Thursday, August 27, 2009

East Shore lore


The boulder-strewn East Shore south of Cave Rock is a great place for cruising and sightseeing, but with few safe spots to pull ashore. So, it’s best to admire the shore from a safe distance and go in only at the local marinas.

You can head across to the East Shore from any spot on Lake Tahoe, or launch at the public ramp at Cave Rock State Park. To start a cruise toward South Lake, it’s best to head north past Cave Rock for the best view of one of the area’s natural wonders.

Cave Rock is named for the small caves above Highway 50 that were cut by waves when the lake was 200’ higher during the ice ages. Cave Rock is not a rock, however, but the neck of an old volcano.

It also is a sacred site to the Washoe, Tahoe’s native people. The Washoe once spent the summer hunting and fishing in the Sierra, living along Lake Tahoe’s shores. In the winter, they would travel to the Carson and Washoe valleys. Cave Rock was considered the home of the Lady of the Lake, a guardian spirit of the Washoe. They would hold important religious ceremonies, including weddings and funerals, at Cave Rock.

Looking south toward Cave Rock, you can make out the features of the Lady of the Lake – her chest starts at the water and the features of her face are formed by the rocks up to her “eyelashes.” Today, Highway 50 runs through the rock through two tunnels.

The stately homes of the East Shore are made even more dramatic by the boulder-strewn shores, where many homes seem to have emerged right out of the granite.

Boaters on the Lake will notice the distinct differences between the East and West shores. While the West Shore is heavily forested with vast beaches and high cliff walls on the southern end, the East Shore is most noted by its granite boulder piles jutting out on points up from the lake and along the shoreline.

Intermixed among the lakefront homes that seem to perch on the boulders is the former Harrah home. The gray structure with square windows is non-descript among today’s estates, save for the tree growing up through the porch. The home was often used by visiting entertainers at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, most notably Elvis Presley, who was known to hit golf balls into the Lake.

Zephyr Cove comes into view with its large, sand beach and the paddle wheeler “M.S. Dixie II.” Millionaire eccentric George Whittell Jr. once owned 24 miles of Lake Tahoe shoreline in the 1930s extending from Zephyr Cove north along the East Shore around to present-day Kings Beach.

Zephyr Cove offers fuel and other boat services, along with boat and water toy rentals. There’s a public beach next to the marina, and you can stay the night with a buoy rental from the marina and cabin rentals available from the resort. You’ll also find the Sunset Bar & Grille next to the beach, with Zephyr Cove Restaurant a short jaunt from the beach. There’s also a general store next to the restaurant to stock up on supplies.

Heading south, you’ll round Zephyr Point. Be careful of the underwater boulders and stay well away from the point. Around the point, you’ll enter Marla Bay, with a long stretch of sand beach. The Round Hills Pine Beach & Marina is on the south side of the bay. The beach is open to the public and the marina offers water toy rentals, heated swimming pool, bar and grill, and the Rum Bar right on the beach, but no fuel or pump services. You’re welcome to moor your boat at the pier to come ashore for a bite.

Leaving Marla Bay, you’ll come around Elk Point with Round Mound above at 6,717’. The mountain is named for its round appearance, making it easy to spot. While the point is rimmed with dangerous boulders, Nevada Beach lies ahead. The vast, sandy beach stretches down to Edgewood Golf Course. Enjoy the beach, but only admire the golfers from the lake, as Edgewood has no boat access.

The casinos of South Shore tower above the Lake right before the California state line. Just south of the casinos is Lakeside Marina, the closest marina to the casinos. Lakeside offers full marine services including launching, as well as power boat and water toy rentals. You can grab a bite at Lakeside Beach Grill. However, the beach on either side is private.

South Lake Tahoe is the largest developed area around Lake Tahoe, stretching from the East to West shores. I’ll explore more of South Lake in a later column.



Friday, August 21, 2009

Maritime museum unveils photos

Tahoe Maritime Museum unveils a display of select 1960 photos by official 1960 Olympic photographer and long-time resident Bill Briner, with a presentation by Briner on Aug. 27 at 5:30 p.m. Refreshments served at 5 p.m. (530) 525-9253.

