Though we still have over 2 feet (and in some places 10 feet) of snow standing, we can tell that spring is on the way! We had planned to ski on Saturday - but due to a mishap with my ski boots, we decided to try to catch some of the World Cup at Squaw Valley (or at least Apres ski). But by the time we reached the entrance to Squaw - the road was shut down (due to all of the traffic) and they were shuttling people from Truckee into the valley.
Shuttling into a very crowded valley did not seem like a good idea, so we headed to the River Ranch for lunch (at the entry to Alpine Meadows on the Truckee River) then on to Tahoe City to visit the local museum there.
There is so much water in the Truckee right now. We watched the river blasting through the bend as we ate our lunch and had a cold beer. The snow on either side of the river is acting like banks of a gorge and causing the clear, glacial water to put on a spectacular show. Got some design ideas at the restaurant (no surprise) from their tile work. The restaurant/hotel was built in the 1950s (not as old as our place) and has been owned by the same family since 1972. I have driven by the place, countless times - but have never stopped to eat. The prime rib sandwich was good and the beer was cold - what more could you ask for on a sunny Tahoe day?
The museum is housed in the gatekeeper cabin (the gates that let water out of Lake Tahoe into the Truckee). Two of the gates were open and the light blue water was gushing into the river. The Museum was sort of interesting - they had lots of native american woven baskets on display. The building itself is a re-creation of the original that burnt down some time ago. The docent was really nice and we ended up talking with her for a while.
While at the museum, I asked about the Tahoe Tavern. In our history (1900 - 1950), I cover the Emigrant Gap to Tahoe Tavern Cup which was a race from our old hotel for the first car to cross the Sierra each spring. I have a photo of one of the cups that was recently for sale by an antique dealer and thought that the tavern might be interested in it. But alas - The Tahoe Tavern is long gone (along with a lot of the "old' Tahoe buildings that are being replaced with condos and hotels). So, I guess we need to buy the cup for the lodge (ha ha - it is priced like a priceless antique - so the photo will have to suffice).
Sunday we worked on small projects and Jim swept the roof of the game room (it leaks) clear of melting snow. A few of Jim's coworkers stopped by for a tour, then we headed back to the bay.
No more winterizing! I don't except any more extended freezes now that we are seeing 60s and 70s in the sierra. Time for the big melt!
