The Urban Market project, in planning for a piece of underutilized land in in the downtown Reno redevelopment district, is progressing well with the commitment of a dozen retail and restaurant tenants, according to a story in the Reno Gazette-Journal.

The market has been designed using an open plaza concept, where tenants will face a central pedestrian space that will be available for use for farmers markets, festivals and other events. It is located on West Street between First and Second streets, and is slated to open in October.

The fifth-annual Reno River Festival was the best one yet, with record attendance estimated at nearly 40,000. Spectators spent the weekend at Reno’s Truckee River Whitewater Park, watching amateur and professional kayakers compete for prize money and bragging rights. Music, food, vendors and some new land-based events, combined with great weather to make this year’s festival a great kickoff to summer in Reno-Tahoe.

After enjoying a month of summer time down south in Argentina– tele girl is back! It’s so exciting to see (and experience) the powder and new snow in Reno Tahoe! Yeah!!!

Since we got back, we’ve been out a couple of times and it’s been awesome! First we went to Thomas Creek with our 18 month old girl and had a blast.

But last Sat got even better. My friend asked if we wanted to go out on a date she would watch Cielo, so I said “how about Sat morning so we can go skiing?!” and she agreed. So we went up to the Tahoe Meadows and hiked up and teled down while snowing the entire time. It was like heaven! Even though I am pretty pregnant (due in 4 weeks) I love to get out and earn some curves!

Some Tahoe Holiday trip reports coming in send us yours.

• Yubanet.com: All North Lake Tahoe ski resorts are open, including Northstar-at-Tahoe, Boreal Mountain Resort, Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe, Squaw Valley USA, Alpine Meadows, Sugar Bowl, Diamond Peak and Homewood Mountain Resort.
• Ski News Lake Tahoe: Shane McConkey, Ingrid Backstrom and Andrew McLean were on Good Morning America yesterday talking about Steep. Here’s the clip
• A Tinker’s Cart: Just came back from a quick ski trip to Lake Tahoe. Well, we got back a few hours ago. Let’s just say, the spectacular snow Thursday afternoon and today made up for the nightmarish drive up Wednesday evening.
• Splitboard.com: Some pics and words about a trip to Castle Peak CA near Truckee and Donner Summit, just 30 min from Dwontown Reno.

In this episode you’ll go with me to the Friends of McKinley Art Sale, watch me get my Irish on at A Celtic Summer’s Eve, see an interview with one of history’s most powerful women (played by a 12 year-old) at the Young Chautauqua performance, and we’ll finish off the night with some caffeine at Java Jungle.  

Artown will really knock your socks off, and some of the best events are still to come! So watch ERIN 411! Destination: Artown, go down and soak up the art (it will make you feel cultured and feed your soul, I promise!), and as always, feel free to leave me a comment (still available for bar mitzvahs)! 

For more info, go to www.renoisartown.com

Got an idea where I should go next? Contact me at: watch_erin411@yahoo.com. 

Production by Timothy Gaer, Archon Films www.ArchonFilms.com  

Late June, my friend Katie called me and asked me if I wanted to do an ATV tour in the Plumas Forest, half-hour north of Reno.  A friend of hers, Gairik, had been there and loved it, and had asked to see if Katie and Ken could wrangle some models and a movie crew up there to film, and then blog about it if we liked the experience.  Unconventional, but it seemed like a really cool idea, so I said yes right away.  But I had no idea how fabulous this trip would turn out to be.

On July 1, Sunday, I grabbed a couple of friends (Krystal and Zarah, both models I work with) and when we got out there at about 9:30 in the morning, I got the chance of a lifetime to view some of the most beautiful sites in the High Sierras.  We had the most awesome time.  I had never ridden an ATV before and was a little nervous but Jay, our tour guide, took us through the basics of the Arctic Cat ATVs and made us feel so at ease with everything.  Then we hit the road.  O my God it was amazing, NOT kidding!  We saw the most beautiful scenery, flowers and even some deer (unfortunately we didn’t get them on camera) but it was great.  On top of Crystal Peak, I felt on top of the world and the view was so peaceful and beautiful.  And all this paradise just 30 miles out of Reno!  We had some good laughs too — with Nino’s spectacular acrobatics hanging out of the back of his ATV trying to film us, Katie crawling through a ditch to hold out the boom mic, and Gairik (chicken!!!) wrapping himself in everything he could find (including my blue shirt) to keep the dust from blowing into his face.