Marine news tidbits

I’ve had a lot of interesting, marine-related news items come across my desk recently. As the pile gets higher, I thought it would be good time to share some of these items with the marine community.

Boat Camp open

The Emerald Bay Boat Camp reopened a few weeks ago after being closed while work was being done of the pier. The camp is located on the north side of Emerald Bay and offers 21 campsites with buoys available. Camping is on a first-come, first-served basis. You cannot tie-up on the pier, and buoys are limited to vessels 30’ in length. As well, you can bring dogs to your campsite, but they are not allowed on any of the surrounding lands, which are part of the Emerald Bay State Park. For more information, call (530) 541-3030.

Sand Harbor boat launch closed

Lake Tahoe’s water level forced the recent closure of the boat ramp at Sand Harbor State Park, marking the third such closure this season. The Tahoe Vista and Kings Beach boat ramps have been closed since early spring.

Kayakers and non-motorized vessels may still launch at Sand Harbor and TRPA inspections for quagga and zebra mussels will continue there.

The closure of Sand Harbor will mean longer lines at the remaining ramps. Cave Rock is now the only East Shore ramp still open, with Lake Forest outside Tahoe City the only ramp open on the North Shore. West Shore and South Shore boat launches remain open, and marinas around the lake continue to offer launching services. For more information, see the Marinas chart on the facing page.

Roadside inspections

The TRPA is currently reviewing a proposal to open 24-hour boat inspection stations along the highways leading into the Lake Tahoe Basin to stop the potential spread of quagga and zebra mussels. The proposal is being considered after reports of boaters skirting the inspections now conducted at boat ramps and marinas. The proposed stations would be along U.S. 50 in California and Nevada and Highways 431, 207, 89 and 267.

Another proposal being considered would be to have two or three centralized locations for boat inspections in place for summer 2010 instead of the inspections now done at dozens of locations around Lake Tahoe. The board is expected to consider staff reports on these proposals this month.

Vessel Safety Checks

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary continues to offer free vessel safety checks and will even come to you for a check. The Auxiliary has reported a more than 500 percent increase in checks on Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake this season. There is no reporting of their findings to any agency, and those passing the inspection will receive a decal noting that all required safety equipment is on board.

Mandatory equipment on motorized vessels less than 26 feet in length require the following safety items onboard: visual distress signal device (like a ski flag); a sound-producing device (whistle, horn, bell, etc); fire extinguisher; properly fitting Personal Flotation Device (PFD/life jacket) for all passengers and operators; a readily accessible throwable Type IV cushion (not stowed); working ventilation system (inboard or I/O engines); and working navigation lights. Mandatory equipment for kayaks and canoes are a properly fitting PFD with a whistle attached to the PFD.
If the Coast Guard or one of the law enforcement agencies finds a vessel does not have the required safety equipment, fines may range from hundreds to a few thousands dollars. To make an appointment for your free Vessel Safety Check, call Joe Harris at (650) 279-9159. Checks can be performed at your residence, boat ramp or other North Lake Tahoe location.

Historic East Shore

The boulder-strewn East Shore remains largely undeveloped today thanks to an eccentric millionaire that once owned more than 24 miles of shoreline, most of which was on the East Shore.

If you want to spend the day exploring the East Shore, plan ahead. The only East Shore launch open is at Cave Rock and the closest on the North Shore is a Lake Forest outside Tahoe City. As well, if you launch from Cave Rock, there are no services heading north up the shore. On the North Shore, Sierra Boat Company in Carnelian Bay or North Tahoe Marina in Tahoe Vista are you closest source of supplies. Remember, the only location to dock in Incline Village is the Hyatt Regency, where you can grab a bite to eat, but with no gas services.

There are many large, underwater boulders along the East Shore and the depth of the lake can be deceiving. As well, this year we are experiencing low water levels, so use caution when going ashore.

Leaving Incline Village, the last few homes built into the boulder-strewn hillside will suddenly stop, replaced by undeveloped shorelines at Hidden Beach, a nude beach.

One note of warning for families, the East Shore is home to several nude beaches, so stick to the large, sandy beaches and you’ll likely avoid the nude sunbathers. For the rest of you, stop drooling, it’s rude.

