimes, have been the most popular.

“I would go on Google or Amazon to find scents and essential oils and find different slimers on Instagram that I’d follow and get new scents through them,” Jimenez says.

He explained that in the beginning the most challenging part of making slime was the time it took mixing it by hand. In 2018, when he started selling at Ski Run Farmers Market and more orders started coming in, he upgraded to a kitchen mixer to make the process go a bit faster. A batch of slime that fills four or five 8-ounce containers takes about 20 minutes to make.

His favorite products include Butter Slimes because they are particularly fun to play with.

“If you use the right amount of contact solution, then it inflates and gets bubbles that you can pop and then it goes back to normal size,” he says.

Slime by Tommy slimes.

Bags of Tommy’s Dulces Locos candy.

“Last fall, I wasn’t selling any slime anymore and I wanted to improve my business. I saw a person on Instagram doing this and started making the candies and over the summer the Dulces Locos side of the business has grown,” Jimenez says, adding that he’s sold between 200 and 300 bags of candy over the last few months.

He makes and sells eight different varieties of Dulces Locos including Skittles Enchilados, Gushers Enchilados, Sour Patch Kids Watermelon Enchilados and others.

“The coating is spicy and sour, but the actual candy is sweet,” says Jimenez.

Along with selling his slime and sweets through social media, Jimenez opened an online Etsy shop where both products are featured.

“My goal is to post more to Instagram for my followers and engage my customers so that they’ll buy more and then I can expand my product line.”

Nowadays, people can find and engage with his products through his Instagram handles slime.by.tommy and dulceslocos20 or by buying his products online. | DulcesLocos on Etsy 

THE lineup live music | shows | nightlife

September 9-15, 2020 THE LINEUP

festivals | entertainment

Gary Lynn Floyd MUSIC FROM THE HEART

l i ve

S TO RY BY S E A N M c A L I N D I N

Sundays | 11 a.m. by reservation or livestream | Center for Spiritual Living | Reno, Nev. | clsreno.org

Courtesy Altus Festival

G

ary Lynn Floyd was driving east down 1-80 toward the Hirschdale exit in late August when a massive elk leaped the median. He walked away with a spinal compression fracture, a totaled Subaru and another reassurance of God’s grace.

“It happened so fast,” says the New Thought artist. “I feel bad for the buck, but I’m grateful for car insurance and health insurance.

Floyd grew up in a Southern Baptist family in Conroe, Texas, 40 miles north of Houston. Influenced by the gospel music of Andre Crouch, Tim Shepard and Amy Grant, he began taking piano lessons at age 4. By age 14, he had won an opportunity at the Christian Artists Seminar in Estes Park, Col., to record his first album on Pinebrook Records.

By his mid-20s, Floyd had a promising career as a songwriter until his big break turned into a heartbreaking split with the church.

Just as “If You Were the Only One” by Steve Archer went No. 1 on the contemporary Christian charts in 1987, Floyd’s co-writer on the song outed him as gay.

“When you’re a budding Christian artist, [being outed] sort of nips it in the bud,” he says. “I’ve seen how other people have had to handle things in that world and I don’t know if I could have done it.”

At the time, his uncle was president of the Southern Baptist Convention. And

attended in person with a reservation or via livestream.

With limited touring in 2020, Floyd is focused on composing and regularly meets with co-writers including Sloan Wainwright via Zoom. He recently released an album of new songs, “My 88 Keys Vol. 2: Quarantined” as a follow-up to the stripped-down voice and piano bliss of “My 88 Keys Vol. 1: Unplugged.”

“I usually sit down at the piano and the music begins to flow,” he says.

“Inspiration for ideas just come from life. I normally would have been on the road for the past five months. I’ve been able to slow down, listen and connect with myself and what I see as the source.”

“Quarantined” is an effortlessly exquisite collection of original compositions played in the best way possible, just Floyd and a piano.

NEW THOUGHT MUSIC “It’s kind of interesting to me that the calling is still intact,” says Floyd.

“When I sing what I sing, it’s about uplifting music “ I definitely didn’t lose my spirituality, but I had to rethink that reminds people who they are. We’re in such everything. I knew I was not who they said I was and that a time of unknown. We had an idea of what was kept me going through it all.”

