Memorial Day weekend started early with the F1 Grand Prix of Monte Carlo. Great race, no red flags, few accidents, very fast. Finally saw an engine blow a seal and burn up all its oil. Two more of those. The cars are too quiet, and no faster than current Indycars. Dad thinks they ought to offer a simple 2.0L I4 turbo and a non-turbo 3.0L V6, no more batteries, no more KERS. Just stick to engines. Be simple. The races would be better and the cars would weigh 400 pounds less so they'd be faster. These KERS hybrids kinda suck the fun out of it. And we'd get our noise back.
We watched the start of the Indianapolis 500, set it to record, then drove up to Tahoe. They drive in circles really fast. It is boring. F1 isn't in circles. They have actual corners, left and right. They have to accelerate and brake. Not just zip to full speed and hold it there.
Btw, Google Earth: The signs all say "Squaw Valley". Not Olympic Valley. Squaw. Stop with the racist BS, Google. Reverse discrimination is discrimination. Reverse racism is racism. So giving people bad directions? Lame.
We parked at Squaw Valley right off Hwy 89 about 10 miles South of Truckee, unloaded the bicycles off the rack, filled my backpack with lunch, and were off.
We gently climbed the paved trail past many families on bikes of their own. Adorable little kids, mothers corralling them, slightly harried looking fathers with 4 small children around them. Big families, was surprising. I also passed many bikes towing 2-seater trailers with kids in the seats, mostly toddlers, some wearing little football helmets. Other people had those bicycle shaped upright trailers that pinch to the seat post. Still others had tiny kid bicycles with 12 inch wheels and tiny little girls perched, exhausted, on them. Passed them all on the way up river to Tahoe City. The river is very clear, and cold, because the coffer-dam at Tahoe City apparently is opened during the Mountain Air River Rafting Company hours of operation during the weekend. They have a contract, and they pay for the service. Lake Tahoe is slightly low, and I walked out onto the spit exposed by low water for some great photographs of the mountains on the South end of the Lake, still covered in snow.
Lake Tahoe is beautiful in the important cliché ways, and its a cliché because it is true. Same with the wealth up there, and how there are both bikers and billionaires, families and casinos. Tahoe City has no casinos, being on the California side. The Casinos are over at Incline Village to the East and the very Eastern edge of Southshore, across the lake from Tahoe City. Tahoe City is where the main outlet from the lake falls into the Truckee River and eventually gets to Truckee, then down the canyon to Reno, providing most of its water supply, before being treated and released into Pyramid Lake, which is green from sewage and the local Paiute-Shoshone Reservation. The Truckee River used to flow into Lake Lahontan and if I have my way, will again. It isn't like drowning Reno would be a crime against humanity. Most would say it was putting the dying city out of its misery. Especially since filling that enormous lake will take decade, even with a really good supply of water. The thing about flooding large areas, such as the Black Sea, is the water rises so slowly there is time to gather your stuff and your kids and your flocks of goats and chickens and walk uphill, slowly, and stay ahead of it. And this will be a legal and planned operation. With permits and lots of advanced notice.
Hwy 89 is the main vehicle route along the Truckee River. North of Squaw Valley the bike path is merely widened shoulders, about 9 feet per side, so bicycles can ride side by side and still leave plenty of room for passing vehicles. Accidents are rare. Hardcore cyclists park at a lot by the highway and ride the extra 10 miles. But the trail south, uphill to Tahoe City from Squaw Valley, is off the road and very popular because it is quieter, slow and intimate, following the river and embankments keep the kids from wandering into traffic. It is very safe. And not too steep. I like it. My Mom liked it. Dad remains a fan, at 73 years old. I'm very proud of him for keeping at his exercise and staying healthy. He will live a lot longer, and happier, by avoiding sedentary life. It is good for me too. Many of the locals with kids know about this trail and drive up for the day with their bikes.
No comments:
Post a Comment