KTKE 101.5 Black Box Party

This afternoon, KTKE 101.5 FM celebrated their listeners with the “Endless Summer” party at Common’s Beach.  The title was a bit ironic since the temperature high today was 50 degrees.  Throughout the summer, 100 lucky listeners won keys to try to open the Big Black Box for a prize of $3000.

Despite the cool temperatures, 89 of the 100 key winner plus guests, friends and families gathered at Common’s Beach to enjoy a free lunch provided by Smokey’s Kitchen.  Food options included hamburgers, hotdog, pulled pork and pulled chicken, with sides of potato salad and cole slaw.

After lunch and a brief introduction of each of the radio hosts, all key winners gathered on the beach to try their luck at the Big Black Box.  All non-money winners still received consolation prizes of ice scrapers, candy and flashlights from The Auto & Tire Doctor.  Due to the cold weather and wind, I did not stay to find out the winner, but I will post once I find out.

Tahoe-Truckee Gets Blasted by Blizzard-like Conditions

Driving west on I-80 where the rain line met the snow line, a white SUV lay upside down surrounded by the flashing lights of a police car.  Dozens of tractor trailers crisscrossed diagonally across the highway as drivers crouched on their knees in the snow fiddling with rusty snow chains.

There was a snow chain check point, but I was motioned to keep moving although numerous coupes and two-wheel drives were pulled over for chain control.  Although my Honda CR-V is an all-wheel drive, only minutes later I found the back end slipping on the ice and ended up on the side of the freeway.  SUVs continued to whiz on by.  Luckily, shortly afterwards, two snow plows cleared two lanes, and I returned on my journey.

 As I continued westward, the snow begin to fall harder until it began to accumulate on my windshield wipers and side view mirrors causing increasing less and less visibility.   I kept moving forward very slowly, hoping for the best.

 Finally I made it to the Truckee 89 South exit, but as I began to turn into the exit, once again the back tires slipped out.  I found myself struggling for control of the vehicle.  I drove down following the two-lane road following the Truckee River, staying as far away from the edge of the road as possible as to not end up in the Truckee River.

 I know the cars behind me must have been annoyed at my consistently slow 25 mph in a 55 mph speed limit, but I kept in mind that I was really being a good citizen by encouraging everyone to slow down.

 At 4:05 p.m., I turned into my driveway with an extremely crooked parking job and took a huge sigh of relief as I exited the car.  There is probably already a half foot of snow at my house which is a lake level, so I’d predict that the tops of the mountains have probably already received a foot in the last two hours.

It’s about to SNOW, Snow, snow.

Tuesday Night SnowLo 31 °F

Wednesday Chance Snow Hi 36 °F

Wednesday Night Slight Chc Snow Lo 26 °F

Thursday Chance Snow Hi 40 °F

Thursday Night SnowLo 29 °F

Word’s out on the street – it’s bout to snow down this week.  Now, some people are saying it’s going to snow a foot or so at lake level, and I’d say – that’s a little hard to say, but when the NOAA says 100% chance of precip – I’m imagining some snow will fall from the sky, and yes, we can hope it’s a foot at lake level which would give us 3-4 feet on the mountain tops.

It actually snowed a little on Tuesday.  I woke up and looked out my window and low-and-behold saw:

But it was mostly melted by the late afternoon – some snowy spots remain in the shadiness.  I’m ready for the snow, really.  Autumn has mostly dwindled and now, we are all just waiting for snow, so the Tahoe economy will pick itself up some.  The streets are empty; stores close early – it’s just boring. 

I’m ready to take my snowboard out of the closet.

CSA: Mountain Bounty Farms

Following the Produce:  A Tour of Mountain Bounty Farm

Joining a Community Supported Agriculture Program

 Last May, I joined a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) vegetable cooperative.  Basically, you pay upfront and receive boxes full of vegetables all summer long.  The vegetables are grown locally at Mountain Bounty Farm in Nevada City, CA and pick-up locations are available every Thursday in Truckee and Glenshire.

