Summer Yet?

It’s hard to describe what it feels like after seven months of winter. Especially if you’re a Southern Californian who grew up enjoying sandal weather every December. But now, living at 8000’ in a ski town that received almost 600 inches of snow this season, the deep longing for spring is intense. Which made the snowfall that came the Tuesday before Memorial Day weekend particularly depressing.

Nevertheless, I was taking the tent to Tahoe State Recreation Area (supposedly the first State Park in California) for the holiday. Tucked in the heart of Tahoe City, next to the Safeway shopping center, it offers a great combination of lake vistas and convenience. Why set up the camp stove when you can stroll a hundred yards to McDonalds for their top-rated coffee?

To get into the spring mode, I started out in Gardnerville – doing a lazy bike ride alongside verdant fields filled with birdsong. The wall of gray granite in this northern section of the Sierra divides the semi-urban Tahoe lands from the desert expanse of the Great Basin. The lush green valley at the base of the mountains seems an anomaly.

On the way to Tahoe’s west shore, I sampled Sprouts, a delectable healthy food restaurant just past Regan Beach. It’s obviously popular and for good reason – fresh, cared for food at reasonable prices. I ordered a California Crunch sandwich with cream cheese: an array of crisp vegetables topped with avocado on soft wheat bread. Combined with strong unsweetened iced tea, I felt fortified for the next jaunt.

It was relief to see there was no snow along the lakeshore, even though a storm had come through just a few days before. After stretching my legs at DL Bliss State Park, I continued on to Tahoe SRA and set up at #!2, a tent-only site with a nice view of the lake and not too close to the highway. I popped open a red ale, poured it into my camp cup and strolled to the end of the campground pier to breathe some distinctive Tahoe air. The rich lake moisture takes the bite out of the dry high mountain atmosphere. I felt my muscles relax as the warm sun hit my back and I took in the watery view toward snow covered peaks.

The evening in Reno proved quite a contrast, with a center seat for “Great American Trailer Park Musical” at Bruka Theater (decent, weak-score) and a meet up with friends at Enoteca in the Siena for $3 martinis and some gypsy flavored acoustic music by the local musicians that make up SolJibe. Who could resist a little dance at the back of the room?

The next day brought high clouds and cool temps. Perfect conditions to tackle a stretch of the Rim Trail – the circular route that follows the ridges of the peaks surrounding Lake Tahoe. I utilized the trailhead right at Tahoe City (turn right at the gas station just north of Fanny Bridge and park at the Community Center) and headed up through pine and cedar. I loaded “Steel Pulse” into my vintage cassette Walkman and reggaed on up the hill. After losing the trail through patches of shady snow, I caught it again when a mountain biker whizzed by in the distance. Although not a wilderness stretch (with highway noises drifting up from the thoroughfares below), the vistas were outstanding. Just limbering up the winter weary legs felt great.

After a little wind down at the SRA, I drove over to Incline Village, won $12 on slots at the Hyatt which morphed into a Mexican dinner at The Hacienda. Very friendly folks there and the kind of cheesy, greasy Mexican food I remember from my youth in LA. It worked great after an afternoon on the trail. Then, a band called Lubriphonic was doing a gig at Crystal Bay Club.

Crystal Bay has introduced me to a lot of great music– and in the spirit of Bohemia Players, all of it has been free. It’s where I first heard SolJibe and where I fell in love with Greensky Bluegrass. Lubriphonic provided another great aural adventure. Mix a chubby white singer guitarist guy with a horn section from the South Side of Chicago and a sound that blends James Brown with Sly and you have a fun Sunday night. Funkadelic! I wanted to hang till late – but after my “up ‘til 3:30” from the night before, the air mattress and double thick sleeping bags were calling.

I awoke to the voices of Persia emanating from the adjacent campsite. I washed the bird poop off my tent and camp chair, savored coffee at the picnic table with the lake view, and loaded up the car, After two great days, I headed home, taking the familiar Hwy 395 south past green pastures and melt-filled rushing rivers. It felt just like the onset of Spring. Except that it’s really the start of Summer. I am so ready. Many of us put with the ridiculous cold weather here in Mammoth because of the glorious brief high mountain summer that follows. It dares to be savored, like a wine that costs $1 per sip. Bring it on.