Serene Sugar Pine Point Park

Twin turrets brace each side of the massive three-story, wood-shingled mansion that silently overlooks the calm beauty of Lake Tahoe. From the elegant, long porch, spanning the two towers, you can see the sun rising over the Sierra Nevada, casting the day's first light on the lake.

The house is the Helmann-Ehrmann Mansion at Sugar Pine Point State Park, one of the best representatives of the style of fabulous summer homes that were built on the shores of Lake Tahoe during the early 20th century. Today, you can tour the mansion, which was built in 1903, picnic on the grounds, or play in the water of the lake.

Located about 20 miles north of the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 and California State Highway 89 on Lake Tahoe's west shore, Sugar Pine Point Park is operated by the California State Park system.

The house, which boasts 11,703 square feet, including more than two dozen rooms and several large, stone fireplaces, was built for Isaias W. Hellman, a successful San Francisco banker. In 1897, Hellman began quietly acquiring some 1,016 acres of land on Lake Tahoe's west shore, including more than two miles of lakefront.

Within a year, work began on the house, built in a modified "Queen Anne" style architecture with gables and turrets. The exterior, however, incorporated natural wood-shingling and rough-cut stone which have, in more recent years, become known as early Lake Tahoe architecture.

In addition to the main house, called “Pine Lodge,” the estate included separate servants quarters, boathouses, an electric power plant, an icehouse and a tall water tower, all of which are still standing.

In 1920, Hellman died and the house was inherited by his daughter, Florence Ehrmann. The Ehrmann family added a tennis court and a second, smaller house for the children during the 1930s, and continued to use it as a summer retreat.

In 1965, Mrs. Ehrmann's daughter, Esther Lazard, sold the estate to the state of California. Since then, the state has consolidated the property with other lands to create the 2,300 acres Sugar Pine Point State Park.

Today, visitors can tour the mansion between Memorial Day and Labor Day, (it's still only a summer home). Throughout the year, the park grounds are open for picnicking or enjoying the wonderful beaches and views of the lake.

The mansion tour is worthwhile for providing a glimpse into the lifestyle of those who once called it home (as an example, just check out the rugs and overstuffed leather chairs). The first part of the guided tour, which lasts about a half hour, includes a description and history of the house and its inhabitants. After that, however, visitors are allowed to explore the rooms of the second floor.

North of the house, are a pair of cabins built by General William Phipps, a veteran of the Indian Wars, who was the original owner of Sugar Pine Point. The one-room wooden structures, open in the summer, were constructed in the 1860s and have been partially restored by the park service.

Adjacent to the cabins is a small trout stream, General Creek, that feeds into the lake, as well as the start of a quarter mile nature hiking trail.

Across Highway 89 from the entrance to the Hellman-Ehrmann site, is a year round campground, also part of the park. A bicycle trail connects both portions of the park. The campground includes 175 sites with barbecue pits and tables. Showers are also available.

From the campground, there are several hiking trails that follow General Creek to a handful of lakes, including Lily Pond (3.5 miles), Duck Lake (7 miles) and Lost Lake (7.5 miles). For more information contact Sugar Pine Point State Park, 530-525-7882.

Glen Alpine Springs Hike is Worth the Effort

In Nevada, where water is a precious commodity, it’s always a special treat to stumble on a waterfall—even if it’s just over the border in California.

Two of the more accessible and scenic waterfalls in this region are Big Falls (also known as Lower Glen Alpine Falls) and Modjeska Falls (also called Upper Glen Alpine Falls).

Both of these falls are part of the Glen Alpine Creek system, a snow melt and spring-fed stream that flows into Fallen Leaf Lake and eventually into Lake Tahoe via Taylor Creek.

Fallen Leaf Lake is a picturesque, alpine body of water that rivals Lake Tahoe in beauty. In fact, if not for a fluke of nature, namely a small stretch of land that separates Fallen Leaf from Tahoe, the area could easily have been another Emerald Bay.

