picnic

A few years of below average snowfall has rendered Washoe Lake a small pond. It doesn’t happen very often, but occasionally Washoe Lake will disappear completely in such conditions. After a recent hike out onto the dry lake bed to investigate the conditions, I realized what a fun ride it’d be to explore the area on fat bikes while we had the chance. It also happened that our first window to do the ride came about during the evening after the sun went down.

PLACERVILLE, CA – The Wrights Lake Recreation Area on the Eldorado National Forest will be open to free public fire wood gathering Oct. 25-26, 2014 and Nov. 1-2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Portions of the recreation area will be open to the public for woodcutting on both weekends and woodcutters will be issued a free permit on site.

“The Forest Service is looking forward to a safe and successful wood cutting event. Please help us clean up this popular recreation area,” stated Richard Thornburgh, Pacific Ranger District Ranger.

A party of eight friends just returned from a fun-filled day at Apple Hill, California. Those ladies were: Mary Bottoms, Laurie Harig, Patti Isaman, Mary Morris, Elaine Quilici and Kathi Quilici, all of Carson City, plus Emily Bradburn and Carolyn Harton of Dayton. For three of them, it was their first tour-bus visit to Apple Hill.
And if you are a newcomer to our area or if you have never been there, fall is a great time of the year to visit Apple Hill like they did.

If you are a newcomer, about now you are probably wondering, “What and where in the heck is Apple Hill?”

Several recreational facilities around the Lake Tahoe Basin have closed for the season this week, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Seasonal closures apply to many recreation sites including beaches, campgrounds, and picnic areas, which traditionally close in mid-October. Forest roads close around mid-November for soil protection and public safety. For specific forest road closing dates, consult the Motor Vehicle Use Map by going here.

Just south of Silver Springs is Buckland’s Station, an old two story house built in 1870 by Samuel Buckland from the dismantled materials from Fort Churchill. This site was once a Pony Express stop, supply center for early pioneers and nearby Fort Churchill, and a former hotel. Today it’s a quiet old building in a park setting under the cottonwoods along the Carson River. I had a free afternoon recently, and decided to make the station my trailhead for an exploration loop around the mountains.

This is my annual reminder to enjoy the colorful displays of the leaves on Quaking Aspen trees, also known as "quakies" at this time of the year. Last Saturday, Elaine and I took a drive to Hope Valley, Calif., to see those colors and they are different this year, as compared to the past.

This year, and, obviously, due to the prolonged drought we have been experiencing, the leaves are not as vibrant as in previous years. In fact, there is an interesting mix of no leaves, green leaves and yellow leaves, often in the very same grove of quakies.

This Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., The Pizza Factory is helping to raise money for the Eagle Valley Middle School Parent Teacher Organization. The generous owners will be donating 20 percent off the entire day's earnings back to our school to help pay for CRT snacks for the entire student body and hopefully buy us some much needed outdoor picnic tables for our students and staff to enjoy during the beautiful weather.

Fall is that time of the year when there are a multitude of all kinds of interesting outdoor activities in this general area of the Far West. Here is a listing of some of the fall activities that might be of interest:

Apple Hill, California.
Basque Festival in Carson City.
Candy Dance in Genoa.
Celtic Celebration in Reno.
Closing of the 2014 fishing seasons at Fort Churchill Cooling Ponds, Hinkson Slough, Hobart Reservoir, Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area, North Pond and Topaz Lake in Nevada.

Many celebrations are scheduled throughout the Silver State in the month of August. These Nevada 150 events celebrate all things Nevada and help bring awareness to the 150th Anniversary of Statehood. The following events are held Aug. 15 through Aug. 31.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of Aug. 13-20, 2014.

Raiders fans, did you know there is a booster club in Carson City that is the next best thing to being at an Oakland Raiders game?

This Saturday, the Carson City Raiders Booster Club will hold its annual Membership Picnic, and you are invited to attend. The picnic will be at the Dayton State Park off Highway 50 in Dayton.

Parking is $5.00 As signed member you will receive 1 club t-shirt. The CCRBC will provide the main dish, sodas, and bottled water. Please bring a dish to share, and drinks of your choice if you choose to drink something else.

Are you looking for a way to enjoy your Sunday afternoons? The Jazz & Beyond: Carson City Music Festival is offering free concerts in the Legislative Plaza between the State Capitol and the Legislature Building in Carson City on three Sundays: Aug. 3, Aug. 10, and Aug. 17, 2014.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of June 30 through Aug. 5, 2014.

Many celebrations are scheduled statewide in the month of July. These Nevada 150 celebrate all things Nevada and bring awareness to the 150th Anniversary of Statehood. The following events are held July 18 through July 31.

