Biking - Incline Village & Flume Trail, Lake Tahoe Sept. 29 - Oct. 2, 2022

You think we might be in pistachio country?

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We took a pass.

Rice paddies.

Ford Ranchero?

I 80 to the north shore here we come.

But 1st a pit stop...

Later, we stopped at another In & Out Burger, this time it was for a lunch break. I got the well done fries. Perfecto. The guy on the back left is likely getting repetitive strain injury to his elbow from cutting spud after spud.

Guys gotta be guys.

The Sacramento skyline.

Auburn.

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“Within the short 4 1/2 years before the Olympic Games came to Lake Tahoe, … freeways, including Interstate 80, had to be constructed to accommodate the droves of people attending & participating in the games.” Not all the sections of I 80 we completed before opening day. Before I 80 it was a 2 lane road & a whole day’s journey by auto from the Bay Area.

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A KIMBO Camper "NIMBLE. SIMPLE. LIVING."

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My !st glimpse of Tahoe after many years.

The Volvo made it!

The wind was up. It can get very windy here & in event of a major earthquate, tsunami waves of up to 33' could be possible.

The public pier at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort. We were staying in one of the green condos on the right.

When we bike the Marlette Flume Trail.

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A delight.

Gotta love "NO PARKING."

The pier is open 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The next morning at about 7:30, I was reprimanded for being on it, after climbing around the gate. They had changed the opening time to to 8:00, but not the sign.

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Sunset.

Walking to the Tahoe East Shore Trailhead.

The public pier at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort next to where we were staying.

“Open as of June 2019 & dubbed as ‘America’s Most Beautiful Bikeway’, the Tahoe East Shore Trail is a 3-mile paved trail system connecting Incline Village south to Sand Harbor State Park.”

“This new trail system lies below the highway bordering Lake Tahoe’s eastern shoreline, providing unfiltered views & incomparable access to Lake Tahoe.”

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At this altitude, about 6,300', there were lots of blooming sagebrush. We had to climb a bit, up & over the roadway. Not yet being acclimatized to the altitude, it was hard work.

"Despite only being three miles long, this project has taken decades to accomplish."

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There's bicycle parking above the trails down to beach access.

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Who knew?

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The Hyatt's boat guy at work early in the morning.

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Ready for a boatload of tourists.

I brought my Ebike & the three others rented ones. The 1,000' climb to the Flume Trail was a killer last time we did it on human powered m'nt'n bikes. That sort of climb is usually not hard but when ascending from the altitude of 6,200' to 7,700', it's hard.

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This mountain bike ride is billed as intermediate/advanced. The four of us have been mountain biking together for many years.

We trusted each other, stayed close, took our time, were cautious, not shy too proud to put a foot down or walk our bikes when it was worrisome & let other bikers pass.

Sand Harbor State Park

Thunderbird Lodge, home of millionaire George Whittell (his father founded Pacific Gas & Electric Co.) who owned a majorty of the East Shore from the 1930's until his death in 1969. Before he died he sold 5.300 acres to the State of Nevada tor a state park & around 9.000 acres to the Crystal Bay Development. This area later became known as Incline Village. Thunderbird Lodge is in the Nat’l Register of Historic Places & open to visitors.