Snake River Canyon

The mayor is on the road again, heading north, across the basin and range of the intermountain West-that vast part of the country that is the least populated: great parts of Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and a little piece of California.
A small contingent of officials will inspect Glacier National Park, and hopefully, provide some useful information about marketing the outdoor attributes of Tahoma and the westshore of Tahoe. Despite an uptick in visitors observed this weekend, it still does not appear to be anything to rave about. The drag of the recession continues to pull on businesses around the basin.
The paddle boat event at Meeks seemed to go OK, but more info is needed for proper evaluation.

BIKERS ON THE ROAD

Caution advised: cyclists continue to ignore the bikepath in favor of the open road . What does it take to get the message across? Who knows? I guess it is similar to the use of cell phones while driving: keep raising the costs of infraction until you get results!

Bears, again.
It was reported to our office that a medium sized black bear(they are all black bears) completely upended a 4 yd dumpster in Glenridge last week. The contents remained inside and the bruin went home in disgust. He vowed to seek better results in McKinney Shores.

West Shore Cafe
The office staff enjoyed a beverage on the deck Friday night-the weather was perfect and a good crowd was gathering in the restaurant and at the bar. The amiable staff was happy with the surge in business. God luck this summer!

Wedding on the beach
Set ups were in progress in front of the Erhman mansion at Sugar Pine Park for Saturday nuptials. Here is a sure sign of summer- a lakefront wedding. The beach was busy with lots of visitors, many of whom were camped out at General Creek, which is flowing better thanit has in years. A strong current could be felt 30 yards off shore as the mayor paddled his craft through the cold water.

Norfolk Woods Inn

Mayor took a stroll around the dilapidated property across from downtown Tahoma. It's sad to see the physical deterioration and generally shabby exterior. What a blight on our community. Sadly, it is a bank-owned property, which means the likelihood of even minimal upkeep is remote.
I observed significant accumulations of debris about the premises, any of which could be ignited by a stray cigarette. I hope a sale will be forthcoming soon.
Apparently, some interested parties toured the premises on Friday morning. Could they be buyers? We can only hope. Local realtors figure the main building is a tear down(complete deconstruction). Also, some permits are in place, and some due diligence has been accomplished. Keep your fingers crossed.

Concert in Tahoma

Special Event Tonight in downtown Tahoma: a free concert!!! In the parking lot. The Way Much, from Santa Barbara. The group plays modern folk music with vocals. Don't miss this summer event. Have a pizza @ WESTSIDE PIZZA topped off with a gelato from Where We Met!
Enjoy a local summer event-Free!.

Ministers Report

The Minister of Latin American affairs reported this week that upcoming events include several conferences to be held throughout Latin America through this year and next. With cyber security making headlines around the world, this activity of our minister is of the utmost importance.
It is imperative upon Tahomans to stay current with international events. The speed of events has reached a pace few can comprehend, let alone deal with. So, we will continue our efforts in this area by paying close attention to all the reports of our man on the ground in Washington,DC.

Big Sky Country

The Mayor joined a small delegation and visited Montana for the first time. Big Sky country has many similarities to Alaska: sparsely populated, long,cold winters, various topography/geography/geology/flora and fauna. Right now, flooding is an issue along parts of the Missouri River,although the worst of it appears to be in the lower reaches within the state of Missouri itself.
The western rivers around Missoula are blown out with high flows, high silting, and heavy rains mixed with late spring snow fall in the higher elevations.
We landed in Missoula, met our guide Karl Jones(Sheerwaterguides.com) and set out east for the Missouri River 135 miles across the Rogers Pass and the Continental Divide. A foot of new snow was on the roadside as we crossed the summit, mute testimony to the recent storm. We arrived in Craig, picked up some items at the Flyshop, and launched our drift boat(made by Karl of marine plywood,etc). Within minutes, the mayor had a fish on, a nice 18" rainbow who took the fly(worm like Karl Special). Thus began 3 days of some of the best fly fishing ever experienced by this delegation.
Local flyshop operator, Phil Camera and his wife hosted our group at his Prewett Motel in Cascade. Spartan but comfortable, the location was ideal for working this stretch of the river where it parallels I-15 for several miles. The river is below the Holter Dam and the flow is controlled, keeping the water clear and cold for miles. Feeder streams contribute some silt but not enough to color the main river. Besides rainbows, a number of browns were also taken along with a few whitefish.
Pelicans were in the vicinity adding some color to the landscape. Fishermen were few in number owing to the weather(rainy, windy, cool temps). But the fishing more than made up for any inconvenience.
All events made the excursion a good one, and has set the stage for a return shortly to Glacier national Park later in the month. The date promises better weather, more summer than spring, hopefully.

Truckee River Flows

Passing by the outlet of the lake, one can see that only one gate is open. Why? Well, do you have an hour. The explanation from Dept of Water Resources covers a lot of issues, all related to an array of policies related to water conservation, fish protection, water flows(min/max), and the amount of storage allowed/required before more gates are open. Rafting companies have accepted the regulators policies and will live with the results. Hence, no rafting by commercial companies for awhile yet.
With snow still visible on surrounding peaks(north slopes), it's hard to accept the flow limits this year. But, these decisions are years in the making with many contributors to the process. And, of course, it's Tahoe-where everybody has input and nobody makes an independent decision outside of the established order(except TRPA!).

Paddle Board Race

This weekend will see the Meeks Bay Resort Paddle board race on Saturday and Sunday. Details can be learned by calling the resort. The main event is a 14 mile paddle, a round trip from Meeks to Emerald Bay and back. Look for traffic around Meeks over the weekend.

Highway 89 road repairs
CalTrans is back on the job after record snow fall this winter. Extensive patching from Sunnyside south necessitates one lane passage for motorists during the daylight hours. Slow down, watch for flagmen, and be courteous to all on the road. The mechanics of patching has greatly improved with the addition of grinders, rollers, pavers, and hopper trucks:they are faster than ever before when it comes to fixing our highway.

Transit Center
Passing the construction site for the Transit center causes some visual distraction, so keep your eyes on the road! Progress is being made, but they're still working on foundations, grading and layout with much more to go. Can hardly wait-Not!

Where We Met

Welcome to Tahoma's latest business venture: Where We Met. An Italian espresso bar and gelatoria. Finally, someone has decided it's worth the risk to open a business of this type on Highway 89, south of Homewood, serving the Tahoma/Meeks Bay/Rubicon area of the West Shore. After the Crivellos closed their shop at Pine and 89, locals were forced to drive to Obexers for espresso or PDQ for coffee and sandwiches.
Now, we have a choice, again. Luca, from Tuscany, Italia, is assisting the local owners get established in this location at Mariani Plaza(downtown Tahoma). Westside Pizza has warmly accepted the additional activity on the piazza, bringing morning activity to what otherwise was the quiet time on the square. In addition to the realty office and the post office, the gelato/caffe bar is a nice touch. Look for afternoon crowds of kids and parents looking for the ice cold gelato to satisfy afternoon cravings. Good Luck!