Big Yellow Flower In The Sky

They come in lots of colors and patterns. Sometimes they float low and periodically roar and spit flame like dragons. Between the noisy outbursts comes an eerie silence, punctuated by occasional laughter.  Other times they float so high you never know they are there unless you happen to look up. They look so small it's hard to imagine that they are the size of 7-story apartment buildings.

This yellow flower was high over the lake early in the morning

This balloon reminds me of a favorite Robert Louis Stevenson poem I learned as a child. If Stevenson had seen such balloons he might have written about them the way he wrote about swings...

How do you like to go up in a swing,
      Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
      Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
      Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
      Over the countryside—

Till I look down on the garden green,
      Down on the roof so brown—
Up in the air I go flying again,
      Up in the air and down!

Comet Neowise!

You all probably know about the most impressive comet to visit our solar system since Hale Bopp in 1997.

In recent days, Neowise was visible in the early morning. However, if you are like us, it may not have been convenient to get up at 4 a.m.

Now, for a few more days, it's visible in the early evening, to the northeast, below and a bit to the right of the "pan" of the Big Dipper. We are fortunate enough to see it from our street. You need it to be quite dark (ask your neighbors to turn off their yard lights), and it takes some time to let your eyes adjust. When you see it, you will agree... It is very cool.

If you'd like to see what the comet looks like from the International Space Station, here is a stunning video complete with music composed by Sean Doran. Here is the link to youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh1_wHdUx3Y

Like lots of youtube videos, you have to watch an ad for 15 seconds or so, then comes the video. If you click on the "full screen" button and turn on your sound, you will be impressed. It's a 7-minute video showing the Earth below the International Space Station at night. You can easily see the ground and city lights moving below the ISS, which is going 17,000 miles per hour. The view is spectacular. As the video shows, the ISS is moving toward dawn, and the upper left side of the screen shows what the growing dawn light looks like from the ISS. At about 3 minutes and 30 seconds into the video, the comet rises above the horizon. There is no magnification in the video, so it looks quite small and distant. But it is gorgeous.

With the beautiful music, the whole 7-minute viewing experience is calming and meditative and reminds the viewer of just how special our Earth and the solar system is.

Amazing.

For the next few days, find a dark place with little light pollution and a view to the northeast. Go out at 9:30 p.m. or a bit later. Look for the Big Dipper. The comet will be below the pan of the dipper.

Bear Food

I watched from a safe distance as this mama bear went down the street on the day of trash pickup. (Bears show up each week on trash day. How they know when is a mystery. Smell? The clanging of the trash truck? Their little pocket calendars they carry around with the monthly pictures of especially attractive dumpsters?)

This bear opened every container with practiced skill, showing her two cubs (just to the side of this picture) the various techniques. She used her teeth to bite the edge of the garbage can lid and lift it off the can. She used her paw to tip the can over and pull out the bags inside. She rolled each bag over, knowing exactly which ones to open up and which ones to leave, i.e., scented trash bags don't fool a bear.

Tahoe locals know to put garbage in bear-proof containers or bring it out just as the trash truck comes down the street.

Behind this bear you can see the garbage that vacation rental tourists set out in the street. Big mess, and potential big fine.

When you come to Tahoe, and it comes time to throw out your trash, please take a moment to learn the where/what/when aspects of garbage collection. It will save you a hassle and some money, too.

Did This Bald Eagle Meet Its Match?!

This tree is close enough to the lake that the Bald Eagle can see any nearby osprey that have caught a fish the Eagle can steal. Yes, mama nature is unfair that way. The osprey does the work, then the larger raptor swoops in and takes it away. A metaphor for many unfair aspects of life.

But take a closer look. On each side of the huge eagle is a Steller's Jay. Two of them, harassing the eagle, letting it know that if it tries to come for their chicks, it will have a fight on its hands, no matter how David-vs-Goliath the odds are.

We once had a Steller's Jay fly through an open door into our house. It went to a window only to discover that glass is a strong barrier. I gently caught it with a cloth and carried it outside. It was not much heavier than air. But as I carried it, I could sense the power in its feather-weight body.

That eagle should think twice about its dinner plans. A dead fished, washed up on the beach, is the safest, least-stressful meal.

Yes, Tahoe Hit Will Be Available In Paper

Because so many people get book news from Amazon...

And because Amazon is only showing "Pre-order" status for the Kindle version of Tahoe Hit...

I want to reassure that Tahoe Hit will be available in the regular paper version. Come August, you should be able to find it wherever you normally get your Tahoe mysteries!

Thanks for your interest!!

Our Amazing Moonless Sky

Who cares about a moonless sky compared to the wonders of a Moon? I do.

We were sitting out on the deck last night and enjoying the stars. When the Moon is "new," (when it is not out at night because it's near the sun during the day, hence invisible to our naked eyes) the stars are amazing.

Also amazing were the satellites. In the space of a few minutes we counted six of them. Three moving more or less north and three more more or less south. (North and south orbits allow satellites to see the entire planet as it rotates west-to-east beneath the satellites.)

If your next trip to Tahoe comes during a time when the moon isn't bright, take time to sit out in the dark and admire the stars. It is an amazing sight to look up at the universe and contemplate its astonishing show.

P.S. Happy Summer Solstice

Chicks The Size Of Chickens

Today, we saw Canadian Goose chicks the size of chickens.
They don't appear to have feathers, yet. Just big balls of fuzz.
Mom watches us without concern, a trait that went away when she discovered that if you're cute, people will throw you food.

