Race the Lake of the Sky Stand Up Paddle Race on Lake Tahoe.

See my full gallery of still photos of Race the Lake of the Sky on Google+

On June 28-29, 2013 Lakeview Commons and the adjacent El Dorado beach hosted the 2nd annual Race the Lake of the Sky stand up paddle races organized by South Tahoe Stand Up Paddle, On Course Events, and Riviera Paddleboards among others.  Described by participant Anthony Vela as "The best stand up paddle race in all the world" in his top 10 article on SUPconnect, this two day series of races featured over 300 paddlers racing in 5 mile, 14 mile, and SUPcross categories featuring some of the world's best stand-up paddlers and brought people not just from South Lake Tahoe but all around the world to the excelent venue at Lakeview Commons.

The El Dorado "5mi" Race

Given the extreme diversity of events going on at the races, I had to focus my own efforts on covering one race, so I chose the El Dorado 5 miler.  The course of the event was a highly technical course with eight left and right turns zig-zagging across the space in front of El Dorado beach.  (The course, in fact, was so complex and technical that even the race organizers couldn't say for sure whether the course was 4.8 or 5.2 miles long).  This race provided a lot of excitement close to the beach where the entire race was in direct view of the spectators, and the many turns and straightaways make a good introduction to the world of the paddle racing for the non-fan.

Race Description

The participants lined up waist-deep in the water along the mile-long beach waiting for the starting horn.  As explained by safety officer Rob Guistina of On Course Events the starting horn was timed such that "we're gonna give you a 30 second warning, and the horn could go off at any time from 30 seconds to zero, that way no one can anticipate the start and cheat."  At the starting horn everyone piled on to their paddleboards and began a mad dash to the first bouy where the race began to sort itself out.

At and after the first bouy turn the race began to sort itself out into the shape it would take for pretty much the entire race with Thomas Maximus (T-Maxx) on a 20ft Riviera paddleboard taking an early lead in the unlimited class followed by Lance and Jeff Ericson leading in the tandem paddling class.  Though the longer boards are notoriously difficult to manage in the turns, both sets of leaders displayed impressive skill in handling the turns, allowing the intrinsic speed advantage of a longer paddleboard in the straightaways to keep them in the lead throughout the race, with their advantage over the other classes of boards showing in their growing lead as the race progressed.

The real competition in the race was in the elite 14ft and 12.6ft board classes, where Anthony Vela and Jay Wild battled it out for first place through the entire race.  Jay Wild, in particular, showed his emmense paddling prowess by maintaining a lead through most of the race while in the difficult position of breaking water for the entire elite class draft train, while Anthony Vela fought valiently for any advantage in the turns, always trying to get an inside or outside position while turning, sometimes turning so close as to almost knock the leader off his paddleboard in a few of the turns.

Results:

Unlimited Class: Thomas Maximus
Tandem Class: Lance and Jeff Ericsson
Elite Class: Jay Wild, Anthony Vela, Jeremy
Women's Class: Candice Appleby

Interviews:

To hear from paritcipants Taylor Rambo, Anthony Vela, Candice Appleby, and sponsor Maui Jim check out this video from Wake Up Tahoe from the day before the race:



Let the video play on or click this link to see the full SUP Playlist from Wake Up Tahoe.

4th of July Fireworks in Lake Tahoe

Check out my gallery of the 4th of July Fireworks on Google+

July 2013 Concerts in Tahoe: Phish, The B52s, Moby, Tim McGraw,

July 1 Battlecross, Otis, Huntress, Gary busey Amber Alert @ Whisky Dick's
July 02 Soul rebels @ Crystal Bay Club
Chris Cain @ Squaw Valley
July 03-07 Kivi Rodgers / Frances DiLorinzino @ Improv at Harvey's
July 03-10 Artist in residence John Holland @ Tallac Historic Site
July 03 Bennet Jackson @ Cottonwood Bar and Grill
July 04  Annual 4th of July Parade and Fireworks display
Ike and Martin @ The Beacon
Progress, People Movers, Export Theory, Maizon Tech, Infinite Luv, Rebel Theory, 5tar Command, Konnected
@ Electric Mushroom at Horizon
Mr. Ruckus feat. Aaron Howell, Tay Hamilton, Tony Lee Wilburn, Jerry Cass, Logan O'Connor,
and Ty Blosser @ Rojos
Waiting for T.I.M @ Teps Villa Roma
Jason King Band @ Northstar
Vore 4 Funk fest hosted by DJ Nu-Mark @ Hacienda del Lago
Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds @ Crystal Bay Club

