Welcome to Squaw Valley

Today was opening day at Squaw Valley. This year is kind of a big deal because it is the 60th anniversary of the mountain, and the 50th anniversary of the winter Olympics. Jonny Mosely threw a party on the KT Sundeck and JT Holmes base jumped off the cable car. It was also Heather's first day at work. She looked quite good in her Squaw Valley USA uniform.

Tahoe in High Dynamic Range...

Quick Mammy Trip

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. On Thursday, Heather and I skipped town to go meet up with some friends in Mammoth. The snow was epic and we were fortunate to get blue skies both days. On Saturday, we attended the Mammoth Mountain Video Premier for "Hot Laps" in the Village. All in all it was a great trip and one we will likely make again soon.

Today, Joe and I put on our flannels and chopped wood like lumberjacks. Talk about hard work!!! We broke two sledge hammers and two axes during the assault. Our backs hurt, our hands are raw, but our house is going to be warm for the winter. Welcome to the mountains...

350 Pioneer Way

Welcome to 350 Pioneer Way. This 2 bedroom, 2 bath home is located in beautiful Tahoe City and features a large sun deck, wood burning stove, storage shed , stomp-room, 500 sq. ft loft with 3 beds for guests, washer/dryer, and a really cool dog named Boone that eats spinach. Call for pricing. Just kidding, everyone is welcome to come visit. Hope to see you soon!

Donner Summit

This afternoon we checked out Donner Summit. It has some of the best climbing in the area and we decided to go explore. The crag is located about 25 minutes from our house and overlooks Donner Lake. The scenery is exquisite, the rock is phenomenal, and the climbing is HARD! Here are a couple shots of Heather's first Trad Climb.

Our town, our street...

After a late night in South Lake, I was surprised how Matt's eyes shot open around 7 am this morning. After peeking through the blinds and discovering it was another beautiful day, we decided to walk in to town for a cup of coffee. At the moment, Tahoe City is a quiet, sleepy, little town but soon to be bustling with thousands of snow-seeking tourists. Matt and I are very excited to call ourselves "locals"; can you say that after one week of living somewhere? Either way, it's nice to answer the question, "So are you visiting from out of town?" with a confident, "Actually, we just moved here." :)

A preview of what's coming...

Heather and I just wanted to give a quick shout out to everyone who has subscribed to our blog this week. Here is a preview of what's coming next...

1. Introduction to Tahoe City
2. Tour of our house at 350 Pioneer Way
3. Welcome to Squaw Valley
4. HDR in Lake Tahoe
5. The wood choppers

Thanks again and we'll post again soon!

Heather and Matt

Early morning bike ride.

While cleaning out the shed earlier this week, I stumbled upon an old mountain bike that had been abandoned by previous renters. After a quick tire change and a few minor repairs, I was ready for a photo mission. It was a cool morning, so I grabbed some warm clothing and set out through town to hook up with the bike path that runs along Highway 89 out to Truckee. I was moving fast to keep the blood flowing so I only stopped for a few pictures, and unfortunately I missed the best photo opportunity of a coyote crossing the river. I couldn't get my camera out of my bag fast enough so he got away undocumented. I'm pretty sure he won't be the last one I see. Next time I'll make sure to bring my telephoto lens too. I made it out to Alpine Meadows and back which ended up being an 8 mile ride round trip. It was a good morning. Now Heather and I are off to Reno to run some errands...

A hike in our new backyard...

Today Heather, Nicole and I went for a hike on the 5 lakes trail near Alpine Meadows. It was a stunning introduction to Tahoe area hiking; and best of all, it was about 5 minutes from our house. We started our ascent through steep switch backs passing Jeffery pines and scrub brush along the way. After about a mile of hiking, we emerged from the thick forrest along a steep ridge where beautiful granite formations penetrated from the hillside. As we approached the lake, the forrest thickened again and the bright green moss covered all the surrounding pine trees. While Boone took a dip in the lake to wash off the dust, we enjoyed the scenery and watched as the sun set beneath the trees. This was just another beautiful day in our new backyard....

An evening on the lake

Downtown Truckee

We walked past a trumpet player sitting on a bench and I stopped for a photo. His lively jazz music complemented this warm sunny Truckee afternoon.

Full Belly Deli

Today I took Matt to Full Belly Deli in the town of Truckee. Nicole introduced me to this wonderful establishment about a month ago when we came to check out the area. If you know me at all, you know I LOVE a good sandwich. The best part about this place is that they make their own bread. Yum. I ordered the veggie sub on a blue cheese loaf. These are the best sandwiches ever!!!

Mountain Bike Break

We took a break from unpacking and went for a mountain bike ride today. Here are a couple photos I took of our roommates, Joe and Boone ripping through the woods. Just in case you are confused, Joe is the one on the bike.