–Gary Lynn Floyd going to happen next, but now we don’t. We’re on the edge. They say music soothes the savage beast. Now more than although everyone seemed to know about “I was a mess, but John L’s gave me ever we have to remind ourselves that the rumors, no one would speak with him a place to belong,” he says. “The music we are human beings. We are one species. directly about it. saved me.”

It’s all about being there for one another “They think they are doing it for God He continued to follow his muse to and that’s what my music represents. and out of Christian concern that you New York City where he performed at That’s my religion, basically: love.” might be going down the wrong path,” Carnegie Hall in 1993 with iconic jazz | garylynnfloyd.com  he says. “So if they tell somebody, they singer Rosemary Clooney. can save you. I definitely didn’t lose my One day while playing Bill’s Hidespirituality, but I had to rethink everything. away back in Dallas, Floyd was offered a Watch Gary Lynn Floyd I knew I was not who they said I was and chance to sub at the Center for Spiritual perform “Unbound” that kept me going through it all.”

Living. Although he went years without TheTahoeWeekly.com at Floyd left the church and entered what ever wanting to sing in another church, he describes as a “dark night of the soul.” the openminded message of the non-deHe turned away from religious music and nominational organization caught him by Sean McAlindin is a writer and musician living in Truckee, mastered piano-driven pop-rock hits by surprise. That single performance led to who loves a secret powder stash just as much as a the likes of Billy Joel, Elton John, Kenny a career touring spiritual centers throughgood jam. You can reach him at entertainment@tahoethisLoggins and James Taylor. An open mic at out the country. week.com. Other writings and original music are available John L’s in Dallas led to a regular Tuesday Floyd, who lives in Tahoe Vista, now at seanmcalindin.com. night happy-hour slot at the legendary has a home at the Center for Spiritual gay cabaret piano bar.

Living in Reno, Nev., where he performs every Sunday at 11 a.m. Services can be

SEPTEMBER 10 | THURSDAY Live Music Under the Tent Bar of America, Truckee, 8-11 p.m.

Open Mic Classic Cue, South Lake Tahoe, 9 p.m.

SEPTEMBER 11 | FRIDAY Live Music Gar Woods Lake Tahoe, Carnelian Bay, 7-10 p.m.

Live Music Under the Tent Bar of America, Truckee, 8-11 p.m.

SEPTEMBER 12 | SATURDAY Sunsets Live Music Series Village at Squaw, Olympic Valley, 5-7 p.m.

Mudd Bonz Casey’s, Zephyr Cove, 6-9 p.m.

Live Music Gar Woods Lake Tahoe, Carnelian Bay, 7-10 p.m.

Live Music Under the Tent Bar of America, Truckee, 8-11 p.m.

Major Motion Pictures · Independent Films Live Music · Dance Performances

Our pop-up drive-in runs Thursdays-Sundays for the summer.

The Rolling Stones – Havana Moon Sept. 10-13

Lumineers: Live From the Artists Den Sept. 17-20

Matchstick Productions’ ‘Huck Yeah’ Sept. 23-26

The Dark Divide Oct. 1-4

Stevie Nicks 24k Gold Oct. 21 & 25

Visit TahoeArtHausCinema.com for showtimes, schedule, events + tkts THE COBBLESTONE CENTER 475 N LAKE BLVD., TAHOE CITY, CA | 530-584-2431

15

TheTahoeWeekly.com

YOUR BUSINESS COULD

SPONSOR THIS PAGE

Horoscopes Puzzles Michael O’Connor, Life Coach Astrologer SunStarAstrology.com

Your business’

LOGO here

Aquarius (Jan 19-Feb 19)

Email

anne@tahoethisweek.com

for details

Virgo time is one during which you tend to shed skins. Exfoliation aside, your focus could be psychological, as well, amounting to prior self-concepts and attitudes. Positively, you are already feeling the shift and have embarked upon new studies and interests that you recognize to be valuable.

Pisces (Feb 19-Mar 20) EARTH

AIR

WATER

Virgo (Aug 23-Sep 22) Taking new leads and strides continues.

These will transition into a more sober yet also clearer and more creative approach to your overall financial picture and status. You can generate inspiration by diving into creative projects with a greater sense of purpose and passion.

Libra (Sep 22-Oct 22) Although you may have ducked behind the scenes to escape the maddening crowd once again, you will likely step out to express yourself so others hear you, this week. More than anything, you yearn to share some quality time with good friends. However, you will likely find yourself treading lightly or could be provoked into doing so.