July 05-07 The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) @ Valhalla Boathouse Theatre
Unkle Funkle @ Bar of America
July 05 DJ Pauly D Birthday party @ PEEK Tahoe
Red White and BOOM feat. DJs Donald Glaude & Eric Lobe, Star Command, Conspiracy Theory  @ Montbleu
Joe Mamma @ The Beacon
Connor Brothers, Groovebox @ Heavenly Village
Lucas and Kendall @ Northstar
Pyle of Zen @ Cottonwood Bar and Grill
Peter Joseph Burtt and the King Tide @ Kings Beach
Les Miserables @ Incline Village green
Tainted Love / Subtropixx, Micah J @ Crystal Bay Club
July 06 Shawn and Marlon Wayans (of In Living Color) @ Montbleu
The Fab Four beatles Tribute @ Harrah's South Shore Room
Bat Country, Farewell belladonna, Larry Cooper @ Classic Cue
BionicZee, Dope Star @ Whisky Dick's
Deep Fried Mojo @ The Beacon
The Rat Pack @ Cal Neva
Beer & Bluegrass feat. Melody Walker and No Lonesome, Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line @ Northstar
Elvin Bishop / Pablo Cruise @ Incline Village green
The Whisky Sisters / Boggan, NineFeetOfSmoke @ Crystal Bay Club
July 07 Pool Party @ Montbleu
Fabrizio @ Valhalla
Big Red Blues Band @ The Beacon
Toccatta @ St. Patrick's episcopal in Incline Village
The Blues Monsters @ Northstar
Leche de Tigre @ Commons Beach
July 08 Z.O.O.M (Zydeco On Our Minds) @ Valhalla
July 09 Tahoe Improv Players @ Valhalla Boathouse Theatre
J-Boog, Katchafire, Aradhana & Siaosi / Hot Rain @ Crystal Bay Club
Mark Hummel and the Blues Survivors feat. Little Charlie Baty @ Squaw Valley
July 10-14 John Caponera / Carrie Snow @ Improv at Harvey's
July 10 Vaudeville tease road show @ RAW bar
Afro-Cuban funk band @ Valhalla
Jester's Attic feat. Jesse Kalin @ The Beacon
July 11-13 The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) @ Valhalla Boathouse Theatre
July 11 Native Melodies / Ashley Kepler @ Live at Lakeview
Ike and Martin @ The Beacon
Tocatta @ St. Theresa's in SLT
The Northstar Session @ Cottonwood Bar and Grill
Jeff Jones and the Bank @ Truckee Thursdays
The Hackensaw Boys @ Crystal Bay Club
A-Skillz @ Tahoe Biltmore
July 12-13 Lucky Dog @ Bar of America
July 12 Pimp n Ho costume party feat. Too $hort, Dennis Hof of HBO's Cathouse @ Blu nightclub in Montbleu
Street Urchinz @ Heavenly Village
Johnny O Band @ The Beacon
Battleborn, Surrounded by Thieves, Ninja Slaughterhouse, Dirt Starship @ Whisky Dick's
After 8s @ Rubicon Pizza at Northstar
Danny Sturtevant @ Cottonwood Bar and Grill
Sneaky Creatures @ Kings Beach  
The Giraffe Dogers @ Crystal Bay Club
Etc!Etc!, Vibesquad, Zebuel, Lo G  @ Lakeside at Night
July 13-14 Art, Wine and Music fest @ Squaw Valley
July 13 Abbacadabra (ABBA tribute) @ Harrah's
Priscilla Ford, Infecto Skeletons, Brainer, Noxcrutch, @ Classic Cue
Jeff Jones & The Bank @ The Beacon
Jason king Band @ Northstar
Chuck Mead (of BR549) and the Grassy Knoll Boys / The OriGinALz feat. Freshtouch @ Crystal Bay Club
Summer House 2013 feat. The Scumfrog, Rick Preston, Chango  @ Lakeside at Night
July 14 B-52's w/ K.C. and the Sunshine Band @ Montbleu Outdoor ampetheatre
The Blues Monsters @ The Beacon
Hellbound, Blistered Earth, Mobile Death Camp @ Whisky Dick's
The California Honeydrops @ Commons Beach
TOCCATTA @ Squaw Valley
Silent Disco in King's Beach
The Northstar Session @ Northstar
July 16-21 American Century Celebrity Golf Championship @ Edgewood
July 16 Tim McGraw / Kip Moore @ Harvey's Outdoor ampetheatre
Ischence, Abja, Lions of Kush @ Crystal Bay Club
David Jacobs Strain / The Crunk Mountain Boys @ Squaw Valley
July 17-21 Mike Pace / David Gee @ Improv at Harvey's
July 17 Armed for Apocalypse, The Road Will End  @ RAW bar
Jesse Kalin @ The Beacon
Alex Reymundo @ Crystal Bay Club
July 18-20 Motherhood Out Loud @ Valhalla Boathouse Theatre
July 18-21 Wanderlust feat. Moby, Gramatik, MC Yogi, Quixotic, Alia, Caravan palace, East Forest, Garth Stevenson, GSOL, Hamnnah Thiem, Milton Merlos, Mohamed Assani, Random Rab, the Makepeace Brothers, Tyler Stafford
July 18 Slightly Stoopid, Atmosphere, Tribal Seeds, The Grouch and Eligh @ Montbleu outdoors
MURS, Bukue One, and Logic One @ Montbleu
Achilles Wheel / Lonesome Locomotive @ Live at Lakeview
Left of Center @ The Beacon
Adam Traum @ Cottonwood Bar and Grill
Easy Leaves @ Truckee Thursdays
Native Melodies (Talking Heads Tribute) @ Crystal Bay Club
July 19-20 Jon Bovi - Rock of Ages @ Heavenly Village

