Teenage golf phenom Michelle Wie is going to play in the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. She was granted an unrestricted sponsor exemption, giving her a spot in the field of 132 PGA Tour pros for which she would not otherwise qualify. The Open kicks off on July 28 and runs through August 3 at Montrêux Golf & Country Club in Reno. This 2008 edition of the Reno-Tahoe Open is the only PGA tour event in northern Nevada. The title sponsor is the Legends at Sparks Marina, a large entertainment and retail complex currently under construction by RED Development, LLC.

The Reno-Tahoe Open is more than just golf. Numerous sponsors will be offering a variety of activities, including the family friendly Kidz Par Tee Zone, Vino 100 Wine Walk, and a Montreux Home Tour. Learn about what's going to be happening on the What's New web page. Another way for golf fans to have fun and support a good cause is to participate in Birdies for Charity. Make a pledge and guess how many birdies the players will make during the tournament. Your donation is tax deductible and you have a shot at winning a flat screen TV and Nintendo Wii from Best Buy.

This event supports numerous charities through the non-profit Reno-Tahoe Open Foundation. You can purchase and print tickets to the Reno-Tahoe Open online or order by phone at (775)322-3900. Daily tickets can be purchased at the tournament site. If you are new to PGA golf tournament spectating, the Reno-Tahoe Open website has a good section on how to be a proper spectator.

Aliens land in Reno!
Photo © Stan White

More Reno / Tahoe Wordless Wednesday blogs...

More Wordless Wednesday blogs...

Incline Lake and over 750 acres of surrounding forest, long a private enclave for the rich and famous above Lake Tahoe's north shore, will soon become public property. It took several years for the U.S. Forest Service and Incline Lake Corporation to work out a deal, but a compromise has been agreed upon and the transfer is in progress. According to a recent article in the Reno Gazette-Journal, public access will be restricted for the next few months while structures are removed and restoration projects are implemented.

The Incline Lake property is on the west side of the Mt. Rose Highway (Nevada 431) between Tahoe Meadows and Incline Village, less than 30 miles from Reno. Reports I've read say this is an extraordinary place and a great addition to the Reno / Tahoe recreational scene. With today's high cost of going anywhere, I'm looking forward to yet another beautiful place to visit that's close to Reno.

Fire restrictions in the Lake Tahoe Basin are now in effect. The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the U.S. Forest Service has placed limits on campfires, smoking, and other outdoor burning activities in order to minimize the chances of human caused fires around Lake Tahoe. Be sure to check this out if you plan on recreating at Lake Tahoe this summer during the fire season.

With gas prices through the roof, I've gotten out of the mindset that you have to drive a long way to have fun and been seriously scrutinizing places to go that are closer to Reno. One of these is Lakes Basin Recreation Area in Plumas National Forest. It's about 70 miles from my front door and quite doable as a day trip, though accommodations from primitive camping to fancy lodges are available throughout the area for those wishing to linger.

Lakes Basin is managed for multiple uses, including hiking, boating, swimming, camping, and fishing and hunting. Being hikers, my group and I did the Lakes Basin loop, which starts and ends at the Round Lake trailhead near Gold Lake Lodge. From here, you can do the whole loop of about 9.5 miles, which is fairly strenuous, with an elevation gain and loss of almost 1500 feet. Your reward is expansive views of the surrounding mountains, including the sawtoothed Sierra Buttes, and a look at the extent of Lakes Basin itself. You can see five or six blue gems at the same time from some places along this hike. Those with less time or ambition can hike out either branch of the loop and reach several lakes before the serious climbing begins. Either way, you will walk through lush meadows of wildflowers and enjoy the sweet fragrance of pine and sagebrush. Be sure to take plenty of drinking water, sunscreen, and bug repellent. The flowers grow where it is damp and so do the mosquitos.

The Plumas National Forest Lakes Basin Recreation Area website is a good resource for information about the area. If you are a hiker, check out the book Hiking Northern California by Ron Adkison. To get there from Reno, go north on 395 to Hallelujah Junction (intersection with highway 70) and head toward Portola. Continue through Portola and turn left on highway 89 toward Graeagle. Just past Graeagle, look for the sign to Lakes Basin Recreation area, which is a right turn onto the Gold Lake Highway. In about 7.5 miles, look for a Gold Lake Lodge sign and turn right into the trailhead parking area.

If you have other good ideas for fun places to visit close to Reno, please post a comment and let everyone know.