Fallen Leaf Lake is located five miles west of Highway 89, immediately north of Camp Richardson on Lake Tahoe's southwest shore. A marked and paved road is located directly across the highway from the entrance to the U.S. Forest Service Visitors Center and Tallac Historic Site.

The U.S. Forest also operates a developed camping area at the northeast end of Fallen Leaf Lake. The entrance to the 206-unit campground, which is open from May to October, is located about a quarter of a mile north of Fallen Leaf Lake Road, off Highway 89.

The drive from the highway to the lake is pleasant, passing through large pine trees. About three miles from the turn-off, you travel by a lovely aspen grove and open meadow, both of which are spectacular in the fall, when the aspen leaves have turned gold.

The road narrows as it reaches the east end of the lake and, after passing into a residential area, you catch your first glimpse of the lake. As you drive, you can see incredible scenery, including Cathedral Peak (the southern shoulder of Mount Tallac) rising over the lake, its 9,785-foot crown mirrored in the lake's crystal waters.

I think it is the "mirror effect" of Fallen Leaf Lake that makes the view so remarkable. Rather than enclosing the lake, the reflection of the surrounding mountains seems to enlarge the scene.

While much of the lake is private property, you can continue to drive to the lake's west end where, in the summer months, Fallen Leaf Lodge offers accommodations and a marina. In the winter, the lodge is closed but you can park and enjoy the marvelous views.

About a half mile from the end of the road, which comes to a dead end, you can turn west on another narrow (all the roads around here are extremely narrow, so be careful while driving) paved road, lined by large log railings.

This road leads to Lily Lake, a trailhead for hiking into the Desolation Wilderness and to the pair of waterfalls. Frankly, even if Fallen Leaf Lake didn't exist, the waterfalls would be worth a visit. The joyous, rolling waves of falling water are an impressive and unexpected sight.

The first waterfall you reach, before arriving at Lily Lake, is aptly named Big Falls, a 75-foot spill that cascades over rock slabs that resemble steps.

While the falls aren't nearly as large as 500-foot Horsetail Falls (which are located at the south end of the Desolation Wilderness, visible from Highway 50, near Twin Bridges), they are, nonetheless, impressive and beautiful.

You can park off the road here and hike down to the base of the waterfall. From the top, the view of the rapidly cascading water as it falls down the lush canyon is noteworthy. Across the creek, you can also see private homes—people fortunate enough to be able to look out on the waterfall any time they want.

The road continues west, paralleling Glen Alpine Creek, for another mile or so to Lily Lake. Opposite the creek, parallel to the road, is a jumbled mountainside of loose boulders and stones, wonderful for casual rock hopping.

A concrete bridge marks the end of the driving portion of the road. On the north side of the bridge, you can park and hike a short distance to Lily Lake, a small but photogenic lake literally cupped in the mountains.

The main Glen Alpine Trail leads northwest from here into the Desolation Wilderness and onto Glen Alpine Springs, an historic mineral spring resort, located about a mile west.

An easy half-mile walk from Big Falls is Modjeska Falls, a smaller but equally scenic spill-way. Here, you’ll find picturesque craggy cliffs surrounding a robust 30-foot waterfall. A trail leads to the base of the falls.

Modjeska Falls is named after Madame Helena Modjeska, a famous Polish actress of the late 19th century who performed at Glen Alpine Springs in 1885. Those who attended the show were so taken with her performance that they named the nearby falls in her honor.

Continuing past Modjeska Falls, it’s only another half-mile or so to Glen Alpine Springs. Nathan Gilmore discovered the namesake mineral springs, originally called “Soda Springs,” here in 1863.

In 1884, Gilmore developed a renowned resort, which included a 16-room hotel, around the restorative powers of the springs, He also began bottling and selling the spring’s water.
A fire destroyed most of the original buildings in 1921 but the resort was rebuilt two years later using designs by famed architect Bernard Maybeck (he designed San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts).

Maybeck and his family summered at Glen Alpine Springs, so he was willing to help rebuild the resort following the fire. Between 1921 and 1929, he prepared plans for some ten buildings; four of which were actually built and remain in use today.

