Councilman, Richard Anderson, was voted in as Vice Mayor. Traditionally, the positions of Mayor and Vice Mayor in the Town of Truckee rotate annually among the Town Council members at the first meeting in December.

Emigrant Trail is probably Truckee's most popular mountain biking trail, and with good reason. It is fun for everyone from beginner to expert, and since it runs through a scattered forest at a low elevation, it is out of the snow sooner in the spring and it stays out of the snow later in the fall, then most trails.

There are two trailheads, both located north of Truckee on Highway 89. The first is at the Donner Camp Picnic Area 3.5 miles north of the junction of Highway 89 and Interstate 80.

By the 1980s, North American resorts were beginning to feature pedestrian villages with multiple attractions for families, including large day-care centers. Many resorts had low-rise buildings snuggled discreetly into their surroundings and plenty of open space, largely free of automobiles. Baby boomers and social trends favored the environment and plenty of interaction. Alain Lazard saw what was occurring and hoped to fulfill his dreams in Coldsteam Canyon.

Where is the Canyon?

At Donner Lake, the Donner Party confronted one of the biggest and earliest series of snowstorms on record (October 1846), and the rest is history. As weather/historian, Mark Mc Laughlin, noted in an article here on Tahoetopia, the Stephens Party had crossed Donner Pass two years earlier (1844) in November without any major problems. Roller Pass is the next pass south of Donner Pass. Roller is on the Sierra Crest at the head of Coldstream Canyon; the bottom of Coldstream is in the Donner Memorial State Park just west of Truckee.

"Maia lives up to being a woman of exemplary character, and is certainly a role model for other women in our community," said Joan Hartwell, coordinator for the Woman of Distinction program. Tamara Lieberman, the 2004 recipient, introduced Schneider before the standing room only crowd.

"The community came out like never before," said Wallace. "It was a reflection of this community's passion for rivers, creeks, and streams."

Volunteers including scout troops, school groups, families, and individuals worked on trail maintenance, re-vegetation, and stream bank restoration. The day ended with a barbecue, live music, and the release of 300 rare Lahontan Cutthroat Trout into the Truckee River at the Granite Flat campground on Highway 89 just south of Truckee.

Palisades Tahoe opened as a ski area in 1949. Mt. Shasta opened in 1958. Alpine Meadows opened in 1961. It was a major new resort located in the next valley south of Palisades Tahoe. Alpine Meadows was the dream of John Reily, then the treasurer of the Carnation Company, and later a full-time resident of Tahoe City. Reily hired Peter Klaussen to build and operate the resort.

I have been to the trailhead in August and found no cars there, and I have done the entire trail without seeing anyone. While the trail has no lakes alongside and it starts at the end of a remote dirt road, it makes for a wonderful day trip, especially if you start from the Truckee area, only 20 miles away down highway 89. (Driving instructions are below.)

On September 24, in keeping with tradition, Father Nelson Van Gundy blessed this year's wine grapes with snow saved from last winter. This blessing marks the beginning of harvest when grapes arrive at the “Big Red Barn,” otherwise known as the Truckee River Winery.

The grapes were hauled over the Sierras from Lodi, Nevada County, and the Santa Lucia Highlands. They will be used to start the current production of merlot, zinfandel and award-winning pinot noir wines.