Scorpio (Oct 22-Nov 21) Engineering a future that allows for a wider range of independence is on your mind. The design process will likely require new tools, methods, and approaches. Deciphering what these are or how to implement them will be the next main focus.

Sagittarius (Nov 21-Dec 21) Gone are the days of light-heartedness.

Looking back, it may seem like those days are many years past. Yet, you are determined to build and strengthen your foundations. To this end, you will be more eager than usual to hear what others have to say. Cultural activities will also prove uplifting. You may feel like you are in a creative slump, but you can enjoy those of others.

Capricorn (Dec 21-Jan 19) You are in a philosophical and perhaps nostalgic mood. Learning about the past holds extra appeal. This may be a feature of a research project to better understand the world and lay claim to some solid facts. Sharing your findings is also likely and you will make efforts to be empathetic and diplomatic too.

Aries (Mar 21-Apr 20) Practical matters are gaining more of your attention now. These require analysis and sober, strategic thinking, and measures. Positively, you are feeling quite strong. Securing your base, therefore, remains a priority.

Before the week is out, you will begin negotiating to strike a balance between work and play.

Taurus (Apr 20-May 21) Your sights have been set on seeing a bigger picture. This cycle has many layers and began quite some time ago. Currently, you are focused to make some needed improvements. These are largely centered on home and family. Doing inner work to achieve outer success is featured.

Gemini (May 21-Jun 21) Securing your home base continues. This includes clearing what is not necessary and making investments where needed. Generally, you are feeling somewhat rebellious and punchy. To this end, you have to make extra efforts to keep your cool. Although you feel critical about various people and circumstances.

Cancer (Jun 21-Jul 22) You have been undergoing a lot of powerful shifts over the past several months. These are not necessarily negative but could feel intense leaving you feeling pressured and perhaps burdened. Currently, you are being given the opportunity to step back and exercise discernment.

Leo (Jul 22-Aug 23) Building upon new foundations and improving upon existing ones continues. Concentrating your efforts upon certain goals feels necessary to prepare for larger-scale changes that are brewing, but which will be more fully revealed in 2021. Generally, these are linked to cultivating a greater sense of freedom.

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Your focus on relationships continues and will deepen as the week progresses. Circumstances will push you to give more than you may feel like, yet in doing so you will also receive. You will also have to contend with wavering energy levels. This is one of those times to opt for more leisurely pursuits.

How did Bond sleep through that large earthquake? I suppose he was shaken, but not stirred!

Hocus Focus differences: 1. Cloud has moved, 2. Sunglasses have been added, 3. License plate is missing, 4. Dog’s leash is longer, 5. Birds have been added, 6. Cactus is closer.

16

September 9-15, 2020 EAT & DRINK

EAT &drink

Email news to editor@tahoethisweek.com

Cutthroat Brewing Company opens

food & libations | recipes | delicious events

Dress Up Your Greens S TO RY & P H OTO BY P R I YA H UT N E R

Courtesy Cutthroat Brewing Company

L

Cutthroat Brewing Company opened on Sept. 4 in downtown Markleeville. For nearly a year, the company has been making renovations, creating menu options and planning the brewery.

ettuce discuss dressing a salad. Dressings range from sweet and creamy to citrusy and vinegary. The base of the dressing is fat (oil), acid (vinegar or citrus), sweet (sugar, maple syrup, agave, honey, fruit or fruit juice), salt and aromatics such as herbs, spices and alliums such as garlic, onion, leeks, shallot, chives and scallions. The ratio of oil to acid is generally 3-to-1, but there is a lot of room for improvisation.

Green Goddess, Italian, Caesar, vinaigrette, buttermilk, Ranch, Honey Dijon, French and Russian dressings are some well-known favorites for salads. Not so well-known are creamy avocado cilantro dressing or carrot ginger dressing. Sesame-soy dressing and miso ginger dressing are a few Asian fusion dressings that are delicious.

I like to think about the

The menu features burgers, pizza and pub specials including the Pale Ale Fish & Chips, IPA Elk Chili, Beer Brats & Cheese Fries and Fish Tacos, along with a selection of beers, wine, sake and hard ciders and seltzers.

type of lettuce or greens

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and is located at 14830 Highway 89. | (530) 694 2475, cutthroat-brewingcompany.business.site

or reduce the integrity

tasty tidbits Tahoe City Farmers Market Commons Beach | Tahoe City | Sept. 10

The Tahoe City Farmers Market is every Thursday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. until Oct. 8.

