The New Years Eve 2005 Flood

Whoa! Been raining on and off for the last week. Over the last 24 hours its been really coming down in Northern California and NW Nevada. The resulting runoff is causing flooding along the Truckee River and playing havoc with Evans Creek in our neighborhood. Here are a few pictures taken this morning (12/31/05). Happy New Years everyone! We're staying home this year and contemplating filling some sandbags.



Backyard view from the deck

View looking east (downstream) on Evans Creek

A neighbor's house that's flooded out (note the high water mark on the garage door).

Evans Creek behind the flooded house

Lakeside and Evans Creek

Entrance to the Green Ranch development. This is overflow from Evans Creek (probably about 6-10" deep).

Standing in the middle of Lakeside Street

Evans Creek flowing under the wooden bridge at Bartley Ranch Park

The Ranch Loop HIKING TRAIL at Bartley Ranch Park! The old irrigation ditch is overflowing into the trail.

A peek behind an office building on Lakeside Street. Notice the water overflowing the decorative rock retaining wall

Lakeside strip mall parking lot. No Blue Moon Pizza today!

The corner of Ridgeview and Lakeside. Note that the water is covering the wheels on the silver truck turning right off Lakeside.

Washoe Valley in the fall

Just got done watching a mellow surf movie called Singlefin:Yellow. The movie got me thinking about all the ways that people enjoy life. Cyclings one way that I enjoy life and it doesn't get much better then a crisp fall ride. The leaves will be off the trees when you read this but here's a few picts from a morning ride several weekends ago.



The route out of Reno to Washoe Valley follows the route of this year's Tour De Nez; Reno's very own professional cycling road race.

Because we're in a valley between two mountain ranges there's lots of seismic activity. Here's a local geothermal plant that produces electricity. That's snow on the 10,000 ft peak of Mt. Rose in the background.  


The route to Washoe Valley involves a little highway time. No worries as the shoulder is pretty wide. My goal is the reach the base of Slide Mountain which is in the background of this pict.

Ahh.... Washoe Valley. This loop takes me around alpine mountains on one side of the valley and desert mountains on the other. The road allows for some very easy fall riding.

A look out across the meadows and ranch land. The morning sun has not burned off the haze on the far side of the valley.

The Bowers Mansion. Once a home for a Comstock mining baron. Now part of a county park.

Fall is definitely a good time to visit (and a good time to ride).

Looking back toward Slide Mountain to observe my progress.

Now on the far side of the valley riding through the sweet smelling desert sage of the high desert. 


Note - If you've made it this far into the blog and you've never been out to visit then you should really take some time off. If you've been out to visit in the winter then give some thought to visiting in one of the other three seasons. I talk alot about riding bikes but the hiking here is pure bliss (ask Zoe). There's plenty of camping, whitewater, and lots of adventures for you.

By popular request here are some Zoe picts from the weekend. We spent Sunday with our neighbor and some friends at the Bartley Ranch Fall Festival. This county park is walking distance from our house and provides a nice place for kids to play and enjoy an autumn day outside.



Zoe and Christopher enjoying a haybale bench (Notice the cookies in the background. The smiles are for the sweets)

Hanging out on the back of an antique fire truck

Zoe and Corinne try out a school desk in the Bartley Ranch one room schoolhouse

This school stuff is pretty interesting!

Zoe thinking about which pumpkin to take home

Corinne and Zoe share a moment at the pumpkin patch

Dad's favorite event of the day - the eight piece accordian band plays "Roll Out the Barrels"

Zoe enjoys a hot dog picnic in the grass after a long day at the Fall Festival