The Maybeck buildings include the Assembly Hall, the Kitchen building, a Dining Hall and the Bubblestone Cabin, an experimental concrete building that is considered one-of-a-kind. The buildings are noteworthy because of their extensive use of native materials, particularly local stone.

Glen Alpine Springs Resort closed in the 1960s and was acquired by the U.S. Forest Service in the 1970s. Today, a non-profit organization manages the property and helps to preserve the buildings.

Glen Alpine Springs is open to the public during the summer months, although it can only be reached by walking. The Assembly Hall now serves as an Interpretive Center and it is open daily 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Guided tours are available at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday in the summer (June to late September).

For more information about Glen Alpine Springs, contact the Historical Preservation of Glen Alpine Springs, Inc., P.O. Box 694, Glen Ellen, CA 95442, 707-996-6354, www.gasprings.org.

Rocking Out in Sparks

Recently, we decided to try something a friend had recommended as something fun to do—indoor rock climbing at Rock Sport Indoor Climbing Center in Sparks.

Housed in a nondescript strip mall in West Sparks, we weren’t sure what to expect. But appearances can be deceiving. We entered and were greeted by a helpful and experienced staff that told us everything we needed to know to get started.

The staff quickly fitted both of my children, Julia and Hank, with harnesses and shoes because they would be doing the climbing, and gave me a harness because I would be holding the rope.

The learning curve for rock climbing is easy. Basically, we were told that someone needed to climb and someone else had to hold the rope, which loops through a large metal pipe at the top.

A staff member explained how to tie the proper knots, the best way to hold the ropes, and how to ease the climber down gently after he or she is done (known as “belaying”).

Julia wanted to go first, so we slipped the rope through her harness, tied the knot, cinched the rope to the anchoring person, which, in this case, was Hank, and wished her well.

She stared at the steep wall, which rises about 35-feet up. Little different-shaped, colored knobs, which serve as handholds and footholds, are bolted to the gray surface. She grabbed the lowest one and began pulling herself up the wall.

She actually did pretty well on her first try. She made it about half way up the wall before signaling that she was tired and wanted to come down. To descend, she leaned away from the wall, hanging on to the rope, and Hank gently lowered her to the ground.

Next up was Hank. While never having tried rock climbing, he found the going easy. After securing himself to the rope, he quickly grabbed a handhold and began scaling the wall. In short order, he had scampered to the top and was ready to be lowered.

After that, the two alternated between which one would climb next. On her third attempt, Julia finally made it to the top of one of the easier climbs (it was in use earlier so she had started out doing some of the more difficult climbs). That particular wall has a bell at the top that beginners can ring when they reached the summit.

Hank made several assaults on the most challenging climbing walls—several are built to lean outward, so the climber is actually hanging away from the wall when climbing, while others have large shelves that must be climbed over—before sticking with the mostly diagonal climbs.

And when they wanted to rest from climbing the big walls, the two gravitated to several smaller rock faces in the center of the facility that didn’t require ropes but allowed them to practice their climbing skills, including hanging upside down.

By the time they were both ready to call it quits, we realized that the time had passed so quickly that we’d managed to spend about half of the day rock climbing.

Rock Sport offers about 7,500 square feet of sculpted terrain, including some slabs with challenging overhangs. Daily rates are $12 per person plus $5 for equipment (shoes and harness). Monthly memberships are also available.

It’s located at 1901 Silverada Boulevard in Sparks. Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 775-352-7673.

Tahoe's Bliss State Park

They should have named it Big Nose Rock. On the California side of Lake Tahoe, at D.L. Bliss State Park, visitors can find a pair of massive boulders—one perched on top of the other—known as Balancing Rock.

However, when viewed from just the right angle, the big one on top resembles a giant nose, complete with an open nostril.

Of course, a big nose-shaped rock isn’t all that Bliss State Park has to offer. Located 17 miles south of Tahoe City on State Route 89, Bliss encompasses some 1,200 acres of pristine, forested land overlooking Lake Tahoe.