8 a.m.-1 p.m. | tahoecityfarmersmarket.com

Sample the Sierra Virtual | South Lake Tahoe | Sept. 10-16

Presenting a variety of food-related entertainment including cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, musical performances, giveaways, and shopping. | (775) 588-1728, samplethesierra.com

Romano’s Certified Farmers Market Sierra Valley Farms | Beckwourth | Sept. 11

Every Friday until Sept. 11. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. | sierravalleyfarms.com

Truckee Certified Farmers Market Truckee River Regional Park | Truckee | Sept. 15 Every Tuesday until Oct. 15. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. | truckeecertifiedfa.wixsite.com

El Dorado County Certified Farmer’s Market American Legion Parking Lot South Lake Tahoe | Sept. 15 Through Oct. 13. New coronavirus procedures for outdoor events serving prepared and fresh food. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. | eldoradofarmersmarket.com

I am using for salad and pairing it with a dressing

Romaine salad with garlic-infused lemon dressing.

Substitute rice wine vinegar in place of balsamic or white vinegar to create a unique and flavorful dressing. Red wine vinegar is perfect for Greek salad, beet salad and cucumber salad. A touch of celery seed and sliced red onion are great to add to beet and cucumber salads. The combinations of flavors for salad dressing seem truly infinite.

also peppery but does well with a bit of fat like a buttermilk dressing. Lighter lettuces like Bibb, butter, green or red leaf are best dressed with a light touch; a simple oil and vinegar dressing goes a long way.

The bitter frisee is my least favorite green.

It calls for a dressing that consists of a more substantial fat and salt. Radicchio is also a bitter leaf, which can stand a dressing with a touch of sweetness. Spinach is apt to wilt if prepared with a heavy acidic dressing.

It’s best to go light. Consider a strawberry vinaigrette.

Mixed greens go well with simple dressings. Swiss Chard like kale can be tough and needs special attention. Cut small and dress with a sweet and acidic dressing.

THE PERFECT PAIRING

ADD THE INGREDIENTS

When it comes to salad, dressing is queen.

I like to think about the type of lettuce or greens I am using for salad and pairing it with a dressing that doesn’t overpower or reduce the integrity of the lettuce. Romaine lettuce is versatile; it goes well with Caesar salad dressing, lemony dressings, and even creamy dressings.

Grilling the romaine with a touch of olive oil and salt adds a new dimension to a Caesar salad. If you don’t care for egg yolk and anchovies in your Caesar, try a garlic-infused lemon dressing instead.

Another key to a good salad is the added ingredients. Add veggies such as carrots, celery, fennel, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, broccoli and cauliflower. Sprouts and microgreens are nutritious and taste great. They offer color and variety to the bowl. Fruits like strawberries, apples and pomegranates add to the salad experience.

Crunchy additions like croutons (definitely make your own), bacon bits, nuts (toasted or glazed are a nice touch) and seeds are excellent for texture and saltiness.

Cheeses such as blue, gorgonzola, goat and shaved parmesan are among the more common cheeses added to salads.

My paternal grandmother made a spring salad that was one of my favorite salads growing up. It consisted of iceberg lettuce, sliced radishes, a good Jersey tomato, sliced cucumber and scallions. For her dressing, she mixed in cottage cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper and tossed.

My maternal grandmother’s salad also used iceberg lettuce. She added sliced onions, tomatoes from her garden and diced cucumber. She drizzled red wine vinegar and

that doesn’t overpower of the lettuce.

Enjoy the tastes of Tahoe

at TheTahoeWeekly.com

Iceberg and endive can handle a heavier dressing. Think blue cheese, gorgonzola or creamy dressings. Kale needs to be cut small and massaged before dressing and then topped with olive oil and lemon — perfect dressing for this green.

Arugula is peppery and a bit spicy. It’s best to toss with a sweet dressing. Watercress is

vegetable oil with a dash of celery seed, salt, pepper and a tad of sugar for the dressing.

