Tag Archives: Sierra Nevada

California’s Mammoth Lakes Basin

Karl on Jan 24, 2023 with Comments Off

California’s Sierra Nevada mountains have some pretty spectacular scenery!
The “Lakes Basin,” as it is commonly referred to, is only a few miles from the town of Mammoth Lakes. Mammoth Lakes sits on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada range and is best known as a top notch down-hill ski destination. It is especially popular with skiers from the Los Angeles area.

(Mammoth Lakes Basin)

The Mammoth Lakes Basin is mostly a summer destination, being a popular spot for hiking, biking, rock-climbing, camping and fishing. There are more than a dozen lakes set in this beautiful environment of mountains and forests.
We visited the area several times when we lived in California and our kids were young. Always had a pleasant half …

Tagged Mammoth Lakes, Mammoth Lakes Basin, Sierra Nevada

“Pic of the Week”, December 7, 2018: Unbearably Lake Tahoe

An art form I enjoy, which has seen growing popularity these past few decades, is chainsaw carvings. As the name implies, the artist uses chainsaws of different size to work a piece of dried raw wood into the final carved piece. The carvings are often large and heavy. The wood is then generally stained or painted and sealed with varnish or polyurethane to protect the art.

While driving around Lake Tahoe this past summer — a beautiful scenic drive that’s highly recommended — we came across several homes on the California side of the lake that had some fine examples of carved bears. I thought they were quite good and stopped to get some photos. Not sure if all the ones …

Karl on Dec 6, 2018 | Comments Off

.All Trips / California / North America / Southwestern USA

Truckee, California

Karl on Jun 24, 2018 with Comments Off

Situated slightly north of Lake Tahoe and a little west of Reno, I’d driven past this small city on route I-80 many times. But it was not until this past summer that I actually stopped and explored it. The day of our visit was dry and hot and the sun intense as it can only be at high altitude, the heat draining our energy; still, we took our time, stayed hydrated and enjoyed visiting Truckee.

The town’s original name was Coburn Station, after one of its saloon keepers. It was renamed ‘Truckee’ after a Paiute chief named Tru-ki-zo. This friendly chief greeted the first Europeans migrating to California and legend has it that he rode toward them yelling, “Tro-kay”, Paiute for …

Tagged railroad, Sierra Nevada, Truckee

“Pic of the Week”, June 22, 2018: Views of Lake Tahoe

Lovely Lake Tahoe! It has been described as the “gem of the Sierras” and it’s hard to argue with that.

Its statistics are impressive. Lake Tahoe is situated in the Sierra Nevada mountain range at 6,225 ft (1,897 m) and straddles the California/Nevada border. At 1,645 ft (501 m) deep, it is the second deepest lake in the United States — only Crater Lake in Oregon is deeper at 1,945 ft (593 m). It holds more water than any lake in the US, excluding the five Great Lakes.

And the scenery is spectacular. As are the hiking opportunities around the lake!

(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance)