In terms of real estate, Labor Day is the last big push for the summer selling season. Tourists begin to taper off on their summer visits, as school gets underway and temperatures begin to cool off. Many homeowners also begin to comtemplate renting their house out for winter if it has not sold in the summer months. However, Tahoe and Truckee have been known to boast glorious indian summers well into November with sunny days, less people, and  great fall specials for dining and lodging. Fall is actually my favorite season of the year. The mountain biking is as good as it gets in fall, the dust dies down with a rain shower or two, and the weather typically is still cooperating.  If you are thinking of visiting the Tahoe/Truckee area, fall is one of the best times to visit. There is a ton to do and no crowds to fight over doing them.

Last week, my family and four or so others, (and five dogs) camped at Wrights Lake off of Highway 50 past South Lake Tahoe and on the other side of Desolation. It is the most glorious camping that I can think of. Set at about 8000 feet and situated on a non-motorized lake with giant boulders perched throughrout, Wrights Lake is a camper’s paradise. We had 11 kids, ages 3-12, who all played together swimming, paddling, riding bikes, fishing, and hiking until the sun went down and it was time to start the campfire. One night, a capture-the-flag game went well into dark…even for the small children. It is how camping should be. We did day hikes into Desolation Wilderness, mountain biking on long, smooth granite slabs, stand up paddle boarding on the lake, and relaxing in our comfy and scenic campsites. Only two hours from Truckee around the West Shore of Lake Tahoe toward Placerville on Highway 50, this get away will definately recharge your batteries. It was the perfect “last hurrah” before school started.

Lastly, my husband Jason turned 40. Wow! We must really be grownups, so we are told.

Enjoy the rain and moisture today. 

Start doing the winter preparations for your Truckee Cabin; order firewood, go to the Patagoina Outlet Sale this Labor Day Weekend for your ski clothes this winter, tune up your snowblower at Truckee Rents on West River Street in Truckee, and get out there and enjoy Fall. I am going to hop on my bike and ride some gorgeous wet single track.

There is so much to do, and most of it can be easy on the wallet, in these challenging economic times.

A few weeks back we went camping in Santa Cruz, one night at New Brighton State Beach on a bluff above the ocean facing Northern Monterey Bay. It is also close to all the action in nearby Soquel. While Truckee had temperatures in the high 80s to low 90s toward the end of July, Santa Cruz was a chilly and gorgeous 60 degrees. After sweltering temperatures, it was a welcome change to feel cold and need a sweatshirt.

We then moved on to Sunset Beach State Park for two nights. Located between strawberry fields and the ocean, this campground is well off the beaten path. Watsonville is the biggest strawberry supplier in the world, and it is evident driving through it. Miles and miles of strawberry fields are being harvested with laborers bent over and picking flats and flats of fragrant red berries.

We drove by one organic pick-your-own farm called Crystal Bay Farms on a side road near Sunset State Park.

Crystal Springs Bay Farms in Watsonville, CA.

Our favorite thing that we did while at the coast was to wake up one morning at about 6:30 and headed up Highway 1 to Half Moon Bay to the famous Sea Horse Ranch to ride horses on the beach. There is an early bird special for $45 for a two hour ride if you are waiting at the front gate by 8 am. My son Declan was in heaven! We rode in a group of about 10 through a foggy trail that lead down to a quiet beach. We then rode for about 45 minutes on the beach, with nobody else around. The horses seemed to love this, and it was hard to keep them from galloping in the deep sand. It was magical, especially to see a five-year-old cling to the reigns and let loose on a horse.  It was definitely a high light for our trip.

We rode horses on the beach in Half Moon Bay.

It is always great to get away, especially when you live in a place as beautiful as the Lake Tahoe area, because it makes coming home that much sweeter.

A few days after out camping trip, we packed our bags again, did a few loads of laundry, and hit the road again. This time we went to Downieville, a mountain bike mecca located in the middle of gold country about an hour from Truckee. We had planned a trip to celebrate my husband Jason’s and our friend Lel’s fortieth birthdays.  We had about 30 close friends for the birthday/mountain bike shin dig at Salmon Creek Campground near Bassetts. We had 24 people going down Second Divide, one of the options off of Butcher Ranch for the legendary downhill.

It was dusty, steep, rutted, fast, and awesome! What a great way to  bring in a new decade.

To feel more punishment, the forty-and-up crowd decided, after a night of campfire cheer, to ride in the heat of the day up nearby Mt. Elwell and down to Graeagle. It was only about 90 with no shade, and alot of hike-a-biking. Way to keep it real in your forties, JMack and Lel!

This is the group of 24 going down Second Divide

Here are Ming, J.Mack and Lel blowing out the "40" candles..Ming has 13 more years...

Grown ups that aren't your parents give too much candy. Yum!

Now I am FINALLY blogging, working, catching up, hanging in the office, and packing my bags again soon for Wrights Lake next week for a quick and close camping trip with family and friends’ families before Declan starts kindegarten!