The park is named for Duane LeRoy Bliss, one of the 19th century lumber barons that nearly chopped down every tree at Lake Tahoe. Fortunately, they grew back.

At one time, Bliss owned nearly 75 percent of Tahoe’s shoreline as well as the local steamboat line, the train system, and a variety of other businesses. In the 1930s, his family donated about 800 acres of lakefront property to the state of California for a park (the state later acquired additional land).

The result is a fine park that boasts several miles of pristine lakeside property including two white-sand beaches. At the north end of the park is Rubicon Point, which is adjacent to one of the deepest parts of Lake Tahoe.

One of the park’s landmarks is the Rubicon Point Lighthouse, erected in about 1918. This is not one of those big, round lighthouses like you see in the movies but rather was a small, square wooden structure that sat about 200 feet above the lake and helped serve as a navigational beacon.

The lighthouse, which kind of looks like an old pump house, was abandoned in the 1920s. For the next 80 years, it was largely ignored and left to decay. In 1997, however, the state stabilized the building, which ensured it wouldn’t disintegrate into the surrounding forest.

A short (3/4 of a mile) but very steep hiking trail leads to the lighthouse. Along the way, hikers can enjoy some of the best views of Lake Tahoe and Sierra Nevada.
During a recent visit, we paid the day use fee and drove down to one of the beaches. The water was surprisingly warm so we managed to get in some splashing around time.

Part of the reason we wanted to visit Bliss was that we had heard about Balancing Rock. We asked the park ranger where it was located and she gave us directions to the Balancing Rock Nature Trail.

A brochure at the trailhead noted that the walk was a little under a half-mile. Markers that corresponded to numbers in the brochure indicated the flora, fauna and geology of the area.

Reading the brochure, we discovered that we were walking in shallow, granitic soil and that the vegetation along the way includes Huckleberry oak shrubs as well as white, red and yellow fir trees.

We meandered on the dirt trail for less than a quarter mile before finally seeing Balancing Rock. It was impressive. A massive football (or nose) shaped rock weighing some 130 tons was perched or balanced above a second boulder. A thin membrane of stone connected the two giant rocks.

We circled the delicately balanced granite sculpture, admiring how nature had created just the right set of circumstances to result in this monolith. The brochure pointed out that, “the precarious remnant will certainly fall when enough material has eroded away to break the equilibrium between the two pedestals.”

We hoped it wouldn’t be while we were walking around it.

For more information about D.L. Bliss State Park, contact the California State Parks, 530-525-7277 or go to www.parks.ca.gov.

Learning About Wendover

On the surface, the town of Wendover doesn’t appear to be a place with much of a past. The reality, however, is that the community has a rich history, which is revealed in a recent book by Ronald R. Bateman.

Called “Wendover: Winds of Change,” the book is a comprehensive study of the people and events that helped to build Wendover into a successful resort community on the Nevada –Utah border.

Bateman, who grew up in Western Utah, begins the book with a complete timeline of significant historical events involving the region. In pre-historic times, the area was actually beneath Lake Bonneville, a large inland sea that covered western Utah and Eastern Nevada.

The first non-Indian visitor was most likely frontiersman Jedediah Smith, who, in 1827, is believed to have crossed the nearby salt flats while returning from an expedition to California.

A few years later, in 1833, fur trapper Zenas Leonard journeyed through the area and wrote that he had seen a tall mountain (10,715-feet) covered with snow (now known as Pilot Peak Mountain), which he said was striking because it appeared to be unconnected to any other mountain range.

Later, many emigrant wagon parties camped in the area during their journey to Oregon and California. Pilot Peak, which has natural springs at its base, served as a guide for those traveling across the barren salt flats.

Bateman traces the beginnings of Wendover to a later time, the early 20th century, when the Western Pacific Railroad was constructed through the West. Starting in about 1907, the railroad established the town, complete with a roundhouse, depot, water tower and other services. The first train to reach Wendover arrived in 1909.