 Since the boxes of vegetables are quite large, I shared the program with some co-workers to reduce the expense and the amount of produce.  A large family could probably go through a box in a week, but it’s also fun to share with a group of friends or roommates.

 The vegetables are delicious and fresh.  Although this week is the last vegetable box of the season, I decided to go find out exactly where my vegetables were coming from and how they were grown. 

 Touring the Farm

 Down a winding road 10 miles north of Nevada City, I found Mountain Bounty Farms.  The area was rich with native trees and plant life.  Tucked away down a dirt path, the interns brushed their teeth in the outdoor kitchen.

 They greeted me with a friendly smile and showed me the fields.

 “We’re standing on two acres right here,” said farmer John Tecklin.  “We have ten acres total.  It’s a very small scale farm.”

 Twelve years ago, John decided he wanted to start his own Community Supported Agriculture farm.  He leased some land in Nevada City, California and got to work.  He was originally in a partnership on a CSA farm in Portland, Oregon.  He became very interested in gardening and moved on to farming from there.

 “A CSA type program is really the only way to go with a small farm like this,” he explains. 

 In 1998, there were 48 families participating in the program.  This year, 270 boxes went out to people around Nevada City and Truckee.  The farmers also participated in a farmer’s market in Nevada City once a week.

 This year there were 280 varieties of plants on the farm.  That’s a lot of vegetables!  Boxes were full of a variety of people’s very favorites to the slightly unusual. 

 What is this thing?  It’s amusing to participate in the CSA program because receiving each box is like opening a special gift, a fun surprise.  The vegetables vary weekly and remain seasonal and organic.  Most of the seeds are sprouted right on the farm in the greenhouses located in the back of the property. 

 “We have heirlooms, bred-varieties and hybrid crops,” said John.  “We have absolutely no genetically modified crops, and we don’t want them.”

 Fresh Produce 

Produce received in this summer’s vegetable boxes included red and green lettuces, carrots, broccoli, spinach, cilantro, kale, Tokyo turnips, beets, radishes, potatoes, tomatoes, bok choy, cabbage, basil, fennel, squash, onions, garlic, pumpkins and more.

 The farm now has fruit shares and citrus shares.  Fruit boxes included cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines, pears, grapes, apples and pomegranates.   

 Mountain Bounty Farm offers winter vegetable and citrus shares from November 24 through May 19.  Summer vegetables are offered from May through November and summer fruits from June to October.

 Sustainably Organic

 The farm is totally organic, although not certified organic.  They use all natural fertilizers, composting and alternative energy sources.  Big industrial farms use a lot of nitrogen or natural gas based products in their fertilizers.

 “These vegetables are cleaned right here at the farm,” notes farmer John.  “They are probably cleaner than the ones you buy at the store.”

 Beneficial plants that attract insects away from the vegetables are also used around the farm, instead of chemical pesticides.

 The choices of vegetables for the next season are based on experience of how the vegetables grew on the farm, as well as surveys of the customers.

 “We do what we can do, what we want to do, what we like, what we didn’t like and what tastes good,” explains John.

 One of the most popular crops is sweet corn, so the farm tries to maximize the numbers grown by using various sustainable techniques.  They also rotate the produce grown in each crop bed. 

 Working the Farm

 Interns live in tiny huts stacked next to one another down a tree-lined grassy pathway of the farm.  Although the houses were tiny, I wished I had worked on the farm for a summer in college, like many of my friends did.

 The farm also offers work exchange programs where customers can work 4 hours a week on the farm in order to receive their boxes.  John said that one of his best volunteers drives from Truckee to work on the farm.  The farm provides him with a great release, a hard working day on the farm.

 Find Out More 

Mountain Bounty Farms has a very useful and informative Web Site at www.mountainbountyfarms.com.  The site has numerous pictures of the farms produce with a weekly description of “What’s in my box this week?” with a photo of each box.  The site also enables people to sign up for the CSA online.  They can also be reached by phone at Mountain Bounty Farm at 530-292-3776 or by email at info@mountainbountyfarm.com.

