The Eye Sees What the Mind Believes: July 2021

Made a trip to Lake Tahoe last month. It was a great getaway.

If you've never been, you should make the trip. The water is crystal clear. I went out on a paddleboard on this lake for the first time. By the way, if you want to swim or use other light craft be sure to go in the morning - the waves really grow when the wind picks up.

While I was traveling along the coast I paused for a few moments and within a minute there was a school of thousands of little fish swimming around me. I could have used a net and caught hundreds, it was literally fish in a barrel. It was so interesting, I stayed in the spot for about fifteen minutes. They were all popping up to the surface, presumably to much on very tiny items which I could not see.

The fish were about an inch in length, a shiny silver in color, and seemed to have little-to-no fear of my presence. It was quite the moment.

I certainly understand why people want to make Tahoe their home. Strict codes help to keep the area as natural and rural as possible with esthetics to keep the natural theme alive.

The following two pics are from a natural habitat for waterfowl. During the spring and early summer animals such as dogs are not allowed on the paths for fear they will disrupt the natural cycle of life - good for them.

I went on a few hikes in the mountains while in Tahoe. The next couple of shots show where I sighted a few climbers. From my vantage point, there is a gorge with a rushing stream (unseen) below. By looking at the people in the second picture you obtain a sense of the size of the climb.

Something I am very interested in is all the different plant life in the mountains. There's plenty of old and new growth. I did not see any major die-off of trees which is great.

I also took a hike up to Eagle Falls. If you have the chance it's well worth the effort. The rushing water is amazing and the lake at the end is gorgeous. The area is quiet. At the time there were not a lot of people. The hike is not very strenuous.

I also rented an eBike and went on a ride up to Marlette Lake. let me tell you, there's no better way to go mountain biking on steep roads and trails than with a pedal-assist bike, wow. I gracefully passed by people who were huffing and puffing pushing their bikes up the hill. Now I like to reasonably exercise so I used the low power mode until it was absolutely necessary to beef it up. Let me tell you - the bikes are amazing! The bike senses when you're pushing on the pedals and gives you an assist when you don't have the energy yourself.