A short week suddenly got a longer…
It started last Friday morning with a news note about Disneyland.
I’ll not repeat what others have said, but instead add that my thoughts are still with the families and friends of those injured. Kudo’s to the CM’s and other folks at the DLR for doing what they needed to, and doing it so well. Props to the folks at LP and MP, and the Bronx cheer for our favorite curmudgeon…
Then came the news about Leon Janzen.
I only met him once for a few moments, but I have tremendous respect for both he and his brother, Jack. Their production of the E-Ticket is, in my opinion, nothing short of, well… I can’t find the words to describe it. Most fanzines come and go in a couple of issues, maybe a year or two at most. Yet they manage to keep informing us with the best in Disneyland history, issue after issue.
Thanks to both of you for sharing your passion for the work of the people connected with the place that we enjoy so much. You have and will continue to make a difference in this fandom through your fine example.
And yesterday, was the second anniversary of 9/11. Somehow, I find much of the remembrances simply hollow gestures. The losses we suffered as the world is much more than many want to admit, but life still goes on.
What a week…
So, here is a tale from the road last weekend.
My dad’s a member of the Jaguar Associate Group, and usually they have some kind of driving event once a month during the better weather out here. In what has almost become an annual event, he has led a drive from somewhere in the Bay Area to Lake Tahoe. I have helped out on several occasions by finding a route and then pre-running it to make sure there aren’t any surprises along the way.
A favorite trip is to take State Highway 70 through the Feather River Canyon. While planning a trip using that way, we discovered that Cal Trans (our lovely and talented highway department) was in the midst of the post summer construction blitz for a fair piece of that road. With one-way controlled traffic, seven-days-a-week until the end of October in no less than eight places (each with a minimum of 10 minutes in delays) we opted not to go that way to the Lake.
So break out the maps, and let’s see what the possibilities are. We began by eliminating the most obvious. Highway’s 80 and 50 both go to Tahoe — one to the north and the other to the south. There simply is no challenge in driving them.
One of the more adventurous routes we used before was State Route 4 across Ebbetts Pass. While it’s a fun road, we wanted to offer something different this time out.
So starting in Vacaville, we all met bright and early, (okay, it was 10 o’clock…) last Saturday. In years gone by, this was a favorite stop on the way from the Bay Area to the Lake. The Nut Tree was a great place for families to get out of the car and stretch for a few minutes. There was a great toy store with a miniature train ride out and back through the orchards. Shopping was good with a fine variety of local products, and even a special area devoted to airplanes. Throw in an airport out back, and this was a busy place.
Across the Interstate, the same folks opened the Coffee Tree. It’s the usual kind of coffee shop you might expect anywhere along an interstate route. Busy and popular with travelers, yet it’s closing the doors after almost forty years, with claims of “un-profitability”. So after a hurried breakfast, we gathered the faithful (ten assorted Jags worth) out in the parking lot to lay out the day’s journey.
Our route today would give folks a great look at the scenery of California. Starting out in what used to be orchards, and now is home to an outlet mall, we headed off across the Sacramento delta and into the Sierra Foothills. (Our route? Something like this. 113 to 12 to 99 to 12 to 88 to 89 to 50 to 28 to 267.) With a couple of stops along the way to regroup now and then, it was clear sailing. Weather was great. Lots of sun, and temps in the upper seventies. Perfect for the convertibles.
A stop for lunch along the way was made near the Bear River Lake Resort. Some folks enjoyed a picnic under the pines along the roadside, while others ventured off the highway down to the resort. As usual, one of the cars needed to take a break for an overheating problem. But in less than an hour, we all were back on our way.
Now the last time I had been in this part of the Sierra was about thirty years ago while part of a Boy Scout 50-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. It’s still spectacular scenery as it was then. Crossing the Carson Pass, at almost 8000 feet is a challenge at any time of the year. But Smithsonian had a great look at what it takes in the heart of winter. The highway passes right next to Caples Lake in one of the most scenic parts of the trip.
From that hike years back, I fondly recalled Fourth Of July Lake. This trip report from a September 2002 visit by Kevin Gong shows some of the beauty of the area, south of the Carson Pass. Someday, I’ll get off my butt and walk back into the area there.
Arriving at Pickett’s Junction (Highway’s 88 and 89 meet here), we all turned left and spotted the cars for a group photo. A few minutes later and we were off headed for what passes as “civilization” or South Lake Tahoe. We bypassed most of it using the Pioneer Trail, but still were seduced by the siren’s song of the stateline casinos. One car pulled in here as they were spending the night, while the rest of the group headed east along the lakeshore.
We finished up the trip with a nice ride along the east side of the Lake, passing the Ponderosa Ranch (remember the reference from the cowboy column…) on our way again to Crystal Bay and another crossing of the Nevada/California stateline.
It’s a classic Fifties postcard view of Crystal Bay, Nevada.
From the collection of Roger Colton.
That night we all enjoyed a fine meal at the home of one of the club members in nearby Truckee.
Some of you might recall a tale or two of that town from my earlier columns. This weekend was “Truckee Railroad Days” with the folks from the Feather River Railroad Society in nearby Portola having brought some vintage equipment for display (courtesy of the Union Pacific Railroad). Amtrak also brought one of it’s Capitol Corridor cars, and California Rail Tours had it’s dome lounge “Plaza Santa Fe” and lounge “Royal Gorge” open for tours. The UP also provided two locomotives from its historical fleet along with a modern day freight locomotive. FRRS had a variety of other cars on display including cabooses and a former UP business car.