A Halloween Trip to Yosemite Valley

I took a drive this weekend down 395 S to Yosemite Valley – luckily the 120 Tioga Pass is still open, so it saved some drive time.  Although still in the Sierras, the Valley offers several types of deciduous trees that are not seen in Tahoe – dogwoods, maples, oaks – the trees were colorful and the air was crisp as we welcomed the time change and the almost full moon.

 

Halloween was fairly mellow – we went to dinner and a scary movie even though I swore I wasn’t going to watch this movie – Paranormal Activity – I did and it was scary, but not the “scariest movie ever” or anything like that.  It was still a good watch to celebrate Halloween. 

I also went spelunking earlier in the week and saw a bat hanging in the cave, so that was a pretty awesome way to celebrate Halloween also.

Happy November.

Truckee River PROM

Group Shot

Wow, what a day!  I hardly know where to begin because only one word really comes to mind to describe the event: MAYHEM!  At first count, there were 97 river prom attendees, at second count – 99.  We had a good 45 to 50 rafts tied together and held together by strings, dental floss, deflated floats and hands floating down the river, creating a huge obstacle for any rafters that were not participating in the prom.

I lost count after about 10 other floaters asking me, what the heck we were up to?  Are you guys in high school, college?  “No,” I answered, “About ten years out actually.  Hahah!”  Just a bunch of silly local kids, with a great desire to dress up and float the Truckee.

Our group actually had a “big” raft since one of our friends works for the rafting company.  This was good news and not.  For one, we probably had less injuries than if we’d had our own personal rafts, although my ribs may disagree.  For two, we probably lost fewer personal items since we had a big raft.  The bad news, we just weren’t as much a part of the actions since we couldn’t very well drift to the middle of the group.

Truckee River Prom 2009 - Our Group

All and all, River Prom 2009 was awesome.  As my friend Jeff would say and repeat: “I don’t care what any one says, I love River Prom.  River Prom is the best!”

A Wanderlustrous Weekend

Common set the tone at Wanderlust

Big news came Friday night when I logged onto my Facebook account.  It turns out that Michael Franti, the headliner of the Wanderlust Festival, had appendicitis and had to cancel his performance at the festival.  The good news was that the replacement was hip hop phenomenon Common.  I was super excited as I much prefer the sounds and beats of Common over Franti.  Best wishes of good health returning to Franti!

So due to the headliner change, we decided to have a plan overhaul and just head up to Squaw by 6 p.m. in order to see Common, followed by the Mutaytor, followed by Girl Talk and then the late night DJs.  We were in it for the long haul expecting to be out until past 2 a.m., so we did not want to burn out early from baking in the hot sun.

We arrived to Squaw in the early evening of Saturday where we enjoyed VIP parking in the usual Locker Room/VIP garage used by rich patrons in the winter months.  Nice to have some shade and  a quick walk to the venue.  We took the Funitel a.k.a. the Funi up to Gold Coast for Common’s performance.  When we arrived to the top of the mountain, I sincerely felt surreal, being in a place that I’m usually accustomed to filled with feet of snow.  The stage was set up with an intense view of the Palisades in the background.

Sunset from the Funi

While we waited for Common to set up and sound check, we found the Converse dome.  This place was a creativity surplus, and I dug it hard.  There were a variety of things to do in the dome including picking three designs to screen-print anywhere you wanted on a T-shirt; getting your “rock star” picture taken equip with boas, fancy sunglasses and an array of hats and musical instrument options; naming a topic to have a poem written about, and painting the actual dome itself as well as the furniture within the dome.

We then went back to the stage area where Common broke it down for us, and we danced and waved our hands in the air in return.  Although the performance was quick, lasting only about an hour, it enthused the crowd and started off our Wanderlust experience on the right beat.  We checked out the VIP lounge and section which were cool featuring free snacks and water and Honest Tea.  Then, we took the Funi back down in search of the Globetrotter stage.