Wendover puttered along for the next few decades, mostly catering to railroad traffic and, after completion of the Victory/Lincoln Highway, motorists. In 1914, a man named Teddy Tezlaff drove a Blitzen Benz automobile as fast as he could on the nearby Bonneville Salt Flats, becoming the first person to attempt to establish a land-speed record (his unofficial time was 141.73 miles per hour).

The town’s first travel-related business was established in 1926, when Bill Smith and Herman Eckstein opened the Cobblestone Service Station and put a light bulb on a pole in front that was never turned off. They called it “the light in the desert.”

In 1932, Smith and Eckstein added a roulette table, becoming the first gaming establishment in Wendover.

Bateman notes that the Second World War was the next significant event in the town’s history. In 1940-41, the Wendover Bombing and Gunnery range was opened and over the next few years grew substantially larger as additional companies of troops were sent to the region for training.

In 1944, Wendover was selected to be the training ground for the 509th Composite Group, a top-secret contingent of troops that prepared for an atomic bomb mission to Japan. On August 6, 1945, the group’s commander, Colonel Paul Tibbets Jr. piloted the Enola Gay, which dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, which effectively ended the war.

An impressive stone and bronze monument has been erected adjacent to the Wendover Visitors Center to commemorate the men who worked on this project and as a monument to world peace.

Additionally, the hills around Wendover have been painted with graphitti, much of which was painted during World War II by airmen and soldiers. In some cases, you can still read the numerical insignias of the various troop companies.

More recently, Bateman points out, Wendover has grown as a result of thrill-seekers and tourists. The Bonneville Salt Flats, located a few miles from Wendover, has hosted a number of land speed record attempts over the years.

The book includes an extensive section on the various speed record efforts including those by driver Mickey Thompson (in the "Challenger I") and Craig Breedlove (in "The Spirit of America").

Bateman also writes about the development of Wendover’s resort industry, which began in the 1980s with the construction of several hotel-casinos. Within a few years, a half-dozen large resorts had been built and the town had evolved from sleepy last-stop-before-you-leave-Nevada into a popular gaming destination for travelers on Interstate 80.

One of Wendover’s most recognizable landmarks is Wendover Will, a 64-foot-tall, neon cowboy sign erected adjacent to the Stateline Casino in 1952. In 2005, the big buckaroo was renovated and moved to a new location near the Wendover Visitors Center to serve as the community’s official goodwill ambassador.

In addition to the hotels, Wendover still has a handful of landmarks that recall its time as an important airbase during World War II. Southeast of the main section of the town is the Wendover airbase. You can still find some of the old hangers that housed the airplanes of the 509th Composite Group during the war.

In recent years, the buildings have appeared in several motion pictures including the 1996 science fiction thriller “Independence Day."

“Wendover Winds of Change: A Story,” is self-published by Ronald R. Bateman and available through various gift shops in Wendover and from the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association, P.O. Box 27365, Salt Lake City, UT, 84127-0365, e-mail: sales@saltflats.com, 801-485-2662.

Jumbo Grade's Place in History

The mining camp of Jumbo never quite lived up to its name. Optimistic prospectors hoped it would produce enormous wealth but it proved to be a pretty small producer of gold and silver ore.

In fact, these days, the real riches found on the road to the former camp are in the marvelous views of the surrounding region. The site of Jumbo is located two miles east of Eastlake Blvd., above New Washoe City, via a rugged dirt road marked Jumbo Grade.

Jumbo was founded on the Ophir Grade between Washoe Valley and Virginia City in about 1907. For a few years, a small community of miners managed to eke out a living working the area's mines.

By 1908, the camp boasted a mill, saloons, hotels, shops and a post office, although the latter was closed in November 1910, indicating the transient nature of the community.

In 1915, miners continued to work the area and a ten-stamp mill was built near the settlement. By 1921, however, any valuable ore had run out and Jumbo disappeared like so many other Nevada mining camps.

While Jumbo has an admittedly brief life, the drive or hike to the former mining community is worthwhile because of the views. Jumbo Grade Road rises above Washoe Valley and climbs deep into the Virginia Range before dropping into Virginia City.