July 19 Rascall Flats, The Band Perry @ Harvey's Outdoor Ampetheatre - SOLD OUT
Fortissimo Friday Trance @ Electric Mushroom at Horizon
Cash Only Band @ The Beacon
Inferno of Joy, Sit Kitty Sit, La Fin Absolute du Monde @ Whisky Dick's
Danny Sturtevant @ Rubicon Pizza @ Northstar
Tracorum @ Kings Beach
Harry and the Hitmen @ Bar of America
Soft White 60s @ Crystal Bay Club
Tracorum @ Squaw Valley

July 20 Bass Camp feat. Seven Lions, The M Machine, AndDrop!, Fiasko Daniels, Dead Robot, Beat Karma @ Montbleu outdoor
Full Moon Tallac Hike
Big Bad Wolf @ The Beacon
Anne Marie / Tim Snider @ Northstar
Supremo @ Bar of America
Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Jellybread / Klozd Sirkut feat. Chris Littlefeld of KDTU @ Crystal Bay CLub
July 21 Ike and Martin @ Valhalla
Dane Rienhart @ The Beacon
The Monophonics @ Commons Beach
July 22 Nit Grit / Kraddy @ Blu Nightclub in Montbleu
Joni Morris "Ladies of Country Music" impersonation show  @ Valhalla
July 23 Tahoe Improv Players @ Valhalla
Janvia Magnes @ Squaw Valley
Chris Murray and the Slackers @ Crystal bay Club
July 24-28 Rondell Sheridan / Nick Hoff @ Improv at Harvey's
July 24 Moonalice @ Truckee regional park
July 25 Vokab Kompany @ Live at Lakeview
Ike and Martin @ The Beacon
Jellybread @ Truckee Thursdays
July 26-27 South Tahoe wooden boat show @ Tahoe Keys Marina
July 26 Christopher Lawrence, Mercedes Jaya, The Mener, Chango, Gjester @ Electric Mushroom
A Spirit Hustler @ The Beacon
Matt Axton @ Rubicon Pizza at Northstar
Mojo Green @ Kings Beach
The Blues Monsters @ Bar of America
July 27 Russel Brand @ Montbleu
Rock Sugar @ Harrah's
Felix and the Soul Cats @ The Beacon
July 26-28 Better Late @ Valhalla Boathouse Theatre
July 27-28 WA SHE SHU IT’DEH Washoe Summer Festival 2013 @ Camp Richardson
Natalie Gelman @ Northstar
July 27 Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers @ Tahoe Donnerb concerts on the green
July 28 Jeff Jones and the Bank @ The Beacon
13 Scars, Klondike Kate @ Whisky Dick's
Vinyl @ Commons Beach
July 29 Agent Orange, The Marones, The Business End, Melvin Makes Machine Guns @ Whisky Dick's
Solid Air @ Valhalla
Tinsley Ellis @ Crystal Bay Club
July 30-31 Phish @ Harvey's Outdoor arena - SOLD OUT
July 30 The Meter Men feat. George Porter, Jr, Zigaboo Modeliste, and Leo Nocentelli  @ Harrah's
edit (of the glitch mob), SubTropixx, Irieyes, Coop da Loop, s1nth3sys @ Blu at Montbleu
SAM BUSH BLUEGRASS BAND, ALO, Polecat, and Magic Gravy @ Horizon  
Big Tree Fall Down @ Crystal Bay Club
Tinsley Ellis @ Squaw Valley
July 31 moksha ft Jen Hartswick and Skerik, naive melodies and tracorum / Emancipator, Tor, Bim Tim
and Sub Liquid  @ Blu at Montbleu
Pour Horse, The Rugs, Molly Taylor @ Whisky Dick's
KARL DENSON'S TINY UNIVERSE, HOT BUTTERED RUM ft. Allie Kral of Cornmeal, The Pimps of Joytime,
