“… blogging about life, travel, books, food and the outdoors”
History of Carson Valley comes alive at Dangberg Ranch
As a gentle breeze blew it was as though the secrets of days gone by were being carried in the wind. Several of the secrets about the Dangberg clan are revealed in an hourlong guided tour of the family’s old homestead on the outskirts of Minden, Nevada....
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Hotel establishments learning to pivot in changing climate
COVID-19 was supposed to decimate the tourism industry in summer 2020. For lodging establishments it has been a mixed bag. Mountain Travel Symposium on Aug. 12 hosted a webinar titled Recovery Road: A Look Inside Lodging. The panel consisted of Ben Day, director of...
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Kahlúa’s rich history steeped in coffee growing region of Mexico
Vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, Kahlúa—then blend. My favorite milkshake, my favorite way to drink that coffee liqueur. While Kahlúa was first created in Mexico in 1936, it isn’t that popular in Baja California Sur. Sure, all the bars are stocked with it, but beer...
read more History of Carson Valley comes alive at Dangberg Ranch
As a gentle breeze blew it was as though the secrets of days gone by were being carried in the wind. Several of the secrets about the Dangberg clan are revealed in an hourlong guided tour of the family’s old homestead on the outskirts of Minden, Nevada....
read more
Solving Emerald Bay congestion in final planning stage
Each year it gets more treacherous to go to Emerald Bay via the highway. People are parked where signs say that activity is prohibited. Pedestrians walk on the asphalt, which is a state highway. There is no real bike lane, yet people pedal there regularly. For...
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Tahoe designed face coverings are more than functional, stylish masks
With masks being part of our wardrobe for the foreseeable future, why not make a fashion statement? While being stylish wasn’t the impetus behind the creation of Be Safe Bandanas, it is one of the benefits. On top of that, they are so much more than a face...
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Tahoe hiking book featured in El Dorado County magazine
The Dirt Around Lake Tahoe: Must-Do Scenic Hikes is highlighted in a multi-page spread in Serrano Magazine. Jolaine and Rob Collins hiked with author Kathryn Reed last fall to Twin Lakes, which happens to be the cover photo on the guidebook. Read the story and look at...
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Chihuahuas have a whole state in Mexico named after them
While street dogs can often be found roaming many towns in Mexico, five breeds are credited with being native to the country—Chamuco, Xoloitzcuintli, Chinese Crested, Calupoh, and Chihuahua. Chihuahuas are small (most can fit in a purse or backpack), but they come...
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Book Review: Compilation of travel essays a journey worth taking
Travel is such a wonderful way to escape, to learn, to test one-self. Sometimes, though, it is necessary to live vicariously through others. That’s what I did by reading “Chicken Soup for the Traveler’s Soul: Stories of Adventure, Inspiration and Insight to Celebrate...
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Adjusting to mangoes in Baja being affordable and in U.S. a bit pricey
The sweetness of that soft, almost velvety flesh is something to wait for each season. For those in the United States, it can be a bit expensive. For those where mangoes are grown, they can be as routine and abundant as backyard tomato and zucchini plants. Such are...
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Humans good at disrupting food web of wild animals
Humans have a way of interfering with the food chain for wild animals beyond leaving garbage out. The addition of unnatural food sources like bird seed is one way, other ways are via water sources like bird feeders and pools. Compost and livestock are other...
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Prep for South Lake Tahoe bike path alters driving lanes
In anticipation of completing a $3.3 million Class 1 bike trail that runs five-eighths of a mile along Lake Tahoe Boulevard, South Lake Tahoe officials have restriped that road to get motorists used to what will likely be permanent changes. Less than a week...
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Explosion of color on the way to Fourth of July Lake
What goes down must come up. This can be a painful reality when the down comes in the middle of a hike. No fireworks were going off, but the drop into Fourth of July Lake was worth having to climb out 2 miles and more than 1,000 feet of elevation gain. In...
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Todos Santos store selling goods in bulk, keeping plastic out of landfill
Often when people think of buying in bulk it means something from a big box store with a ton of plastic wrapping. Just the opposite is true when shopping at A Granel in Todos Santos. A granel is Spanish for in bulk. The goal is to eliminate all the packaging and keep...
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COVID numbers keep rising in Tahoe, with South Shore man dying from virus
El Dorado County on July 18 announced the first death from COVID-19—a man from the Lake Tahoe area who was older than 65. No details about whether he had other health conditions or how he may have contacted the virus were released. It is also not known if he was one...
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Sierra peak no longer named after Confederate leader
While much of the country tears down racist statues, in the Tahoe area change has come via the renaming of a peak. Jeff Davis Peak in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is now Da-ek Dow Go-et Mountain. In the Washoe Indian language the name means saddle between...
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Views make Rubicon Peak hike worth the uphill grind
Up, up some more, then even more. That’s what hiking Rubicon Peak is all about—the ascent. In about 2 miles the elevation gain is more than 2,000 feet. My glutes on the way up and calves on the way down felt every foot of that climb. The scenery, well, that’s...
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Avocados a growing export from Mexico to the U.S.
Even though Mexico is credited with being the birthplace of avocados—with some saying they were being consumed as early as 550 BC—the popular Hass (rhymes with pass) variety is a California creation. Still, Mexico grows more of this fruit than any other country. “In...
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Trail leading to Twin Lakes more scenic than destination
The trek to Twin Lakes in the Spooner Backcountry is one where the journey is more beautiful than the destination. It’s is a rarity when an alpine lake doesn’t capture all the oohs and ahhs. Twin Lakes is just off the Tahoe Rim Trail near a junction that is popular...
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Working on becoming less of a white supremacist
I am working on being less of a racist and understanding better how my white privilege impacts my decisions and behavior in negative, potentially hurtful ways to others. I’m a firm believer that all lives cannot matter until Black Lives Matter. I haven’t had that many...
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Masks and COVID-19 testing should be routine for everyone
I’m not a big fan of doing anything involving the medical profession. It’s a short, boring story dating back to when I was a kid having to get weekly allergy shots. Come to find out what ailed me was migraines. I share this because I willingly got a COVID-19...
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Kenya's elephant population has more than doubled since the 1980s, and one national park is currently having a 'baby boom' thanks to a relief from drought — and the country's efforts to stop poachers. https://trib.al/xYdspi4