Another pretty valid reason for my absence on this blog is…I have been cheating on my blog! I just got a real estate columnist job with Moonshine Ink, our local independent newspaper. My very first column is out now! Check it out! Happy last dog days of summer…

Built in 1999, this majestic log home sits above the road and affords sweeping views of the backside of Squaw Valley Ski Area. Priced almost 20% below 2005 purchase price of $720,000 and including all furnishings, towels, and sheets….down to the spoons….this is a fantastic opportunity for somebody wanting a beautiful home in a prime ski area at an affordable price. This is not a short sale or a foreclosures.

Located in exclusive Ponderosa Ranchos, an acreage neighborhood close to Downtown Truckee, this home boasts maple flooring, a chef’s kitchen, and even a separate hobbyist room off the garage.

This is a quiet neighborhood close to the trail system, Downtown Truckee, and Northstar.

What a great price for a very special home in a prime location.

Now reduced to $730,000! Silver Spur listing

What a great plug for two fantastic artists’ studios and some welcome recognition for a fantastic town! Cheers, Truckee!

Its Hard Out There for a Preschooler...

This is my deck, about an hour ago. I guess I jumped the gun putting the deck furniture out. Who knew that it would snow 2 to 4 inches today?! On a real estate-related note, I listed a great house in Sierra Meadows, near Downtown Truckee. Considering the lack of inventory that the entry-level market is currently experiencing, combined with the majority of those homes being short sales or foreclosures, this house is a fantastic buy. The main house has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, and the attached in-law is a newer renovated studio. Landscaped and irrigated, this lovely flat lot is a real find. The property also has three sheds, two of them are wired for power. Walk across the street to The Rock for a beer at Fifty/Fifty Brewing Company or grab sushi, Thai food, or pizza all in the same lovely development. This house won’t stick around for long. If you know anybody interested in this home or something similar, please have them contact me.

My broker sent me this article from InMan News today investigating if California real estate markets have truly hit bottom. Locally, I feel that we hit bottom at the end of last summer 2009, however this article thinks we will not hit bottom until the third quarter of 2010. What are your thoughts? Have a happy powder day.

C. R. Johnson died yesterday from injuries sustained from a fall on the Light Towers at Squaw Valley, California. He was 26 years old.

C. R. Johnson courtesy of Sierra Sun stock photography

I met C.R. when he was 15. My husband and I were living in Cordova, Alaska for the winter working for Points North Heli-Adventures their first year in operation. C.R. was a sophomore in high school at the time. His father Rusty Johnson, retired avalanche forecaster for Squaw Valley, took him out of school for a week of heli-skiing. Even at 15, C. R. was flashing first decents in an unchartered area, but doing it with his dad and loving every second of it. His first decent in Cordova was named “El Muchacho” and I could see from an opposing peak as C. R. flashed this technical line in the Chugach as if he had been there already.

Like my own son, C.R. begin skiing as soon as he was upright, and moved up through the Mighty Mights Program at Squaw Valley. Despite the huge success early on that C.R. enjoyed in the ski industry, he was the most ego-less and happy person that you could ever meet. He would greet and talk to everybody that he encountered, and was always pleasant. After coming back from a serious head injury a few years ago in which C.R. was in a coma for a few months, he slowly rehabilitated his way back to skiing and seemed to make almost a complete recovery.

His death is a huge loss for a small community that is already reeling from the loss of other friends in the past year plus. I am sick over what his parents, Russ and Lorraine Johnson and sister Khalil are going through. My condolescences go out to the entire Johnson Family.

C. R. Johnson in MSP\’s Seven Sunny Days

While I went skate skiing at Tahoe Donner Cross Country Center to enjoy the sunny warm weather, Declan and my husband Jason went on a little back country excursion. This was Declan’s first time touring so they took it easy on a gentle slope on the south side of Squaw Valley.

After skiing on Saturday, we met up with some friends and went to the  Truckee Regional Park Rink. Located in the middle of the Regional Park on Brockway Road, the ice skating rink was a buzz of parents, children, and an eight-year-old’s birthday party. Strung with twinkling outdoor lights, this charming community rink is both affordable (both of us rented skates and skated for $11) and fun.

There were two other firsts that we enjoyed this weekend. This morning, upon discovering we were out of 1/2 and 1/2 for morning coffee, decided to try out the new coffee shop in town Elijah Blue. Located on Donner Pass Road in Old Town Truckee, Elijah Blue’s is a bright, inviting space with window seats, extra long tables for many to share, and delicious breakfast dishes.

And they french press all of their coffee with Blue Bottle Coffee out of San Francisco. We ended up staying for two hours. What a great new addition to the downtown scene!

Lastly, and not yet experienced, we are going to Stone Soup, Truckee’s community dinner idea that Project Mana launched out of the old Rec Center site on Church Street. Sponsored by a different business each week who serves their own soup for all to share, Stone Soup literally feeds the community. It runs every Sunday night, December through March. Bring a bowl and a spoon, donate if you can, if not, simply eat up and be thankful. My office Pacific Crest Properties is hosting March 14th.

Which leads me to my happy discovery: there is plenty to do in Truckee besides downhill skiing! (But I am really really glad that my pass is good starting tomorrow!)

Good luck to all of the Winter Olympians from our community competing in Whistler! We are all cheering you on!