and Poor Man’s Whiskey @ Horizon
Johnathan Smart @ Valhalla
July 31-Aug 4 Eddie Ifft / Alysha Wood @ Improv at Harvey's


If your browser dosn't support embedded playlists click here for the July 2013 Tahoe Concert Playlist

August 1 Polyrythmics w/ Holy Ghost Tent Revival @ Live at Lakeview
Keyser Sose @ Truckee Thursdays
Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics @ Crystal Bay Club
August 2 Zepparella @ Crystal Bay Club
Flannel Fish @ Kings Beach
Julie Brisbin @ Rubicon Pizza @ Northstar
August 3 The Village People @ Montbleu

How to Photograph Fireworks on 4th of July

 4th of July is coming up and everybody's been asking me: "How do you photograph fireworks?"

Equipment

Well, first of all, you have to make sure that your camera is capable of photographing fireworks. You guys know me, you know that I take most all of my photography with my camera phone, but, let me tell you, a camera phone is not sufficient to photograph fireworks. To be able to photograph fireworks you don't necessarily need an expensive SLR like the one I have in the video, but you do need a camera that has a good manual mode where you can set both the aperature and the shutter together.

Now, to be able to film fireworks effectively, you're going to need a tripod. Your first and most primary piece of equipment is a tripod. You can get them for about $20 at Amazon, you can get nicer ones more expensively. You want to make sure that your tipod is in a good position with a good view of where the fireworks are going to be. You want to be up against the rail if you can be. Either that or be way in the back up a hill where you're going to be over top of people's heads.

You set up your tripod there and make sure your tripod is nice and level. Figure out where the fireworks are going to be shot off from and point your camera that way. Like, in Tahoe we shoot off our fireworks from Nevada Beach so I'm pointint my camera towards Nevada Beach. You square up a nice, level shot of where the fireworks are and zoom in so that the fireworks area is framed nicely in your camera.

Camera Settings:

Now you want to set your camera to manual mode. Set your aperature to f8, set your ISO to 200, and then you want to be varying your shutter speed as you take the pictures. Now, how long your shutter speed goes for is going to determine what your picture looks like. If you do a shutter speed of half a second that's going to capture one, or maybe a couple of bursts of fireworks in a nice clear single frame. If you extend your exposure to 1 second, 2 seconds, all the way up to 5 seconds (you may need to stop down to a smaller aperature if you're filming for 5 seconds); you're going to get more and more bursts of fireworks in any single frame.