Her salad was both tangy, sweet and salty.  Priya Hutner is a writer, personal chef and workshop facilitator. She is the owner of the Seasoned Sage, which prepares organic artisan meals for dinner parties and events. She also offers in-home cooking classes, parties and local pop up dinners. As a breath meditation teacher and long-time yogi, she facilitates workshops and classes that focus on gaining a deeper awareness of self. Send story ideas to priya@tahoethisweek.com. | (772) 913-0008, pria78@gmail.com, seasonedsage.com

GARLIC-INFUSED LEMON DRESSING FOR ROMAINE SALAD From the kitchen of Priya Hutner 2 heads of Romaine Lettuce, torn ½ C cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil 5 cloves of garlic, pressed ½ lemon, juiced ¼ C Pecorino Romano, grated or Parmesan Reggiano, shaved Salt & pepper to taste Croutons optional

Add olive oil in a jar. Use a garlic press to press garlic into the oil. Let sit on the counter for at least one hour — up to four is best. Wash and spin lettuce and add to a large bowl.

Spoon on a few tablespoons of infused oil and juice of half of a lemon, salt, pepper and cheese and mix well. Taste and add additional spices and lemon as desired. Top with croutons and serve.

17

TheTahoeWeekly.com

FROM CHEF SMITTY’S KITCHEN

Broccoli Salad

Sample the Sierra goes virtual

Matt Morning | Sample the Sierra

Famous for our Mexican Dinners (530) 587-3557 10186 Donner Pass Rd - Truckee

Sierra Community House Food Distribution We’re delivering perishable food bags weekly in Truckee & North Lake Tahoe.

Delivery staff and volunteers are following best practices and wearing masks. Please follow social distancing and NOT interact.

To sign-up or cancel, e-mail food@sierracommunityhouse.org or call 775-545-4083; Provide full name, address, phone number, birthdate and number of people in the household.

Fine Italian Food & Spirits

Locals Love Lanza’s!

(530) 546-2434 BAR - 4:30 p.m. DINNER - 5 p.m.

7739 N Lake Blvd - Kings Beach

BY C H E F DAV I D “ S M I T T Y ” S M I T H

South Lake Tahoe’s Sample the Sierra farm-to-fork festival is going digital for the 11th annual event due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The virtual celebration from Sept. 10 to 20 will continue to highlight the bounty and heritage of the region.

On Sample the Sierra website, Facebook and Instagram, watch a variety of foodrelated entertainment typically found at the event, including cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, musical performances, giveaways and shopping.

Special menus curated for the 10-day event will be available for take-out and outdoor dining throughout the region.

In keeping with the theme of the festival, participating restaurants will create a dish with a local ingredient provided by regional producers and pair their dishes with a complementary beverage, including beer, wine or distilled spirits.

On Sept. 12, the original date of the event, Sample the Sierra will stream a live Sierra Chef Challenge featuring local talent working with mystery ingredients to earn the coveted title, currently held by Chef Dean Hiatt of Poor Red’s Bar-B-Q in El Dorado. The event will be accessible for a small fee; a portion of the proceeds go to the South Tahoe Restaurant Association to support businesses impacted by the pandemic. | samplethesierra.com

I

just had dinner with most of my family at my sister’s house and now I’m sitting in the living room of my parent’s house with two of my brothers, one sisterin-law and a toy poodle aptly named Turbo. I’m trying to get this article written and I have to say, it is a good thing I don’t write it on paper first anymore or I’d be using the excuse: “My dog ate my homework.” I don’t really know if the editor would have believed me, but it would have been true.

Turbo is all over the place trying to get at whatever it can get its jaws on. We just watched him open my sister-in-law’s handbag and get the cell phone out before we could get to him. Maybe he has friends in the pound he wanted to call? Usually, Find more of Chef Smitty’s recipes

at TheTahoeWeekly.com

it is anything paper he goes for and my brother really has done some inventive things to sort of dog-proof the house.

Anyway, dinner was great and, believe it or not, I almost got away with not cooking a thing. That was until my sister forgot how to tell when the meat was done and I just told her I’d take care of it.

While we were watching the psycho poodle charging around the house, we were talking about the dinner and my brothers were both saying how much they

liked the salad. I also liked the salad and it was evident at the party because everyone from the adults to the kids had at least one helping of it and by the end of the night it was gone.

Everyone from the adults to the kids had at least one helping of it and by the end of the night it was gone. That is saying something when my family eats a vegetable salad.

That is saying something when my family eats a vegetable salad. I’m giving you the exact recipe, but this is one that could be varied in quite a few different ways to appeal to all tastes. Try it out the next time you are looking for a salad idea and enjoy.  David “Smitty” Smith is a personal chef specializing in dinner parties, cooking classes and special events.

