Just off Tahoe City, it appears like a whale is breaching just as the lake channels toward the dam. This view is looking east toward the Carson Range, which runs north and south along the Nevada shore.



Shallow water--down six feet from the summer high--as the Truckee River begins to form, just before the dam gates.

The picture below is of the 8:30 a.m. start with smoke from the starter's shotgun still hanging in the quiet morning air. The race course was from Tahoe City all the way along the West Shore to South Lake Tahoe.



Last year's race featured a surprise, two-inch snowfall the night before, so the racers started with sunny but chilly conditions.

Years ago sheep owners would bring their flocks up to Lake Tahoe from the Sacramento Valley and the Carson River Valley nearby in Nevada. The sheep would be taken to high, mountain pastures where there was ample grass. Sheepherders would stay with the sheep over the summer mouths and then return the sheep to the valleys over winter.

Rumor has it that the oven in this picture was handbuilt by sheepherders.

Miners from the Comstock Lode in Nevada traveled though Tahoe City to get to California. Passengers from the intercontinental railroad left the train in Truckee and went to Tahoe City to visit the lake. The town is bright with history and scenic wonder in all seasons.

The Truckee River is the lake’s only outlet. The river starts at the dam in Tahoe City and snakes its way down the famous Truckee Canyon that has been the pathway for pioneers, stagecoaches, trains, and, now cars. The river passes through the center of the Town of Truckee and then Reno before it winds across the desert and finishes it’s 60-mile journey to Pyramid Lake.

The tours are self directed and maps can be seen at www.northtahoearts.com. The phone # is 530-581-2787.


The hub of the tour is the North Tahoe Art Center in Tahoe City on Highway 28 next to the fire station and above Commons Beach. The center includes a gallery with an exhibit of the Art Tour artists through July 28.

Many visits to the dam include a stop on the “Fanny Bridge” to watch the large trout that circle just below the dam’s 17 gates; a stroll through the adjacent park with its picnic tables, huge trees, and the Historical Society’s Gatekeeper’s Cabin museum; and a trip across the dam itself—where Lake Tahoe becomes the beautiful Truckee River.

Most people have heard of Sutter's Fort, which can still be visited in Sacramento. It was the targeted, end-of-the-California trail for thousands of emigrants--including the Donner Party--before, during, and after the '49ers gold rush to California.

Names of other scarecrows noted by the judges were: Gardner Stan, Halloween Hayride Jane, Pot Belly Pete, and Best Local's Potato Salad. All the scarecrows will be on parade until the end of October.