So, if you're looking to get a bunch of fireworks like the climax of a fireworks display, go with a 3-5 second exposure with an aperature of f10-14;

if you want to get a single firework or a couple of fireworks go with a half second exposure with an aperature of f8.

Make sure that you either have a cable relase, or if you are doing it just with the camera's shutter button that you push your camera button quickly and release it as quickly as you can because if your hand shakes while it's on the button you're going to ruin whichever picture you're taking. Take lots of pictures over the course of the fireworks display. You can adjust your zoom to zoom out to get a large shot, say if the fireworks are high; or you can zoom in to just a single firework and take a quick exposure to get that single firework in the sky look.

Shooting Fireworks on Video

Now, if you're going to be filming video of fireworks, video can actually be a lot easier. Again, you need a good video camera to be able to shoot fireworks effectively. Most any consumer HD camcorder will work. Set the camera either to fireworks mode if it has a dedicated fireworks mode (check your camera manual) because if your camera has a dedicated fireworks mode that will do all the settings for you. Otherwise have your camcorder on night mode on a tripod and just set up your camcorder to look at the fireworks: set it, turn it on, run it for the whole fireworks display, turn it off at the end. Just make sure that nobody bumps your tripod, because, really, the best fireworks display on video is the one that doesn't have bumps in the middle that you have to take out.



If you want stills from your video, you can take your video into an editing suite like Adobe Premiere and capture stills: Just import the video into Premiere, put the video on the timeline, play through to the frame you want, pause, and click on the little camera icon under the editing screen.

They won't look as smooth as stills from an SLR, but you will at least be able to get nice clear stills, and because it's video you'll be able to choose what frame rather than have to put up with whatever your camera happened to capture when you were pressing the button.

June 2013 concerts in Tahoe: Steve Miller Band, Tahoe Reggae Festival

May 29-Jun 02 Bob Zany / Zan AufderHeide @ Improv at Harvey's
June 01-02 Valhalla Rennaisance Faire @ Camp Richardson
June 01  Highway 50 Wagon Train rondezvous @ Zephyr Cove Resort
  Big Bad Voodoo Daddy @ Harrah's 
  Solo Chapman Stick @ Horizon
  Battlecross, Huntress, Otis, Arsonists get All The Girs @ Whisky Dick's
  The Kandinsky Effect @ Moody's Bistro
  Soroptimist wine and restaurant faire @ Coyote Moon golf course in Truckee
  Ivan neville's Dumpstaphunk, Jellybread / Caught a Ghost @ Crystal bay Club
June 02  America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride
  Wagon Train Parade
  Terraplane, The Beer Gardeners @ Tahoe Mountain Brewery 
  DJ Cook-E, Peridon, Whomping Willow @ Electric Mushroom in Horizon
June 04  Multipleks, DubColing, S1nth3sys @ Whisky Dick's
  Local Talent @ Moody's Bistro
June 05-09 Heath Hyche / Ronnie Schell @ Improv at Harvey's
June 06  Float Tahoe: Float the Truckee river from Elk's club drive to Lake Tahoe
  Jimmy Ashley @ Cottonwood Bar and Grill
  Accoustic Thursday @ Cottonwood Bar and Grill 


June 07  Opening Day for hiking / Mountain Bike park @ Northstar
  O'Niel Cup Stand-Up paddle races @ Donner Lake
  2 Hundred West / SO Dubs @ Whisky Dick's 
  Moondog Matenee @ Heavenly Village
  35th Annaversary party @ Jakes on the Lake
  Robert Earl Keen w/ Andrea Davidson / jerry halford and the Healers @ Crystal Bay Club

