The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

Lake Tahoe, California. Winter, 1984.

"At last the lake burst upon us--a noble sheet of blue water lifted six thousand three hundred feet above the level of the sea, and walled in by a rim of snow-clad mountain peaks that towered aloft three thousand feet higher still! As it lay there with the shadows of the mountains brilliantly photographed upon its still surface, I thought it must surely be the fairest picture the whole world affords." ~ Mark Twain, 1861

Nyssa lives, at least for the next three years, not far from Lake Tahoe. Her father and I were there once for one of his conferences and that is where we took beginner ski lessons. Skiing is much like ice skating, in that the blades and the skis have two edges and the tasks of turning and stopping require use of the edges rather than the flat of the ski or blade. The ski is just a lot longer than the skate and more cumbersome. It is much easier to get up with skates than with skis attached.

The lake is beautiful and the pine trees surrounding it produce some of the largest pine cones I have ever seen, up to six inches in diameter and eight to ten inches long. It is a rugged landscape with sharp mountains and only a small strip of land at the base between the mountains and the lake. Big collections of boulders extend out into the water in some areas and snow was scattered everywhere. We were there in February and huge piles of plowed snow were prominent.

Currently, they are experiencing the first big storm of the season and as I understand, two more are right behind. The mountain passes are difficult going and mandatory chain use is in effect. Nyssa tells me that she and her roommate may take the dog to Seattle to stay with her roommate's mom over Christmas. By my calculations, there is NO way to get from Reno to Seattle WITHOUT having to go through at least one of the high mountain passes. She is ignoring my advice not to do this. Even if she had chains, she probably couldn't get them on or they would be the wrong size and it is going to be a slow go of it. In the bad areas, they often have to close the passes with the wind and blowing snow. This is a Mississippi person.... a Virginia person.... minimal contact with driving in snow... even on flat areas. Hopefully, someone will talk her out of this. By what the Weather Channel is saying today, I don't think she would even be able to get up to Tahoe today!

Lake Tahoe picture from 1899

This was a picture I found on the net of Lake Tahoe from 1899. It really hasn't changed configuration that much has it.

(end of post)
Scenic Sunday