Jay and Lisa of High Sierra ATV Tours treated us so well. Made sure we had plenty of sunscreen (which we definitely needed) and water, and bandanas, and so much more. After the video shoot they even fed the whole crew and made us feel really special. If they treat all their customers this well — I have no shame plugging their wilderness/adventure tours, and sending all my friends to them.

I have lived in Carson City for a few years now and had no idea there were things so cool to do within an hour’s drive. I really hope they decide to start snow-mobiling tours this winter, as they are planning to do. I will go back for sure. If you are ever in the mood to see the beautiful sites of the High Sierras with the excitement and fun of an ATV, I definitely recommend these guys. 

I hope you enjoy our little videos because we had a lot of fun making them.  I really appreciate the Reads (HighSierra ATV Tours), Katie, Ken & Nino (BarFlyProductions) and Gairik (Reno-Tahoe, America’s Adventure Place — now is that a cool gig or what???) for giving me the opportunity to be a part of such an amazing adventure. You guys ROCK! 

Monica Jayne Booth
http://www.MySpace.com/JayneHazard

Please don’t forget to see me and Krystal in spring 2008 starring in Bar Fly Productions and Sinnergy Entertainment’s production of “Pyramid Highway”.

        A few Saturdays back (the first time), I got a chance to spend some time exploring what has got to be one of the best outdoor adventures available in Reno-Tahoe, America’s Adventure Place! I signed on for an ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle, a.k.a. Off-Road/Off-Highway Vehicle) tour, of a part of the Plumas National Forest, off the romantically named Last Chance Creek near Frenchman’s Lake. The 30-mile drive from Reno was an easy 35 minutes – north on US 395 past Stead, up to Hallelujah Junction, and then West on Hwy 70 to the tiny hamlet of Chilcoot (just before Vinton), which boasts a miniscule but massively cute Frosty Freeze burger-shop (straight out of an Andy Griffith episode).  I called Lisa and Jay, the owners/operators of "High Sierra ATV Tours" from there, and they gave me directions to their location. I was running a little early (I guess you could say I was a little excited) – otherwise they would have come over and picked me up. The drive to their place took about 6 minutes. Another group was already there, and we did the basic paperwork and put on our gear (a helmet, long pants [not shorts], closed-toe shoes and lots of sunscreen), plus about 5 minutes of instructions on how to drive our fully-automatic Arctic Cat ATVs – and then it was off into the Sierras on our Arctic Cats.  The equipment was all new, surprisingly clean, and astonishingly comfortable.  I chose to ride with Jay, the owner, so I could take a bunch of photos, and boy – was that a great idea or what!  Within ten minutes of leaving the starting point, we were high enough into the mountains that even in mid-June, it was fairly cool, and I was glad I had brought a jacket.

        We were climbing some pretty steep grades and the Arctic Cats negotiated the climb with real ease. The ground clearance was almost as good as the Hummer I’d driven out in from Reno, and the 650 CC engines delivered enough power that even the 35-40° grades and boulder-stacked trails did not slow us down.The landscape transformed rapidly from the dry and sun-drenched nether elevations to cool greens as our adventure threw us deeper and deeper into the hands of the hills. The vegetation quickly moved to tall Ponderosa pines, Cedars, and then lots of other more Alpine trees. The forest was so beautiful. And we did not encounter a single other soul. No, I take that back, we ran into two people on the way back, but that was everyone the entire ride. It is pretty much an undiscovered country – silent in its majesty, and breath-takingly beautiful.  We stopped on numerous occasions, to take pictures, splash about a little in the different (very cold) little creeks we crossed.  There was one little picnic spot that I absolutely fell in love with – it was a tiny little spring-and snow-fed lake called Snow Lake, that does not appear in the maps.  I could have stayed there forever.

