Tag Archives: travel

Let’s Go Skiing

informational, personal, photograph, recreation, travel, , , , , ,


<br /> Lake Tahoe Snow<br />

Snow in the Sierras


Lots of winter snow is a boon for those who love to ski.

The Lake Tahoe area is noted for its many ski slopes. This past March our plan was to visit relatives in Reno, Nevada and then drive to one of the nearby ski resorts. We made plane reservations, packed and were on our way.



We traveled by plane from our home in Grand Rapids to Reno which is the closest airport to Lake Tahoe.



We arrived in Reno to some very nasty weather on Friday. Snow in the Sierras was predicted to be six feet deep.

As predicted the snow fell heavily over the Lake Tahoe area. Some places reported eight feet of the white fluffy stuff. Yes, as skiers we welcomed the snow – but not this much. All of the ski resorts were closed to the public as the workers there were doing their best to dig the lifts and gondolas out of the deluge and groom the slopes and trails.

The interstate highway from Nevada to California was closed for safety reasons and the traffic was stopped at the state line for three days.

On Monday my son who lives in the area said that we might try to reach one of the ski resorts by an alternate route. To our surprise these roads were relatively clear of the snow. Instead of a drive of 45 minutes by the interstate we drove for two hours to reach Truckee, CA by this “backdoor” road.

Truckee is home to the Northstar Ski Resort and sits close to the north shore of Lake Tahoe. Since the main road to Truckee was closed in both directions – Nevada from the east and California from the west, the parking lot was not very full.



On the back road we were treated to some very nice scenery.



The alternate road was relatively clear of snow and tarffic.


 



Here’s our skiing crew ready to hit the slopes at Northstar.



The four of them are ascending on the quad chair.


 



Later on we took the gondola to one of the higher slopes where we enjoyed the view from the top.



The skiing was great with lots of fresh powder and uncrowded slopes.





We finished skiing by late afternoon. We took the interstate that was closed for three days had just reopened. Half way back to Reno we could see that the vehicles stopped at the Nevada-California border since Friday were starting to move on the other side of the highway. As you can see there were an amazing number of vehicles crawling along Interstate 80 to reach California.


We’ll remember the time we asked for snow and received way more than we needed.

 

Our March ski trip turned out well despite the exorbitant amount of snow that the Sierras received. We also got to visit with our son and his family for a few days.

Written by:

Arnie Lee

 

 


Recycle Bins and Trash Cans

humor, informational, personal, photograph, travel, , , , , ,

Keeping Our Streets Clean

Yes, my photo collections are sometimes “strange”.

This collection began with the many travels that I’ve taken over the years.

As you’ll see there is a lot of variety in the size, shape and color of the receptacles that we use to dispense with all of our litter.

Las Vegas Architecture

informational, personal, photograph, presentation, travel, , , , , , , , ,


<br /> Some Amazing Buildings<br />

Night and Day in the City


Over the years the Strip in Las Vegas has expanded tremendously in all directions. The strip has grown longer expanding both northward and southward. It has become fatter – spilling out on both sides of Las Vegas Blvd. And the glitzy casinos and picturesque buildings now stretch upward, leaping skyward.

To walk the Strip is to be amazed by this part of the city’s architecture. Below is a look at some of these sites during the day and after the sun goes down.



One of the colorful castle towers at the Excalibur casino



A replica of the Statue in front of the New York New York Casino



This is 52 story tower of the Cosmopolitan Resort Casino.



Next door is the luxury Waldorf Astoria hotel with its 47 stories.



Looking like the skyline of Manhattan is the New York New York Casino.



At the south end of the strip is the Mandalay Bay Casino.



The pyramid shaped Luxor Casino has been turned into a huge advertising poster.



These headlights show some of the speedy traffic along the iconic Las Vegas Blvd.



The Tropicana is scheduled to be imploded in April 2024 to make room for a new baseball stadium.



The twin towers of the colorful Excalibur sits boldly on the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana Ave



This is the luxury Aria Resort/Casino located in City Center.

 

Here is one of the trams that run along the Strip. This one transports visitors from the Park MGM Casino to Bellagio Casino. Another runs from the Mandalay Bay Casino to the Excalibur Casino and a third from the MGM Grand to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

 

I’ve photographed only a few of the casinos here. But Las Vegas is home to countless other amazing buildings. Even if you’re not a gambler the size and scale of the architecture is worth a visit to the city.

Written by:

Arnie Lee