June 07-08 George Souza 
June 08-09 Vallhalla Rennaisance Faire @ Camp Richardson
June 08  Tahoe Institute for Natural Science fundraiser @ Lake Tahoe Golf Course
  Patch fest 2013: Glacier snowboarding and campout @ Red Lakes 
  The Virgins @ Montbleu (canceled)
  Eric Burdon and the Animals @ Harrah's
  Jeff Jones @ The Beacon
  The New Thoreaus @ Divided Sky
  J.J. Cady @ The Passtime club in Truckee 
  Alan and Moore Duo @ Northstar
  Truckee Running Festival @ Truckee regional Park 
  Opiuo, Subtropixx, Tre Tuna, Phil harmonic @ Lakeside at night
  Billy Shaddox @ Between the Notes Music in Truckee
  Afrofunk Experience / Terraplane @ Crystal Bay Club
June 09  Sangre, Blessed Curse, Erabis, Through the Gates @ Whisky Dick's
  Big Red Blues Band @ The Beacon
  Coburn Station @ Northstar
  Rubber duck derby @ Truckee regional park
  CBC 10th annaversary w/ Grace Potter and the Nocturnals / Tumbleweed Wanderers @ Crystal Bay CLub
June 11  Irieyes, Zombass, Subtropixx (w/ Shane Suffritti and Gurbtron) @ Whisky Dick's
June 12-16 Steve White / Shayla Rivera @ Improv at Harvey's
June 12  Jesse Kalin w/ Jester's Attic @ The Beacon
  Ryan Bingham w/ The Wild Feathers, David Jacobs Strain @ Crystal Bay Club
June 13  Ike and Martin @ The Beacon
  Moon Gravy @ Cottonwood Bar and Grill 
June 14-15 RENT @ Lake Tahoe Community College
June 14  Gift of Gab /Pigeon John @ Blu at Montbleu
  Zeroclient, Poindexter, Thicker than Thieves @ Whisky Dick's
  Johnny O Band @ The Beacon
  Jason king Band @ Heavenly Village
  Mojo Green, Groovebox / Downbeat @ Crystal Bay Club
June 15-23 Tahoe City Solctice festival
June 15  Charlie Musselwhite / Coco Montyoa @ Harrah's South Shore Room
  Deep Fried Mojo @ The Beacon
  Lonesome Locomotive @ Himmel Haus
  Deep Fried Mojo @ The Beacon
  Summer Shred skate competition @ Woodward Tahoe  
  Jason King Band @ Northstar
  No Duh! a tribute to No Doubt / Subtropixx, Shane Suffriti,Gurbtron, Micah J @ Crystal Bay Club
June 16  FATHER'S DAY
  High School Jazz Band @ Valhalla
  Cash Only Band @ The Beacon
  The Northstar Session @ Northstar
  Father's day concert feat. Kristyn Harris @ Thunderbird lodge 
  Mumbo Gumbo @ aboard the Tahoe Gal
  James McMurtry @ Crystal Bay CLub 
June 19-23 James Davis / Avi Liberman @ Improv at Harvey's
June 19  Jellybread @ Truckee river park
June 20-22 RENT @ Lake Tahoe Community College
June 20-24 Bounce Music festival: Beats Antique, Grizz, Boombox, Justin Martin, Mark Farina, LowRiderz, Rob Garza
  Nadastrom, Break Science, The Polish Ambassador, Lumimox, Sabo, Vokab Kompany, @ Twain harte
June 20  Golf Luau @ Lake Tahoe Golf Course
  Ike and Martin @ The Beacon
  Live at Lakeview kickoff feat. Jellybread and 4-piece puzzle  @ Lakeview Commons
  Boys and Girls Club spaghetti feed @ Steamers
June 21  Long Beach rehab / SO Dubs, Squarefield Massive, Weapon @ Blu at Montbleu
  Glam Cobra @ Heavenly Village
  Joe Mama @ The Beacon
  Junior Brown, Easy Leaves / Igor and the Red Elvises @ Crystal Bay Club
June 22  Steve Miller Band feat. Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers @ Harvey's Outdoor Amphetheatre
  Max Pain and the Groovies, Deep Space @ Whisky Dick's
  Forget the Roses @ The Beacon
  Deep Fried Mojo @ Tahoe Paradise Park
  Full Moon Kayak @ Sugar Pine Point st. Park
  The Everyone Orchestra ft. Steve Kimock, John Kimock,Trevor Garrod(TLG), Sunshine Garcia,
  Dan Lebowitz(ALO) and Mike Sugar + After Party w/ NVO @ Crystal Bay Club  
June 23  Freq Nasty, 6-Blocc @ Blu at Montbleu
  Redneck Sextet @ The Beacon
  Trey Stone @ Commons Beach concert series opener
  McAvoy Lane as Mark Twain @ Pine Lodge in Sugar Pine point 
June 25  Bass Mtn fundraiser w/ special guests @ Whisky Dick's
June 26-30 Michael Kosta / Quinn Dahle @ Improv at Harvey's
June 26  Bowl a thon for Boys and Girls Club @ Tahoe Bowl
  The Silver Shine, Straight Shooter @ Whisky Dick's 
June 27  American Jubilee feat. Brian Lesh & Ross James / Tracorum @ Live at Lakeview Commons
  Protoje / Jah faith @ Hacienda del Lago
June 28  Sceam, Equinox, DJ Kronyak, Syrax, Bluntstache @ Electric Mushroom
  Island of Black and White @ Heavenly Village 
  3UPFRONT @ Hacienda Del Lago
  The Blues Monsters @ The Beacon 
  Keyser Sose / Mark Sexton band @ Crystal Bay Club
June 29-30 Race the Lake of the Sky Stand Up Paddle races @ Lakeview Commons

