South Lake Tahoe Library Meets Tahoe Flight

 I always enjoy library talks.  It's also great fun to introduce my new books. We always have a good time.

This Tuesday, July 25th, will be the launch of Tahoe Flight. The event is open to the public and is at the South Lake Tahoe Library at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd. The scheduled time is 5 p.m. for doors to open, and my talk to begin at 5:30. 

If you'd like to get a signed book, please come early. Books are $15 including tax, and 25% goes to the Friends of the Library.

At the end of my talk, we'll have a Q & A, and you can ask me about the book, the characters, the writing process, publishing, or anything else. We can even trade dog stories.

Thanks in advance for your interest!

See you there.

New Tahoe Mystery Signing Schedule

My new book, TAHOE FLIGHT, is almost out. (Look to the left to see the cover.)

I have a range of events planned from Silicon Valley to Tahoe to Reno. Come on up and get a signed copy... THANKS!

Here is a current list of talks and signings for TAHOE FLIGHT:

July 25th, 5 p.m. South Lake Tahoe Library
Talk, Q & A, and Signing at the South Lake Tahoe Library, 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150. Signing at 5 p.m., talk and questions at 5:30. (Please come early to get books signed.)

July 29th, 11 a.m. Sundance Bookstore
Talk, Q & A, and signing at  Sundance Bookstore, 121 California Ave, Reno, Nevada. Come on down and get a signed copy of TAHOE FLIGHT!

July 30th, 8:30 a.m. The Red Hut Cafe
Signing at The Red Hut Cafe, Ski Run and Lake Tahoe Blvd, South Lake Tahoe, CA.

August 4th, 5 p.m. Luminary Books
Talk, Q & A, and Signing at Luminary Books, 1503 US Hwy 395 N Ste I. Gardnerville, NV (Luminary Books was formerly Shelby's Books in MInden.) Talk is at 6 p.m. Please come at 5 p.m. to get books signed.

August 5th, 6:30 p.m. 
Signing TAHOE FLIGHT at Word After Word books, 10052 Donner Pass Rd, Truckee, CA.

August 6th, 8:30 a.m. Red Hut Cafe Carson City
Signing at The Red Hut Cafe, 4385 S Carson St, Carson City, NV 89701

September 9, 10, 10-5 p.m. Mountain View Festival
Signing at the Mountain View Art and Wine Festival, Castro Street, Mountain View, CA.

September 23, 24, 10-5 p.m. Candy Dance Festival
Signing at the Candy Dance Festival, Genoa, NV.

November 10, 11, 12, 10-5 p.m. San Mateo Harvest Festival
Signing at the San Mateo Harvest Festival, San Mateo Events Center San Mateo, CA

November 17, 18, 19, 10 - 5 p.m. Sacramento Harvest Festival
Signing at the Sacramento Harvest Festival, CalExpo, Sacramento, CA

Echo Lake Is Still Perfect

 Just off Echo Summit is Echo Lake at 7400 feet. Gorgeous and surrounded by mountains, Echo Lake is the most popular trail head into Desolation Wilderness because it is the highest trail head. Which means less elevation gain on your hike.

In the distance is a glimpse of the Crystal Range, a series of mountains that are just a few feet shy of 10,000 feet.

Echo Lake Road goes from Highway 50 just to the lodge/chalet at the close end of the lake. From the chalet, there is only a hiking trail that leads along the shore to many summer cabins, which are hiking/boat access only.

If you like, there are kayaks and canoes available for rental.

Or you can take a ride down the lake in the boat taxi, pictured above.

This is the outflow from the lake. It is ice cold because the lake only just thawed!

Part of the water goes down Echo Falls to the east. That water flows into the upper Truckee River, which leads to Lake Tahoe. However, there is a flume that carries a portion of the water toward Highway 50, to ultimately join the American River heading west.

If you look at the lake photo above, you'll see snow on the Crystal Range mountains. Up there is Lake Aloha. At over 8000 feet, it is still frozen. You might think that water would flow east to Echo Lake. However, it flows south and ends up going over Horsetail Falls below.

You see Horsetail Falls when you drive west from Echo Summit on Highway 50. It is visible as you come around the big curves above Twin Bridges. The water joins the American River just above Strawberry.

I hear you commenting about the scenery. Yes, you're right. We're not in Kansas anymore.

Can A Girl Do Anything? Heck, Yeah.

 Because my last book, Tahoe Moon, had a girl named Camille Dexter, who happened to be a good skateboarder, I've paid a little more attention to skateboarding recently. Especially girls with skateboards, because my vision of a young kid with a skateboard tends to be a boy. Right? Wrong? Just observing...

So I was delighted to hear that a 13-year-old Australian girl named Arisa Trew, just performed something most of us have trouble just imagining. Nevermind doing.

Arisa performed a flawless 720. This is no small thing. To my limited understanding, the trick involves flying down a vertical wall, up another verical wall and into the air, where she spins two full rotations and then lands. On a vertical wall, of course.

(When I was 13, I thought merely riding down a gentle slope without falling was significant.)

Check it out. Congrats, Arisa Trew. You rock.