We passed by early Sunday to check out the festivities. Things were pretty quiet so we took a detour to visit nearby Squaw Valley. Now this is the site of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games. In all my years of going to the Lake, I had never been into the valley proper. It doesn’t take to much to imagine what it must have been like back then. Things were pretty much undeveloped out here. There were a few buildings (shaped like snow flakes — of which two survive today) where food was sold to the hearty souls who made the trek here, and the Olympic village to house the athletes. The skating rink was out in the open in the middle of the valley floor.
There’s a Disney connection here as well. Walt was convinced to step in and help out with the opening ceremonies for the games. And in what has to be a classic moment, the inclement weather that threatened to spoil the event was parted by rays of sunshine — as if Walt had ordered it so — only moments before it was scheduled to start.
Now that’s not all… the Village at Squaw Valley could pass for a northern cousin to the Grand Californian at first glimpse from the outside. I’ll have to make plans to come back and check it out in detail. It looks to be a good mix of retail shopping and dining along with hotel accommodations as well as homes within the Village.
We continued on our way to the Lake, following the Truckee River to Tahoe City. Lots of water running for this time of year. A bike path alongside of the river follows what used to be the right of way for the Lake Tahoe Railway and Transportation Company. In the late Thirties, the Southern Pacific acquired this narrow gauge railroad and upgraded the line. For a few years before the war, the Espee used it as a feature in their advertising.
Wooden speed boats at the Lake!
From the collection of Roger Colton.
At Tahoe City, the railroad used to run out onto a pier where steamboats, most notably the “Tahoe” would carry travelers to the various resorts around the Lake. At the end of their careers, the steamboats were scuttled and now rest on the bottom of the Lake, mostly intact. Various schemes have come up from time to time to refloat one of them, but none have ever progressed past the talk stage. A local video company, Skyfire offers this video of the “Tahoe” at rest (at 372 feet down) as well as other images from the lake bottom.
There was a fair amount of traffic on the road that Sunday morning as we headed east along the shore. But it wasn’t automobiles, it was bicycles. The Tour de Tahoe, at 72 miles over 6000 feet, offered the stout of heart a chance to enjoy a challenging ride around the Lake. In my younger days, I contemplated taking the trek, but I got better before I ever got such a chance. We saw more than a few riders pick up their bikes and walk up some of the more intimidating hills along the way from Tahoe City to Carnelian Bay.
That was our destination. Brunch at Gar Woods has become something of a tradition for my father on these trips. With this menu, there is something to tempt almost anyone. I particularly enjoyed the Grand Marnier French Toast and the Beer Steamed Prawns. It was warm in the sun on the deck outside, even though a breeze was up on the lake.
The web pages for this popular bar and grill also detail some of the history behind the place. Garfield Woods was known for his fine pleasure craft, some of which still ply the Lake on occasion today. The Sierra Boat Company is located right next to Gar Woods, and this summer hosted the 31st annual Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation’s Concours d’ Elegance. The 2004 event planning is underway, and you can find more details here.
After having stuffed ourselves, it was time for the ride home down Interstate 80. Maybe it was because this was the first weekend after the long Labor Day holiday, but traffic was light the whole way down the hill and back to the Diablo Valley. We made it back in time to watch the Forty-Niners have their way with the Chicago Bears on national television.
Changing gears, you may recall a classic Victorian structure at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. The Crystal Palace (as reviewed on MousePlanet) is somewhat based upon a classic San Francisco structure, The Conservatory of Flowers. After an epic windstorm in 1995 damaged the structure, many of the rare plants were moved to other locations. After a complete restoration, this classic glass and redwood structure is about to reopen to the public on Saturday, September 20, 2003.
When my mother’s parents lived just outside Seacliff on Twenty-Ninth Avenue, we would pass by the Conservatory both to and from their house. Seeing what the display in front of the building had been changed to was always something we looked forward to. It is truly one of the most special things in Golden Gate Park.
So there you have another column done. Apologies again for not telling the tale promised, but I’ll have that soon for one and all.
Now, if you’ll pardon me for a moment, I’m going to stand on my soap box and give you a short bit of opinion. Thanks to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, I had no choice but to go see my doctor and get my various health issues under control. So as a result, my diabetes is under control (blood sugars where they should be), cholesterol is where it should be) and my blood pressure is down dramatically. That’s the one we’re still working on.
I feel better, and I’m told, look better as the result. It took a few changes to my lifestyle that were not all that hard to make. (I can enjoy a cocktail now and then, thanks! Try one of these sometime!) Had I not made these changes, I was undoubtedly heading for major health problems in the not all too distant future.
As annoying as a visit to your doctor can be (and boy, have I had a few winners!) the alternative is something we would rather avoid. Just ask my pal, Jeff Ferris, all about his bypass surgery last year. Had he taken a few more visits to his doctor, it might not have been so dramatic and surprising an event.
So that the cautionary part of today’s little tale. Stepping down from the soap box, now… Here’s something a bit more whimsical.
A classic over the counter medication. Or it should be!
From the folks at Joy of Tech.
Click to view larger version of image.
In a final commercial moment, I still have a place or three left on our one-day private car excursion for Saturday, October 18 from Oakland to Bakersfield and back again. Check out our web pages for more information.
So that’s all for this week. If Roger can get back on track, he should have a piece on San Francisco’s Presidio — what may become the future home to the pieces of the Lucas empire. Stay tuned…
Like what you’ve read? Why not drop a buck or two in Roger’s Amazon Honor System Paybox and keep him where he belongs, safe behind the keyboard, at work on next week’s effort!