You’ll continue along the expanse of boulder-strewn shoreline until you see the vast sand beaches of Sand Harbor State Park.

Sand Harbor is one of Lake’s Tahoe best beaches. There are beaches rimming the entire point, with shallow waters that are among the warmest on the lake. It’s also a popular spot of kayakers, so keep your eyes open.

Unfortunately, the boat launch at Sand Harbor closed on Aug. 5 due to low water level, so it’s not accessible. However, there are many great spots to anchor and enjoy the swimming spots (which are roped off, so keep your boat out of these areas). Sand Harbor has picnic areas and a visitor’s center, and is home to the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, playing through Aug. 23.

Leaving Sand Harbor, on the next small point you’ll see the Thunderbird Lodge, one of the grandest estates on Lake Tahoe, built by George Whittell Jr.

Whittell was an odd man with exotic tastes from the lions and elephants he kept as pets to the many mistresses he was rumored to have. Whittell bought 24 acres of pristine wilderness along Lake Tahoe in 1936. Stretching from Kings Beach in California to Zephyr Cove in Nevada, Whittell had grand plans of developing casinos and housing projects.

Whittell sold off parcels in Crystal Bay and Incline Village to developers, while the land for Kings Beach he is rumored to have lost in a poker game to Joe King. However, as he grew older his desire for privacy, mixed with a bit of the paranoia (he hid listening devices throughout most of his own home), led him to abandon plans for development. Although, in his later years, the state of Nevada persuaded him to donate the land that is now Sand Harbor State Park.

Whittell’s former estate is now preserved and maintained by the Thunderbird Lodge Preservation Society.

From the shore, you can see the Main Lodge, Card House, the Boathouse, which houses the “Thunderbird,” with the Caretaker’s Cottage and an elephant garage on the hillside above. You can cruise past the estate, but you cannot go ashore. Tours of the estate are open to the public only through Tahoe Adventure Company with kayak tours, Tahoe Boat Cruises with boat tours and by shuttle; see Sightseeing for contact information.

Leaving the Thunderbird Lodge, there is a succession of public beaches heading down the East Shore. With the exception of the Thunderbird Lodge, most of the shoreline from Incline Village to Skunk Harbor is state or federal land and is open to the public. There are a few scant pockets of private land, so if you spot a home, pick another spot to come ashore.

The first beach you’ll come to is Chimney Beach, so named for the chimney that is the sole survivor of a former beach house, making it easy to spot from the Lake. Followed by Secret Cove, a nude beach, and Secret Harbor, rounding out the south end of this small bay. Chimney Beach is a wide, sandy beach, while Secret Cove is sheltered by boulders and trees along the shoreline. Despite it’s name, however, Secret Harbor is rather popular with beach-goers, kayakers and boaters. And, dogs are allowed on all of the beaches.

The next harbor will be Skunk Harbor a great spot for swimming or boat camping. On shore, you’ll see the remnants of a guest house and cook house once owned by George Newhall, who also owned an elaborate summer estate on the West Shore. The home was built in 1923 as a retreat from Tahoe’s busy social scene and later sold to Whittell, who lived there during the construction of the Thunderbird Lodge and used it as a guest house and retreat.

Leaving Skunk Harbor and continuing south, you’ll round Deadman’s Point and began to see some homes along the shoreline before entering Glenbrook Bay, one of the Lake’s oldest communities. Glenbrook was once an epicenter of industry in Lake Tahoe. After the discovering of silver at the Comstock Lode in Virginia City, vast amounts of timber were cut around Tahoe, brought across the lake to Glenbrook then loaded on rail cars and carried to the top of Spooner Summit where they rode the flumes to the Carson Valley. The remnants of the three railroad piers that once meet the log booms can still be seen jutting out of the lake. Glenbrook, however, is now a private community and is not open to the public.

You’ll start to see vast estates along the East Shore after leaving Glenbrook Bay. As you head south to Cave Rock, a large volcanic plug noticeable from most of Lake Tahoe, you’ll spot Logan Shoals Marina. The marina, however, is private and provides no services. There’s a boat launch, picnic area and restrooms at Cave Rock. I’ll talk about Cave Rock, a sacred site to the Washoe, in a later column.