We spent some time walking around the Village in search of our VIP gift pack, only to be lead on a two-day long goose chase… more on that to come.  As we toured the Vill, we spotted members of the Mutaytor, a Burning Man sensation act featuring dozens of musicians and performers.  I, personally, like to call individual members of the group – Mutaytors.  We found some Mutaytors on stilts, Mutaytors twirling fire, Mutaytors twirling fire while on stilts, and then we found the crazy white faced, brightly colored outfit and hair dancing troupe of drag queens and outgoing ladies.  After taking some photography of the acts, we entered the Globetrotter stage which was set up to the left of the Funi and the Vill.

The Mutaytor impressed, stunned and amazed while I decided to try my own hands at performing and picked up a pair of glowing nun-chucks.  The fun lasted for a few minutes until a nun-chuck whacked me in the forehead.  Ouch.  We then saw some old friends, met some new friends and found the VIP section just in time for Girl Talk, a mash-up DJ who plays extremely danceable songs and is an expert of getting the crowd stirred up and literally jumping in the air.

Then there were girls, dozens of girls from the audience going onto the stage, and I knew that I must go onto the stage as well.  I started for it, but lost Cheyenne quickly.  A random girl grabbed me, and said, “We’re going on stage – Let’s go!”, and soon enough, there we were on stage for all to see.  My soul filled with adrenaline, and then I knew I had to find Cheyenne, who I spotted from my stage view.  Unfortunately, my nemesis was working the backstage area and refused to let her join me on stage, so I stayed for a few more songs, then returned to the audience.  We still had an ample viewing spot from the front row.

Girl Talk rocked our socks off for about 2 hours, and then we moved onto our next stop.  The VIP DJ room.  This DJ was not my favorite; extremely mellow.  But I did meet a new friend, the vocalist/guitarist of Big Light – Fred a.k.a. Freddie.  We decided to leave DJ Mella for the Giant Twister game outside.  This game was a hoot.  People were doing some crazy yoga poses while twisting on the Twister, and it was honestly almost too much for me to handle.

So onward to the other late night DJ – Lazer Sword.   All and all, the Saturday night portion of Wanderlust was incredibly amazing and debaucherous, and I loved it.  I may not have had the true experience of the fest, since I did not yoga it up.  But the music was hot, and I had a blast.

Music in the Mountains - this is how it always should be!

Although Sunday’s musical experience was more mellow, and I sought for shade from the hot rays of the sun beating down on you at 8,200 feet, it was still a good time.  We checked out Broken Social Scene and Spoon.  Both performances were awesome and a perfect vibe in the mountain air.

After our two day goose chase for out goodie bag, we found it from Mike in the VIP bar in Goldcoast.  The bag was awesome featuring a Wanderlust imprinted Klean Kanteen bottle, yoga videos, Luna bars and more!  It was well worth the hunt!

I do not think the Wanderlust Festival had the attendance expected, and I read in the NY Times that the festy did not break even, but the light attendance and the overall spiritual energy held by the attendees made the festival even more spectacular in its inaugural year.  I sincerely hope that the Wanderlust will return again!

EXPERIENCE THE WANDERLUST

Tuesday, I received an email from Tahoe TV and Tahoetopia.com urging me to go to their website to enter a contest to win two VIP tickets to the upcoming Wanderlust Festival this weekend.  I did so, and low and behold, I won!  I received an email yesterday a.m. from Eric of Tahoe TV congratulating me on my luck!  So, this weekend my roomie and I will be living the high life in style at Squaw.  More details to come…

My Green Scene column in the Summer 2009 edition of the Advocate – North Lake Tahoe Chamber’s newsletter.

On July 24-26, an innovative and unique festival will be held at Squaw Valley USA.  The Wanderlust Festival will combine music with yoga, local food and environmentalism in the beautiful mountain setting of Squaw Valley USA.