Now that we are at that time of the year that I hate (daytime temperatures near, at or over 100 degrees), my thoughts drift off to hiking and fishing for trout at higher altitudes where it is cooler than here in Carson City.
When our local summer temperatures are over 80 degrees, it is miserably hot – hot – hot for this poor, sweltering soul.

Many celebrations are scheduled statewide in the month of July. These Nevada 150 events help celebrate all things Nevada and bring awareness to the state’s 150th Anniversary of Statehood. The following events are held July 1 through July 12.

California has two Free Fishing Days in 2014 which are close to holidays. The first is Saturday, July 5, aligned with the Independence Day holiday weekend, and the second is Sept. 6, right around the time of Labor Day.

The Fourth of July holiday weekend is the busiest time in the Lake Tahoe Basin. For those visiting during the weekend and attending one of the firework displays over the lake, expect extremely crowded conditions and excess traffic.

Comments are being sought by the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest regarding a proposal to charge fees at two group sites at the new Spring Mountains Visitor Gateway Complex at Spring Mountains National Recreation Area in southern Nevada.

Set to be finished by 2015, Spring Mountains Visitor Gateway Complex will feature a visitor center, approximately 17 miles of new trails, an education building, two amphitheaters, the Cold War Monument, the Seven Stone Memorial, and two group picnic sites.

Fire restrictions will begin Friday on public land throughout western Nevada, eastern California and the Sierra, according to the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.

Below-average precipitation this winter and spring and a third consecutive year of drought have led to abnormally low soil-and-fuel moistures, increasing the potential for large and potentially devastating wildfires, the agencies announced.

Here is the Carson City area road report, provided by the city's public works department, for the week of May 5-11, 2014.
 The center lanes only of South Carson Street Highway 395 between Koontz Lane and Clearview Drive will be closed from 8 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. on the nights of Tuesday, May 6 and Wednesday, May 7.
 

Some recreational areas around Lake Tahoe will be opened early for the 2014 season, the U.S. Forest Service announced Monday. Inspiration Point, Logan Shoals, Chimney Beach, and Secret Harbor open April 21 and Sawmill Pond and the Sandpit OHV areas open May 1. Baldwin Beach and Nevada Beach and Campground open May 9.

We were relieved to read that not all tribal members are supporting the proposed motocross track on the Washoe Tribe’s land. It gave us hope that the Washoe people really do believe in their statement that “the Washoe Tribe have long considered themselves stewards of our land and continue to maintain that position, never to compromise or sacrifice our environmental and archeologically sensitive lands.”

In our opinion the development of a motocross track in the proposed location would be a complete contradiction to this statement.

Six local ladies just returned from an enjoyable, day-long visit to Apple Hill. They were: Mary Bottoms, Patricia Isaman, Mary Morris and Elaine Quilici of Carson City plus Emily Bradburn and Lorraine Scholes of Dayton.

The ladies were six of the passengers on a special, once-a-year, chartered bus that traveled to Apple Hill from the Carson Senior Center.

If you are a newcomer to our area or if you have never been there, fall is a great time of the year to visit Apple Hill. And, if you are a newcomer, you are probably wondering, “What and where in the heck is Apple Hill?”

This is my annual reminder to enjoy the spectacular displays of the colorful leaves on quaking aspen trees, also known as 'quakies' at this time of the year.

On Sunday morning, Elaine and I took a drive to Hope Valley, California to see those colors and they are spectacular. If you want to see them, do not delay — you better hurry because they are at their prime.

The Old West Trio
Western Music – Western classics from Sons of the Pioneers and Gene Autry to contemporary artists Ian Tyson and Tom Russell.
Showtime is 4 - 6 PM
At the Genoa Town Park on Nixon Street
Bring a blanket and picnic dinner and enjoy an evening of FREE music!

Elaine and I just returned from a memorable visit to a very special place: It was our second visit to that remote, far-north locale. The first time was about 15 years ago, when Elaine and her late husband Jim McGee and I went there to film Canadian fishing experiences for our weekly TV show.

The Interfaith Community of Carson City has canceled its annual potluck picnic and food drive scheduled for Monday on the lawn of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. The cancelation is due to unhealthy smoke.

The Carson City Parks and Recreation Department would like to thank the many employees of Carson City’s Home Depot store for their volunteer work project on August 22nd and 23rd. They arrived at 8:00 A.M. both days and their employees donated their own time to doing various park improvements to Korean War Veterans Memorial Park, located at East Fifth Street and Marsh Road.

UPDATE: The Interfaith Community of Carson City has been canceled due to unhealthy smoke conditions.