Category Archives: Travel

Pueblo Riverwalk

For cities that are looking at redeveloping their downtown, it seems that a Riverwalk is a popular approach. Pueblo is one of the places that has gone with this approach. I checked it out when getting dinner one evening. There was a brewpub along the river and, after some food and beer, I took a walk along the river. This was an old path of the river but it has obviously been tweaked a bit. There do seem to be some businesses springing up along the river and there were certainly plenty of people out despite the heat and humidity. A lot of them were obviously hunting Pokemon. I wonder whether this will be the center of more development next time I go back.

Cottonwood and Truckee at Night

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We headed back in to Truckee one evening for dinner. We were eating at a restaurant called Cottonwood. It is only a short distance from the center of the town but it is up on a hillside so has a great view down to the main street. The sun went down while we were having dinner which was taken out on the terrace. The restaurant has a cool sign that illuminates when it gets dark. Meanwhile, the town lights up beneath you. It was a bit chilly – they didn’t turn on the outdoor heaters – but you could have a blanket if you wanted. We did fine without but, if it had got much colder, I might have taken them up on the offer.

Waiting for Amtrak

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While we were walking around Truckee, a UP freight train pulled in to the town just short of a grade crossing. At first I assumed it was going to head into the pass but it didn’t move. We then figured out that an Amtrak train was due in from the opposite direction but was running about an hour late. (The flight only started in the Bay Area so I have no idea how late it might have ended up being by the time it got to Chicago.) Since there is only a single track, the UP train had to wait until the route was clear. We left before it did so I hope they got on their way before too long.

Squaw Valley Aerial Tram

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If you want to go the top of the mountains, you might as well travel in style. An aerial tram (cable car for the Brits out there) runs from the center of the resort to the top of High Peak. We went in to buy our tickets only to find out that they were running a special for the last weekend of the ski season and both of us could go up for less than I was expecting to pay for one of us! Nice result.

Whenever I see these contraptions, I can’t help but think of them in the context of so many movies I saw as a kid. Invariably, someone would end up on the roof in a perilous situation. The real thing is of course a lot less dramatic. The larger these things are the smoother the run seems to be. The only disturbance is when you pass over the towers but this one was large enough that the transition was very gentle. The swing was nicely damped too so it was really a non-event.

The thing I find quite amusing is how the cables sag under the load of the car. As you get towards the steepest part of the climb, the car seems to head straight for the cliff face before it pulls up to the next tower. It is all very simple really but it still looks cool. Our trip up was pretty quiet because we were early. By the time we came down, things were quite a bit busier. I liked the display screen in the car that had all of the key parameters for the service so you could see that the loads and wind speeds were well inside limits. Just as well!

Eagle Falls

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The great thing about snow covered mountains (well, one them) is that all of that snow has to go somewhere when the temperature warms up. The melt waters result in powerful river flows and, since we are talking about mountainous areas, there are chances for big waterfalls. On the southwest side of Lake Tahoe is Emerald Bay and above the bay are Eagle Falls. These are some pretty substantial falls when the water is running off and we got them at a great time of year.

The top of the falls is up near the highway. They crash down the hillside and run in to the lake near Vikingsholme. Since we hiked down to the lakeside at this place, we were able to see the falls both from below and from above. They are spread out over a reasonably wide front and make for a dramatic view. Whether you are close in (and you can get ride to the edge of the falls at the top), looking at them from a distance or staring up from the bottom, they look impressive. I don’t know how long they run for at strength but I imagine they diminish quite soon. We did well to be there at the right time.

Last Skiing of the Season

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For the serious skier, nothing should get in the way of your sport – not even a lack of snow. We were in Squaw Valley at the end of the skiing season. The weather was lovely and warm with loads of sun. Shorts and t-shirts were the order of the day for many. However, in the final days of the skiing season, there was still snow on the higher parts of the mountains. We took a trip to High peak on the aerial tram and the last two days of skiing were being exploited by the faithful.

People rode to the top and then walked across the rock to get to the edge of the snow. The snow certainly wasn’t looking too great and the gentler slopes required more effort to get moving. However, you could then get across to other lifts and get higher up on the slopes. There were a lot of people making use of the few runs and lifts still open. I guess they will have to wait until the snows return so the last moments must be worth it. Watching them tromping through the town in their ski gear when others were strolling in warm weather clothes was pretty funny to see.

Vikingsholme

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A trail runs from the highway above Emerald Bay down to the water’s edge of Lake Tahoe. It is not a long hike but it is a steady grade. At the bottom, you come across a house called Vikingsholme. It is a curious mixture of styles. Situated a short distance from the shore, this must have been a great place to live when it was a private residence. Now you can tour the house if you are interested. I was more interested in the outside than the inside. The grass covered roof sections and the ornamentation of the roof lines and the woodwork were very cool.

Emerald Bay

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Lake Tahoe is a pretty place wherever you are on the shore (assuming you exclude the casino resort area on the south end). It is easy to get blasé about the great views as you drive around the lake. However, get to Emerald Bay and you will definitely notice the beauty of the place. The highway winds around the bay high up on the hills so you have a view down to the water below you. We approached from the south and there is a viewing overlook as you round the headland into the bay. This was absolutely packed with people so stopping was not really an option.

We continued down to the trailhead and got amazingly lucky to find a parking space opening up as we arrived. People were parked all over the place and along the road in both directions but we were exactly where we wanted to be! Outstanding! The view down to the bay is lovely. There is a small island in the middle of the bay which makes it look evening more inviting. The idea of staying on the shore, swimming out in the bay and across to the island sounds great. Of course, this is snow run-off so I imagine the water temperature as a bit on the chilly side.

The place was hugely popular. Not only were people on the beaches along the shore but there was a steady stream of boats pulling in to the bay from elsewhere on Lake Tahoe. I have no idea how busy this place gets in the summer but I imagine it is absolutely crazy.

My Timing on the Bridge Was Off

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While reading some of the material at the Donner Memorial, I saw some pictures of a cool looking bridge. A similar style to the Bixby Creek Bridge, this one was above Donner Lake. It is on the old highway which is now bypassed by the interstate. We were heading off in a different direction but we were coming back to Truckee on another day for dinner so I decided to check this place out prior to that. Since it would be early evening, the light should be in a good place too.

It turns out I timed it just a fraction wrong. The sun was low across the lake which did look very nice. Unfortunately, the bridge was in the shadow of the surrounding hills so it was rather subdued compared the rest of the view. A little earlier and it would have looked great. Oh well, too late to change that. Maybe if I am up that way again, I will plan a bit more carefully and see what I can get.

High Peak

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The top of a mountain is always going to tempt me. I love high points with unobstructed views in all directions. Taking the aerial tram to the top of High Peak from Squaw Valley put us in a great place to survey all around us. It was a bit hazy so the distant views were not too great but you could see Lake Tahoe off in one direction and the summits of other mountains around us. The surface was pretty easy going so we wandered around a lot. You did notice the altitude of course so we didn’t overdo it.

The resort buildings at the summit included a pool and hot tub (which was open while we were there) and some catering places, most of which had given up with the end of the ski season. A steady stream of people was making their way up. We had gone early in the day when it was very quiet. By the time we headed down, the numbers arriving were a lot larger and things were getting a lot busier. Still, you only had to walk a short distance to find yourself a lot more alone if you wanted to.