The festival will showcase musicians who are forward-thinking and culturally relevant.  The headliner will be Michael Franti and Spearhead, musical talents who embody a rare spirituality and an ability to inspire and motivate audiences whenever they take the stage.  Other gifted artists set to perform at the Wanderlust Festival include Spoon, Andrew Bird and Jenny Lewis.

This soiree of energizing musical talent will be paired with the sacred art of yoga.  There is a new generation of highly respected teachers who have developed modernized schools of yoga that have changed the way the activity is practiced.  Wanderlust will bring some of these exceptional teachers like John Friend, Shiva Rea and Duncan Wong to Squaw Valley.

From an environmental perspective, Wanderlust will focus on local sourcing, organics, reusability, carbon offsetting and sustainability.  The festival will strive to be as close to “zero impact” as possible for a large scale festival.  Wanderlust will train a group of over fifty volunteers to become part of an on-site “Green Team”.  Members of the Team will be stationed at waste reclamation stations to explain the proper separation and disposal of compostable materials, recyclables and waste.  There will also be an informational booth detailing all of the festival’s many environmental commitments.

The festival has also committed to offering a sustainable food and beverage program and will source foods from local vendors and farmers.  The products (utensils, cups, plates, etc.) will all be made of sustainable materials.  Wanderlust also plans to offer B20 biodiesel refueling on-site for all artist tour busses.

The goal of Wanderlust is to offset all emissions generated at the event.  To support this, the ticketholders will have the option of donating $5 to carbon offsets when purchasing tickets.

Tickets for the three-day extravaganza went on sale on May 12^th.  A variety of ticket packages are available, including VIP passes.  To buy tickets and learn more about this creative festival experience, log onto www.wanderlustfestival.com.

Side Quote:

While there are many thoughts and serious underpinnings to Wanderlust, the main point is to have fun. The word, Wanderlust, mean an innate desire to travel. This means both physical and spiritual exploration. We’ve put incredible music, the world’s best yoga teachers, the best late night parties all on top of a mountain. Explore and have fun.

— Jeff, Schuyler & Sean, Wanderlust Festival Creators

Out There… On the Trail.

Truckin’

Out there, on the trail, we cook up hot dogs on the engine block.  It’s hot, but not too hot.  Taste good with ketchup.

We leave at night, as it is too hot in the daytime to crawl in trucks without air condition.  Nighttime crawlin is fun and edgy, especially with H’s new lights under the body.  The purplish glow illuminating the river as we cross over.  Luckily, the water only reaches the tires.  We stop often to spot Ryan, check out the poses of the truck and most often to talk about trucks.

Now I pose the question: How harsh is rock crawlin’ a.k.a truckin’ on the environment?  I mean obviously the gas and other poisonous liquids that burn from the engine and spill out of the truck as various parts crack against the rocks are not good for runoff and streams and rivers, nor the fumes for the air.  But how much worse for the environment is rock crawlin’ over say tourists driving repeatedly and constantly around Lake Tahoe and ski lifts running all winter all over the mountains?

At least these rock crawlers are respectful of the enviornment, always careful to leave no trace, and from experience out there, it is clean despite an occasional bottle cap here and there – much cleaner than going on a treasure hunt under the ski lifts come spring.  And trucking does give these adventures a way to see and experience nature that just would not happen without some sort of recreation vehicle.

So I’d like to hear your take on the rock crawling vs. the environment.

Crawlin’

Stopped

she paints a picture of tides rolling with moon cycles

and the poppies and dots of lines and shadows fill

the spaces beyond.

the wildflowers grow but only here in whites and purples

stopped like weeds from the garden.

he is stopped.  envisioning the truth will set you free, oh lord.

sometimes stopping and seeing is okay,

when the dust clears.

she bursts in sobs and kicks of rage against bare walls.

anger can penetrate so deep with that edge,

but then water pours over and deep breaths resume.

the redness and puffy eyes fade back to clearness-

thinking sunshine must help mend hearts.

and life keeps moving and making as usual,

always more mountains to climb and decent.