        I could see that snow marks were still fresh here, and commented that this would be a perfect location for snow-mobiling in winter (something that Jay and Lisa are gearing up to provide in the coming winter seasons).  I was told that the area gets over 15 feet of snow on the ground many winters.  But it is unspoilt and hard to get to – unless you have a knowledgeable local guide.

        Jay was the Tour Guide, and that was what made this so great. If I had just rented or brought an ATV over and done this by myself, it would have been (a lot of fun still, but) nowhere close to such a wonderful experience. Jay knew just about every little inch of that wilderness (1.2 Million acres), and he knew just which way to go all of the time, even when there was no trail to follow.

        We got to see some great flora all along the way. I was particularly fascinated with the almost maroon-red ‘Snow Flowers’ that Jay pointed out. These grow for just a few weeks in the year, just as the snows leave the mountains, and are quite striking.  But while it’s so pretty now in summer, Jay pointed out that best time to visit these forests is the Fall, as the leaves turn from green to crimson to gold, in all their autumnal glory.

        Our trip was a pretty long one – we climbed to the top of Crystal Peak, got a glimpse of the spectacular, volcanic Lassen Peak in the distance and rode out to the overlook where we gazed at a stunning bird’s eye view of Frenchman’s Lake. I was surprised that even with such a long trip, I was not really physically exhausted. You DON’T have to be very athletic, young, or even particularly fit – to enjoy an adventure like this. The Arctic Cat ATVs, being fully automatic, are very easy to maneuver, easier than driving any automatic-shift car.  I wonder if I can get my dad to do this with me, if we could come here together. I mean, he has lived in big cities all his life, as I have, but I know he’d love it as much as I did this time. 

        One thing I was a little disappointed about was that we did not see much fauna – Jay tells me that there’s quite a bit of deer in those woods, but they generally don’t come out until twilight or early in the mornings. There are also some bears around (and Jay had shot one a couple of years ago), but they really shun human presence, so it is very hard to get to see one up close, though we did see some quite fresh bear-tracks along the way. 

        It was almost evening before we got back to the homestead, which incidentally is also Jay and Lisa’s home.They were very generous and allowed us to use the bathrooms at their home to wash and clean up, and since the Frosty Freeze (the only game in town for food) was certain to have closed for the evening – they even invited to me to join their family (plus a few guests they had that evening) for a weekend barbeque.  (Mind you, they probably do not do this for their customers in the normal course, but I must have looked more hungry than most, LOL.) 

        Jay showed off his skills (and that old boy’s got skillz in this dept) with some very juicy thick ribeye steaks on his ‘Cowboy Grill’ – a very interesting and useful contraption that doubles as a barbeque pit and a campfire centerpiece (that you can sit around, as you would around a campfire). (I just know I want to buy one of these — I found out that he’d bought his from the Hearth Patio Show at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center earlier in the year.)  The food was great, the company very friendly and cheerful, but the overall experience – stupendous. They invited me to come back again. And I know I will, and very soon. 

        I love the forest, the wilderness of the Wild Sierra around Reno-Tahoe. I love the whole adventure feel of Reno-Tahoe, you know, that story-book feel of the Wild Wild West not being all that far away or long ago.  There are not too many chances to experience that up close and personal – particularly if you are from the city. To me, that is the charm of Reno-Tahoe – the Wild Sierra is still untamed there, and it is just around the corner from a pretty big city (which feels like a much bigger city than it really is) with all the urban comforts, great hotels, superb nightlife, world-class headliners and an overall entertainment scene that puts most US and European metros to shame.

        I am so glad I went on this tour, and I sure as heck am going back!!!!

        And I am going to try and post a few of the photos soon here – as soon as I get a chance to catalog them and pick out the best ones.

P.S.: I went back next weekend with my friends Katie and Ken and their troupe, the cast and crew of a local indy film production company (BarFly Productions), and made a little movie about this place – check it out below.

    Feel free to share the love and leave a comment.

Gairik (HighSierraDogSledder)

For more …
High Sierra ATVTours

Videography by BarFly Productions (www.BarFlyProductions.com)

This weekend we went to a wedding in Tahoe, at a beautiful house in Cave Rock. We actually went to the beach at Zephyr Cove before the wedding and enjoyed the sunshine — and even got in the water,  which wasn’t too cold! Well, since I grew up in Argentina and I’m used to the cold water in the Patagonia lakes, I never find any water too cold!

