Yesterday was full of errands and work, with a complete avoidance of the Lake Tahoe Opening Days festivities (traffic jams, tourists, crowds). It did rain for the first time since we’ve been here - proof positive that if we ever thought we had any control in the world...  just plan an outdoor festival. Mother Nature whipped up some wind advisories for the Lake, and the we had the first threat of thunderstorm in three weeks. But then it went away in under an hour and was back to the normal Cal/Nevada sunshine. Kinda funny, actually.

Today was the Slow Rollers Poker Run. The beach cruiser bicycle social club was established in 2006, and organizes a few events each year to get out and ride (slowly... from bar to pub to tavern, etc.). The weather was perfect for a cruise today, and they do draw an interesting crowd. Over 90 riders signed up for the ride, and we saw some really cool bikes, complete with bells and some small dogs along for the ride! This could be a perfect blend of two of our favorite sports; drinking and biking! We’ll see...

This morning we checked out a new church - Our Lady of Tahoe, right here in Zephyr Cove, NV. It’s essentially across the street from our PO Box, and only a minute away from the public beach. Very welcoming congregation - we got to stand up with the other visitors before mass, and introduce ourselves and where we were from. There were people visiting from Waretown and Ventnor, NJ, so we felt a little more “at home.” The church is set back into the woods a bit, and the wall behind the alter is actually all windows, giving a nice view of the pines behind.

In the afternoon, we hiked some of the Tahoe Rim Trail. This series of trails goes all around the lakes peaks and ridges (165 miles!), and we have a trailhead a few blocks away.  The views are amazing, and the trail is challenging, but not killer. In the center photo above, you can see the Cross of Mt Tallac across the lake.

Mount Tallac is purportedly named from the Washoe Indian word “tallac” which means “Great Mountain.” This lofty peak is 9,735 feet above sea level. In the spring and summer a white cross can be seen. This is formed by the heavy winter snows filling the deep crevices of the mountain. As the surface snows melt and disappear, the deeper snow remains, forming the cross that appears for many months. The cross can be best seen in the summer months. Go to the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe and look for the tallest mountain on the California side. from Tahoe Resort Ministries website.

Happy Sunday, and a very Happy Birthday to Dad Riley.

-g