During our recent hike along the grade, we found that the first half-mile is paved, as the road passes several newer houses. We came upon a dirt parking area that serves as the trailhead for hikers, bikers, ATVers and others heading up the grade.

After ditching our car, we began the trek uphill on a dirt road that parallels Jumbo Creek. About a mile and a half from the start of the road, the dirt track crisscrosses the creek, which is lined with thick vegetation.

At about the two-mile point, the road becomes rockier and, at one spot, we were forced to cross the creek, which has carved a fairly deep channel.

We continued on the trail, stopping to pick up interesting rocks and to admire the creek, which has a fair amount of water this year. About another half-mile or so we spotted mining tailing piles on the surrounding hillsides.

A bit farther, you can spot the large foundations of a mill site. Two large chalky-gray hunks of concrete and scattered pieces of metal and wood are just about all that remain of the Jumbo mines.

From here, the views, looking west to Washoe Valley, are spectacular. Slide Mountain stands high, directly across the valley, and you can catch glimpses of the sun dancing on the surface of Washoe Lake.

At the four-mile point, the road completes its climb over the Virginia range. Here, you can look both west to Washoe Valley or east to the Dayton Valley. To the north is a smaller valley tucked into the mountain range.

The road winds around the summit and, about a half-mile ahead, you can see the ruins of the mining camp of American Flat, just below. All of the views are beautiful and make the somewhat difficult journey worthwhile.

At the six and a half-mile point, you can see the community of Gold Hill below, with the taller buildings of Virginia City peeking over the mountains to the north.

From there, the road skirts a large open pit mine that has long been abandoned before gradually descending to meet Nevada Route 341 at the Virginia City-Gold Hill boundary.

While the total mileage has been only eight miles, it seems a world away.

Rhyolite

The desert has not been kind to Rhyolite.

Once impressive concrete, stone and brick buildings have been blasted by wind and sand into skeletal reminders of a place that was once one of Nevada's most promising mining towns.

Sitting on the edge of Nevada, overlooking Death Valley, Rhyolite—perhaps more than any other ghost town—tells the story of the rise and fall of a Nevada mining town.
Rhyolite is located about four miles west of Beatty, via State Route 374 and U.S. Highway 95.

Gold was discovered here in about 1904 and a township was mapped during the following year. By May, 1905, the town had its own newspaper, showing that it had come of age.
A month later, a post office was opened and by 1907, an estimated 6,000 people had flocked to this boomtown in the desert.

Soon, no less than three railroads (the Las Vegas and Tonopah, Tonopah and Tidewater and Bullfrog-Goldfield) were built to serve the town, which also had 45 saloons, an opera house, a telephone company, electric power plant, three ice plants, several hotels and two stock exchanges.

Rhyolite, however, turned out to be a disappointment in terms of gold production. While there was gold, it wasn't in sufficient quantities and accessible enough to justify the development that had appeared almost overnight.

Another problem was the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Many of Rhyolite's investors lived in San Francisco and, following the earthquake, were more interested in rebuilding their lives than spending money on a questionable investment in Nevada.

The final blow was a national financial panic in 1907. As a result, the money began to dry up for developing Rhyolite's mines and people began to move on to more profitable places.

The census of 1910 indicated 675 residents and a decade later the number was fourteen.

Today, Rhyolite remains one of the most photogenic of Nevada's ghost towns. In the late afternoon, the sun stretches the shadows of the ruins, creating marvelous images.

The town contains some intriguing structures, including the three-story exterior walls of the J.S. Cook Bank, the facade of the Porter Brothers store and the interesting remains of the town’s two-story school.

The former Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad depot is one of the finest examples of the early 20th century mission-style architecture used for many public buildings.

Rhyolite is also home of one of the last mostly-intact bottle houses in the state. The unusual structure was constructed in 1907 using 15,000 bottles at a time when conventional building materials were scarce.

An excellent web site on Rhyolite is www.rhyolitesite.com, which is managed by the Rhyolite Preservation Society, a group dedicated to saving the community.