June 29  Lake Tahoe Reggae fest: SOJA, Alpha Blondy, Passafire, Stick Figure,
       Tomorrow’s Bad Seed, Island of Black & White @ Montbleu
  The Dan Band @ Harrah's
  Plantrae, Mumukshu, Soulular, Sixis, Shwex, Shap-er, Benjah Ninjah, Phil Harmonic @ RAW bar
  Captured by Robots, Dirt Starship, Up Against It @ Whisky Dick's
  Big Bad Wolf @ the Beacon
  One Track Mind @ King's Beach 
June 30  Exceeding 55 @ Valhalla music on the lawn series
  Midnight Riders @ The Beacon
  Joy and Madness, Hans Erbach @ Commons Beach
July 1  Battlecross, Otis, Huntress, Gary busey Amber Alert @ Whisky Dick's 

America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride 2013

America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride is a 72 mile bike ride around Lake Tahoe put on every year by Bike The West.  Riders complete a circuit from Stateline, through South Lake Tahoe, CA, up the mountain to Emerald Bay, past Homewood up to Truckee and Crystal Bay, and then back down the East shore to finish back where they started in the back parking lot of the Horizon casino resort.




See my full gallery of pictures of 2013's America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride on Google Plus

Wildfire Awareness Week

See the full gallery of Wildfire Awareness Week on Google+

The first ever WildFire Awareness Week event drew over 600 spectators to the Montbleu resort Memorial Day weekend.  It fetured baloon rides on the famous Smokey the Bear baloon, making its first ever appearance in Lake Tahoe, as well as firefighter gear demonstrations and representatives from many local, state, and federal agencies.

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Defensible Space

For the individual homeowner, the key thing they can do to protect their home from the risk of being consumed in a catastrophic wildfire is to have good defensible space. LivingWithFire.info reccomends at least 30 feet of non-flammable plants, with a stone drainage between any vegitation and your house and a 100 foot "lean, clean, and green" area around your home if possible.  The TRPA used to reccomend that people leave their pine needles in their yard for water quality, the new reccomendation is to clean the entire defensible space area of all dead material.

Lake Tahoe Master Gardeners has provided a list of plants to be sure to avoid in the 30ft area including:

• Juniper
• Spruce
• Pines and Firs
• Manzanita
• Chinquepin
• Huckleberry Oak

Fire Gear

Structure firefighting and wildland firefighting have very different needs. Structure fires burn hot in confined spaces, so the gear is designed to offer protection against both extreme heat and dense smoke inside a building. 

Wildland firefighting gear has to be lighter.  According to fire marshal Eric Guevin "obviously when we do a  wildland fire, a brush fire, that gear is not practical.  We wouldn't be able to have all that gear on. It's way to heavy, the guys would be exhausted and they wouldn't be able to fight the fire because they'd be physically unable to do that."

He continued, "It's a lot lighter, so they're more agile on the fire line, and yet it affords some protection against fire brands and fire exposure.  So it's designed to keep them a little cooler and a little bit more agile but yet provide for protection." 

Wildland firefighters also have to contend with the weight of carrying a portable fire shelter, a hose, a supply of water, and tools for cutting fire lines and setting backfires.