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Grant Barta | Sugar Bowl
the outdoors | recreation | events | mountain life
WEST SHORE
Beach Hopping by Bike S TO RY A N D P H OTO S BY K AY L A A N D E R S O N
announces 2020-21 plans
I
s the West Shore the best shore? It’s been a busy summer with lots of people around, but I was dying to get some exercise that ended with a dip in the lake. There are 23 miles of paved bike path from Dollar Hill in Tahoe City to Meeks Bay in Tahoma. I loaded my bike cruiser into my car and headed to the West Shore’s Highway 89 where the water meets the miniature pedestrian and cyclist-friendly roadway.
Sugar Bowl announced that it’s taking measures for the 2020-21 winter ski season to ensure the safety of its guests including the installation of radio-frequency (RFID) access gates at all of its primary chairlifts. The scanning gates, in combination with new self-service pick-up stations and contactless payment options, will allow for a touchless outdoor experience, according to the resort.
It was a beautiful sunny
Sugar Bowl has also announced The 100-Day Guarantee and Daily Resort Access Assurance to provide coverage for a weather or COVID-based closure.
day and the bike path was fairly empty; it was just me, the pine trees, flowing creeks and incredible views of the lake around gentle bends and moderate
TOP: Meeks Bay Resort.
inclines and declines.
BE;OW: Sugar Pine Point State Park.
At 1 p.m. on a weekday afternoon, I parked in Homewood armed with a towel, swimsuit, a bottle of water and suntan lotion to begin my 4.4-mile ride down to Meeks Bay Resort and back — around 9 miles total. It was a beautiful sunny day and the bike path was fairly empty; it was just me, the pine trees, flowing creeks and incredible views of the lake around gentle bends and moderate inclines and declines. Twenty minutes later, I ended up in Tahoma, a quiet town with a population of around 1,200. The biggest amenities include Tahoma Meadows Cottages and a small shopping center with a post office, West Shore Pizza and a tiny café/gelato shop called Where We Met that serves the best housemade gelato and Nutella lattes on this side of the lake. Its two takeout windows had a steady stream of people getting scoops of banana, lime, lemon, coffee and sweet cream-flavored, cold treats. Having worked up a little bit of a sweat, I briefly relaxed outside with a $6 sweet cream and coffee combination and enjoyed the sunshine. After scarfing down my gelato, I hopped back on my bike and kept heading south. I went up through a quiet neighborhood off McKinney Street where the bike path breaks and then dropped back down toward the lake. I was anxious to check out the newer portion of the West Shore Bike Trail to Meeks Bay. I passed Sugar Pine Point State Park and continued to the end of the trail. Taking in the natural landscape and strikingly blue scene that’s viewable from 8
Sugar Bowl
LEFT: Enjoying gelato at Where We Met in Tahoma.
most parts of the West Shore Bike Trail, I went through a paved hairpin turn that reminded me of a miniature version of the road that goes around Emerald Bay. I continued south. I heard laughing, splashing and echoes of general merriment. A few hundred yards later, I arrived at the place responsible for all the commotion. At the end of the trail was Meeks Bay general store, which sells canned beer, wine, beach toys, swimsuits and random camping supplies, to the left was Wa-SheShu Grille and a half moon of sandy beach supporting emerald blue waters. People had their umbrellas set up, were playing music or out in the water on floaties and standup paddleboards. Hotel rooms and private stand-alone cabins face the lake — the seven-bedroom Kehlet Mansion comes with a private beach and is rented out for around $1,000 a night. I jumped in the water for a quick cooloff and ended up briefly swimming with a family of mergansers. Finally, I got back on my bike and headed back up the West Shore. Around 2:30 p.m., I veered off the bike path to check out Sugar Pine Point State
Park. It’s free to get in with a bicycle, but there were plenty of parking spots available. The thing that always impresses me about Sugar Pine Point State Park isn’t the sugar pines, it’s the expansive lawn around Hellman-Ehrman Mansion, exuding that fresh cut-grass scent that matched with the tall trees and alpine lake smell — it should be turned into a Yankee candle scent. Sugar Pine Point State Park has paved bike paths throughout the property with plenty of places to park your bike and explore the beach. The park has a public pier, a campground and a beach for day visitors.
“If county, state or federal jurisdictions implement health-related guidelines that cause Sugar Bowl to limit daily visitation at the resort for passholders, and you decide this doesn’t work for you, we will honor a refund upon request,” the resort announced in a e-blast. As well, the resort stated in the blast that it will provide lift-served access for at least 100 days during the upcoming season. Other changes will include outdoor-dining only and limited indoor access for warming, along with facemask and social-distancing requirements. | sugarbowl.com
TGR showing at the drive-in
Teton Gravity Research has released the trailer for its latest film, “Make Believe,” which will be shown Sept. 23 at the West Wind El Rancho Drive-in in Reno, Nev., at 7:30 p.m. “For 25 years, TGR has focused on turning Make Believe into reality, from exploring powder stashes in our backyard playground to first descents on unnamed peaks, the ethos of live the dream’ has defined our adventures,” according to TGR.
I lazily basked in the sun on the water’s edge for a while before begrudgingly forcing myself back to my bike. I arrived back in Homewood at 4 p.m., thinking about how next time I could park at 64-Acres Park in Tahoe City and extend my route to visit a few more beaches on the West Shore. It’s just about making the time to do it and then enjoying the ride.
“ ‘Make Believe’ celebrates today’s athletes who have committed to this ethos, the ones who have fallen deeply in love with the mountain life, the people who have chosen to live their lives in a particular way, from inception to reality, the ones who choose to make and believe in their dreams.” The screening will also feature the world premiere of the new snowboard film “Blank Canvas” at 9 p.m. Tickets are $30 per vehicle for two people; $10 for each additional person. Tickets available online. | tetongravity.com
