4th of July Weekend

It is almost here! Fortunately the weather looks gorgeous and there are plenty of things to do in the Tahoe basin for the 4th of July weekend. There will be parades, music, art, wine and beer events, and of course all of the outdoor activities that you could ever want. The golf, mountain biking, boating, rafting, sea kayaking and hiking are waiting for you!


I found this article that has some good links to events and also talks about the fireworks showings for different towns.


http://www.examiner.com/x-4497-SF-Lake-Tahoe-Travel-Examiner~y2009m6d16-Fourth-of-July-at-Lake-Tahoe

Also take a look at www.tahoe.com for a calendar of events.

The Donner Lake fireworks in Truckee will also be on the 4th.

Also, if you will be here on a Thursday, definitely check out the "Truckee Thursday" downtown street festival. I went last week and it was a blast. They close down the main street of Truckee and have a farmers market, arts and crafts tents, live music, a beer garden, and fun activities for kids including a bouncy house. Canine kids are welcome on leash. The local businesses are all open and some have promotions. Truckee Thursdays run every Thursday of the summer through August 19th. Hours are from 5-9 PM

Bears....

I was at the Lake Forest boat ramp the other evening and saw the largest most beautiful bear that I have ever seen in this area. He/she was truly magnificent. My husband and I watched the bear rumble across the parking lot and climb up a rock embankment to a lake front condo complex where an astute human waited with a bull horn to scare the bear away.

And I thought to myself, "we really have to be responsible with our trash and behavior to help these creatures stay out of trouble"...because as we have all heard time and time again, once the bear starts eating trash he/she will not be able to coexist with our human population.

So, I thought I would write about it prior to the big 4th of July holiday and hope that locals and visitors alike will be mindful about the impact they have on our bear friends. The more that we can do to keep them out of our trash, the more of a chance they have of surviving.

See this link below for some tips about how to "bear proof" your property:
http://www.tahoewildbears.org/bear-proof_your_propery.htm

There are also some other links on this page that are very informative. These recommendations are easy to do.

Next up....where to watch fireworks this weekend.

Western Mountain Resort Real Estate Website

I went to a conference the other day that involved the Western Mountain Resort Alliance. There were representatives present from Sun Valley, Vail, Steamboat Springs, Breckenridge, Park City, and N. Tahoe. I felt at home at this conference as I have been involved in real estate in most of the resort communities mentioned and could relate to the reports from these areas.

Anyway, I have on several occasions had clients ask me how other resort markets are doing and what they can get for "x" price in Tahoe, Vail, and Park City (for instance).

This website is very cool www.rmra.com You can do a side by side search of different mountain communities and use the same criteria. So if I wanted to see what I could get for $800K in different areas, this website gives me a tool to search the MLS for several resort areas and compare values.

The site also has informative features to help if you are visiting a certain area, it gives weather and snow conditions, etc...

I am going to add this site as a link on my blog page and encourage you to check it out. This is a valuable and fun tool that I never knew about! Enjoy!!

Golf at Martis Camp

I played 9 holes at Martis Camp the other day and I have to say that I think it is the prettiest golf course that I have played in Tahoe. I cant wait to play the back 9...I think Thursday is the day. The course is in great condition. The elevation changes and views are phenomenal. The sand traps are very frightening, I recommend avoiding them at all costs, because there is a good chance you won't get out once stuck...

Really, I am not a good golfer. But I can appreciate a beautiful course that provides an amazing golf experience.