Trained under Master Chef Anton Flory at Top Notch Resort in Stowe, Vt., Smitty is known for his creative use of fresh ingredients. Contact him at (530) 412-3598 or tmmsmitty@gmail.com.

LanzasTahoe.com BROCCOLI SALAD

From the kitchen of: Chef David “Smitty” Smith

Food, Beer & Wine

Takeout 7 days a week. 11:30am-7:30pm

Truckee, CA 10089 W. River St. (530) 582-5000 MorgansLobsterShack.com 18

1 large bag broccoli flowerets 2/3 C red onion, chopped ½ C raisins ¼ C walnuts, chopped ¼ C crumbled bacon 1 C mayonnaise ½ C sugar 2T red wine or cider vinegar Salt & pepper

Blanch the broccoli; cool and dry it. Combine all the ingredients down to the crumbled bacon. Mix the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar in a bowl. Toss it in with the salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

September 9-15, 2020 EAT & DRINK

Que Syrah PA R T I S TO RY & P H OTO S BY L O U P H I L L I P S

I

Kings Beach

n the interest of transparency, this edition of the world’s most adventurous wine column, we will cover not only the qué (what) of Syrah, but also the dónde (where).

The first where is the Northern Rhône Valley in France: steep slopes, cool climate, slate soils and bits of the garigue in the air.

Steep as in 55 percent; cool as in barely ripening the grapes, although this is changing; slate as in, well, slate and garigue, an open scrubland with herbs flying through the air carried by mistrals or strong winds.

Those herb molecules — think herbs de Provence — cling to the grape skins and are then carried directly into the wine.

Full Service on Patio & Takeout orders 12:00pm-8:00pm

Full

Bar

(530) 546-4539 8345 North Lake Blvd. - Across from the State Beach in Kings Beach

Old World gems: 2016 Delas Cornas, 2014 Guigal Côte Rôtie.

Sonoma County doesn’t make a lot of Syrah, but if you find one from true coastal vineyards, they are a wonderful cross between California and Rhône versions.

FOR TAKE OUT OR DINE IN, SEE MENUS BELOW BRUNCH & LUNCH

WINE LIST

DINNER

If you want to feel the soul of Syrah, grab a Northern Rhône version. Value versions can New World whippersnappers: 2018 Luli, 2016 Klinker Brick Syrahs.

Even with warming trends, these wines are as Old World as it gets, with fruits taking a backseat and most wines needing at least five years to blossom. All that being said, if you want to feel the soul of Syrah, grab a Northern Rhône version.

Value versions can be had from the Cornas, St. Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage wine regions, with the latter coming into its own right now. If you want to go deep and drop some coin, look for the Hermitage or Côte-Rôtie wine regions, but ask your wine guru which vintages are drinking at their peak.

On to Australia where they say Shiraz, except when some want to say Syrah. Let me explain. For centuries Aussies proudly called their Syrah, Shiraz. Lately, some regions outside of the traditional growing region of Barossa use the term Syrah to have a marketing differentiator and I suspect to infer that they make less bodacious wines. This is not disingenuous because the wines do tend to be more restrained. But I say, go Barossa, because why not experience what they do best? Another beauty of Aussie Shiraz is that at every price point you will experience yumminess.

be had from the Cornas, St. Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage

Plenty of Outdoor Seating Spindleshankstahoe.com | 400 Brassie Ave, Suite B · Kings Beach | (530) 546.2191

wine regions.

Almost every winery in the Sierra Foothills makes Syrah, which range from fruit-forward to complex and structured versions. As you travel up the price ladder you will find more of the latter; even though prices are on the rise, most offer real bang for your buck.

Syrah expresses its terroir as well as any grape I know and that is what makes wine geeks love it. I’ll share more Syrah hot spots and some stellar buying tips in the next edition and at TheTahoeWeekly.com.  Lou Phillips is a Level 3 Advanced Sommelier in Tahoe and his consulting business wineprowest.com assists in the selling, buying and managing wine collections. He may be reached at (775) 544-3435 or wineguru123@gmail.com.

Explore more wines with Lou

at TheTahoeWeekly.com

California, as you would expect, offers sunny expressions of Syrah. The majority come from Central Coast/Paso Robles and lead with big beautiful, dark-berry fruit.

There are some that also feature mineral, earth and game components, but even they bring the berries, as well.

Lodi is another region for quality Syrah and offers even more deep-berry goodness than Paso Robles’ versions.

19

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