Cummings...and goings...: Silver City RV Resort, July 7-13, 2013

Hot, hot, HOT! Those are the only words to describe this week. Temperatures soared to the high 90s and low 100s this week with little or no breeze for the most part. Ugh! It was almost too hot to do anything outdoors although we did sneak in a few things.

Before it got too hot every day, we rode our bikes around the park for 15-20 minutes, giving us at least some exercise and real Vitamin D.

We had a surprise visit from daughter Hollee, her husband David and little Anastasia on Monday afternoon. They stopped by with tickets to an “Aces” minor league baseball game in Reno, for anytime we want to go. Yippee! We’ve chosen go to the game Thursday July 17 when they play the Tacoma Rainiers. It’ll be almost like being at Cheney Stadium again! Woot-woot! Stay tuned for next week’s blog when we’ll be reporting on the Rainier’s win (hopefully!)

Wednesday, while I stayed home and did laundry, Dick rode the motorcycle 80 miles around the south route of Lake Tahoe to Emerald Bay, the only semi-enclosed bay in Lake Tahoe. Designated an underwater state park in 1994, the bay is the resting place for many boats, launches and barges used in the lake before the turn of the century, during the heyday of many of the resorts on the lake and their construction.

In the middle of Emerald Bay is Fannette Island, the only island in Lake Tahoe. This little island was the home of Captain Dick “Them’s my toes” Barter from 1863 to 1873. Also called the Hermit of Emerald Bay, the eccentric captain had moved from England to Lake Tahoe and built his own tomb beneath a chapel (which he also built) on the island. He enjoyed sailing, meeting his match during many a winter storms on the lake when he would row his boat to Tahoe City and back. During one such trip he was caught in a winter storm that overturned his dinghy, throwing him into the frigid waters. He clung to his overturned boat until the storm subsided and he was able to get to shore. As a result of this accident two of his toes succumbed to frostbite; he amputated them with his knife and kept them for show. Thus he earned his nickname from his penchant of showing his self-amputated toes to guests. Ironically, he was never interred in the chapel, as he was lost in yet another storm in 1873 from which his body was never recovered.

Atop Fannette Island is what is left of “Tea House,” a building constructed by the owner of Vikingsholm (a 38-room mansion built at Emerald Bay), Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight. Originally, the 16’ x 16’ structure, used by Mrs. Knight and her guests for afternoon teas, contained a small fireplace in the corner and a large oak table with four chairs in the center giving it a very rustic appearance. During recent years the tea house has been vandalized, and today only the stone shell remains.

The tea house built atop Fannette Island in Emerald Bay.

Friday was spent in Incline Village, where we first visited the UC Davis campus of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center. Officially opened October 2006, this $25 million facility includes exhibits about scientific research at Lake Tahoe and provides an entertaining experience for everyone interested in learning about the local environment and environmental issues. We were particularly impressed with the virtual display of the UC Davis research vessel John Le Conte, to see the instruments used for lake research and the study of water quality; the virtual ecology lab to see the aquatic creatures currently inhabiting Lake Tahoe and the affect humans have and have had on the lake and its quality; and the 3-D theater taking us on a flight around and into Lake Tahoe showing the lake, under the water, and around the watershed. Here’s a teaser for the 3-D presentation: “Lake Tahoe in Depth.” Lake Tahoe is affected by many impacts including urbanization loss of clarity, invasive species and climate change. It also gave us the underlying geologic history of the Tahoe basin. Very interesting, and it’s free!

Virtual tour and lessons on water quality and research
aboard the John Le Conte.

We had a personal tour of the "green" aspects of the
TERS building. Links to its construction can be seen
at their site: Green Building Tour -- VERY interesting. All
the building's insulation is made from recycled
blue jeans. All pipes are color coordinated to
indicate their purpose.

Here's a link to their site, which will provide virtual tours of all they offer.

http://terc.ucdavis.edu/education_outreach/educationcenter/educationcenter.html

Our guide for the 1-hour tour was a high school sophomore, Alaina, who attends a private boarding school in Massachusetts, and volunteers at the Center during her summer breaks. We were impressed! We thought she was a student at the UC Davis-Tahoe campus.

Alaina in the virtual lab

Also on the campus is the North Lake Tahoe Demonstration Garden, the purpose being to demonstrate natural, sustainable landscaping and best management practices that minimize impart on Lake Tahoe’s clarity. It features Tahoe native and adapted trees, shrubs and flowers, landscaping techniques and exhibits of gardening, defensible space, turf and native grasses, and a butterfly garden.

Nature's own bench, from a huge tree.

Later that afternoon we went to Incline Beach with Hollee and Anastasia to attend one of David’s concerts. His band, Paul David and the Drivers, has weekly gigs in the area, at beaches and local hangouts, playing his own music as well as classic rock. Playing for about 3 hours in the early evening they’re quite a hit with the locals. We enjoyed it, and it was fun to see him in action!

Saturday we spent around the camper—it was just too hot to do much of anything else. We did sit outside for a bit, under the shade of the awning. While I was reading, I heard strange noises near us. Then I noticed a dog attempting to “escape” from another camper a few sites from us. After about 15 minutes he succeeded, tearing apart an open screened window and interior blinds. What a mess! He didn’t wander off, but stayed near his camper. I was concerned about him, due to the extreme heat (near 100 degrees), knowing he would need water. Dick called the office to report the issue, so they brought water and called the owners who returned from wherever they were to corral the dog and get him inside again.

Sunday the temperatures hit almost 100 degrees again. Hot, hot, hot!!! No breeze. Hollee, David and Anastasia came for a visit and a dip in the park’s pool. Very refreshing! It was Anastasia’s first dip in this large bathtub, and it appeared that she really enjoyed it. She was pretty tuckered by the time they left, and was asleep before they pulled away from our site.