People think they are being nice to the animals. Or maybe they just don't think at all. Despite being entertaining to watch, feeding wild animals is bad for the animals. It produces dependency and, after the humans leave, hunger in animals that have lost the knowledge or motivation to fend for themselves. And, in the case of bears, feeding them intentionally or unintentionally motivates them to break into our houses and cars and make a huge mess as they empty our cupboards.

Let's enjoy animals by taking their picture and having no other engagement.

Tahoe Hit Is Now Available For Preorder

The 18th Owen McKenna mystery is now available for preorder!

 A Sophisticated Killer With A Fixation On Shakespeare's Hamlet...

Deadly Past Secrets...

The Ultimate Revenge...

Check it out at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tahoe-Owen-McKenna-Mystery-Thriller-ebook/dp/B087ZVLS58/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=tahoe+hit&qid=1590946749&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

And check it out on my website: http://toddborg.com/

Glen Alpine Falls From 1 Mile Away!

Along with Eagle Falls tumbling down to Emerald Bay, Glen Alpine Falls brings water to Fallen Leaf Lake. For much of the year, they are the two biggest falls feeding Lake Tahoe.

Most photos of them are taken up close. In the spring and early summer they are amazing sights.

Yet there is another perspective of Glen Alpine Falls.

From up at Angora Lookout, there is a pervasive white noise filling the air. It sounds a little like a jet plane. It takes a little visual searching to locate the source of sound. Most people won't find it because source of the sound, Glen Alpine Falls, is a mile or more away.

At the center top of the photo, the highest point is Mt. Price, just 25 feet shy of 10,000 feet.
Near the center of the photo, 1/4 way up from the bottom, is a white slash/arrow shape.
That is Angora Falls, over 1 mile away.
Despite the distance, the air is filled with the white noise from
the roar of the falls. Amazing!

Amazing South Shore Hiking

Some hikes are worth going back to again and again. One of those is Angora Ridge. I wrote about it before. Here's the link to that posting:

http://toddborg.blogspot.com/2013/04/best-hikes-in-tahoe-angora-ridge-lookout.html

However, that write-up was about going up Angora Ridge Road, a pleasant walk but one with few views until you get near the Angora Fire Lookout.

Since that time, a "single track" trail was built to the northwest of the road. And the views from that trail are amazing all the way up.

To get to the single track, go to the entrance to Angora Ridge Road. (Google Maps 'Angora Ridge Road, Dundee Circle, Tahoe') Zoom in to the intersection where Angora Ridge goes southwest from Dundee Circle.

At that intersection, look for the Forest Service gate, which is only open during summer months. To the right side (west) of the gate is the hiking/biking single track. It doesn't have a super obvious trailhead sign. But it isn't hard to find.

While Angora Ridge Road follows a shallow valley (blocking the views), the single track goes up the ridge just north of the road.

The lake directly below is Fallen Leaf. The lake in the distance is Tahoe.
The mountains in the distance are the North Shore mountains, 30 miles away.

This is Mt. Tallac, directly across Fallen Leaf Lake, which is directly below us,
visible all along the hike, but out of this picture unless you look almost straight down.

This is Pyramid Peak, part of the Crystal Range,
all of which is visible from the Angora Fire Lookout.

Trust me, you will be amazed at the views, and they continue all the way up to the fire lookout, which of course has its own amazing views.

By any measure, The Angora Ridge Single Track is one of the Top 10 best view hikes in all of Tahoe. If you're looking for short view hikes, I put it in the Top 3.

P.S., Yes, a few mountain bikers use the trail, but we've found them to be courteous. We just step off the trail and let them pass.

Tahoe Deep Is Now Available On Nook

My most recent title, TAHOE DEEP, is now available on Nook, (the ebook format sold by Barnes and Noble).

Thanks to all of you Nook readers who've been patient for so long. I appreciate your support!

Here's the link to TAHOE DEEP on NOOK.

Asian Giant Hornets In Tahoe?

Whole lotta fuss about giant hornets goin' on. Are there giant hornets in Tahoe?

Photo credit: By Yasunori Koide -
CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63832922

The short answer is No.

I thought I'd consult local entomologist Street Casey. (I know that some of you readers are sticklers for full disclosure, so I'll admit up front that Ms. Casey is fictional.) Having said that, I believe her information to be reliable.

First of all, yes, the giant hornets from Asia that can be as long as two inches are formidable critters. However, the current media buzz is as much sensationalism as anything. They've only been spotted in a couple of places near Vancouver Island. They may never establish a beachhead. And even if they do, it probably won't be as worrisome as the media suggest.

Remember the big uproar about African killer bees? Their rep had us envisioning swarms that would carry away your dachshund.

Remember fire ants? Their rep had us envisioning a future where the only surviving humans would be on submarines.

So don't worry about giant hornets. Especially not in Tahoe, where they'll probably never be. Why?

*They don't like high altitude. And they've not been reported at high altitude anywhere in Asia.

*They are picky eaters, and they mostly only live where they can prey on their preferred food source, which is honey bees. (Adult giant hornets don't actually eat bees themselves, but they kill bees and bring them back to their nests to feed to their children (larva), who apparently love bee steak. We don't have honey bees to speak of in Tahoe, thus Tahoe ain't a good place for giant hornets to set up housekeeping.

So even if the giant hornets make inroads into our continent, don't worry when you come to Tahoe. We have lots of yellow jackets. And they can be pests and hassle you during outdoor picnics. But the next time you are buzzed by a yellow jacket, just think about a hornet three times that size. Yellow jackets will never again seem like that big of a deal.

P.S. For what it's worth, most hornets and wasps are beneficial creatures feeding on flies and other insects that can carry disease. Let's see their good side.