Unfortunately we forgot the camera, so I’m going to share my pictures from the weekend before last. My hubby hurt his ankle playing tennis so we took a couple of easy — but georgeous — hikes on the Tahoe Rim Trail!

On Saturday we did the Tahoe Meadows Interpretive Trail and on Sunday we also started at the parking lot at the meadows but this time we followed the trail to Spooner Summit and enjoyed amazing views of Lake Tahoe. As we were sitting there, ready for some mate while we our baby was resting and playing with some rocks, I heard someone calling my name. My friend and co-worker Robert was there with his bike. How embarrasing, inteast of adrenaline I was just chilling by the trail!

So here’s a picture that I found on Robert’s post "Riding the Rim Trail":

And here’re the pictures of our hike:

Drinking mate

Enjoying the view

Wow, it’s already Friday and I’m finally writing about Memorial Day weekend! Well, better late than never… we had such a wonderful adventure that I need to tell everyone about it, especially young active parents with babies.

We weren’t sure what we were going to do so we keep it pretty open. That’s important with when you have kids, flexibility is key.

We had reservations for Friday night at Sugar Pine Point State Park so we camped there the first night — to test the weather and see how Cielo liked it. We got there around 5pm and went for a nice hike. After dinner we went to bed (early) so we’d be ready for the next day. We got up early and enjoyed a great camp fire while eating breakfast. Since Cielo slept great and we didn’t get cold at all during the night, we decided we would go backpacking for one night.

We got our permits for Desolation Wilderness and we started at the Bayview Trailhead (Emerald Bay area). Joe carried Cielo and the tent and I carried the rest! The pack was heavy (40+ pounds) — I’ve never carried that much stuff, but I had both of our sleeping bags, food and clothes for the 3 of us, diapers, stove, etc. etc. It was a great workout!

We hiked for 3-4 hours, took a little break by a waterfall/creek and hiked some more. Cielo loved it! She even took a nap while in the backpack.

We endep up near Lower Velma area, since Lake Azure was really hard to get to.  Some areas were covered with snow and others with water, so finding a spot to camp was challenging. But we found a great spot!

On Sunday we decided to stay at Bayview Campground since there was a site open. We put Cielo down for a nap at 5:30pm and she didn’t wake up until the next morning! She was exhausted from her first backpacking experience!

Monday morning we went for a hike with some friends to Cascade Falls and then we took a hike to Eagle Falls and explored Emerald Bay.

What a wonderful weekend! We highly recommend both campgrounds and of course, Desolation Wilderness is like heaven for backpackers who love solitude and breath-taking beauty. It’s a place to enjoy God’s creation to the full!

When you check out Trails.com - this is the description you get of the Jones Creek-Whites Creek Loop Trail:

On this trip, a 10-mile journey leads from low elevation forest up to high, open terrain with grand views of the east flank of the Carson Range, particularly Mt. Rose and Slide Mountain. At various spots along the way, the trail offers good views to the east of Washoe Valley, the Virginia Range, and the south part of the Truckee Meadows as well. The loop visits two tumbling creeks, Jones and Whites, where prolific aspen groves douse the canyons with silvery green in summer and brilliant gold in autumn. A half-mile lateral leads to Church’s Pond, a diminutive pool near the high point of the trip with a grand view of the volcanic gray slopes of Mt. Rose. Despite the proximity to Reno and a beginning in a popular county park, the Jones–Whites Loop is not as heavily used as you might expect.

Although we didn’t make the 10 miles, we enjoyed a few hours on this awesome trail as a family. Our daughter loves to hike — well, she is only 9 months old so she doesn’t really "hike" but she loves to hang out on the backpack!

Taking a break

Enjoying the creek

I hope these pictures are better than a long description. I wish I had the words to describe my adventures like you find on Rich Moreno’s posts. Check out his post Glen Alpine Springs Hike is Worth the Effort. Reno-Tahoe is amazing, there are so many places to explore!

Have a great week!

Tele girl