By Mike Luery, KCRA-TV

A cellphone video that has been seen more than 5 million times after KCRA 3 shared it on Facebook Tuesday. It shows a mother bear and her two cubs swimming at Pope Beach in Lake Tahoe, near Camp Richardson.

It’s not every day you see a family of bears playing in a public lake — unless you’re a biologist.

“At Lake Tahoe, we get bears down at the lake frequently,” said Jason Holley, a supervising wildlife biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In the video, which was shot last week, the mama bear doesn’t seem to mind the paddleboarders and other people nearby.

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Nevada State Parks is putting on ranger-led hikes to the Sand Harbor overlook of the Tahoe Rim Trail on Aug. 12 and Sept. 17.

This is a moderate hike (4 miles total). Wear sturdy boots, sunscreen, bring lunch, drinks or snacks and dress for the forecasted weather. Children 8 and older are welcome.

Four-wheel drive is necessary and reservations are required by calling 775.831.0494. The hike is free, but donations to the park are appreciated.

Meet at Spooner Lake at 8:45am and carpool to the Marlette Peak Campground. From there it will be a 2-mile hike to the overlook.

No matter how much time and effort is spent in the removal of dandelions, they persist and always return in seemingly larger numbers.

Dandelions, weed or feed? is the subject of an Aug. 13 talk at UC Davis Tahoe City Field Station.

Learn how to use all parts of the dandelion for foods, drinks, and medicinal purposes. Discover the dandelion’s benefits and uses as well as how to harvest them. Bring small containers or bags to take home dandelions and all their edible parts.

Registration for this workshop is requested but not required. This program will begin at 10am at 2400 Lake Forest Road in Tahoe City. It is free, although any type of donation is appreciated.

For more information or directions call 775.881.7566.

A portable ice rink is expected to open in the winter on the sixth hole of the Tahoe City Golf Course.

Tahoe City Public Utility District’s board last month approved the $843,000 project that will be operated by Tahoe Cross Country. It will be open from about Thanksgiving through mid-March.

The initial outlay of money will include a Zamboni machine, skates and refrigeration. The bulk of the money is coming from hotel taxes, an anonymous donor gave $100,000 and other donations are being sought.

The rink will be 50-feet by 80-feet, but can be expanded.

By Blair Anthony Robertson, Sacramento Bee

With the Rio Olympics only days away, there’s always the danger that we will become a bunch of couch potatoes fixated on our flat screens, what with all the drama to take in and the athletes to follow.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Sure, the Rio Olympics promise to be entertaining, but you can also find inspiration there that can get you moving and plenty of things to learn that can take your health and fitness goals to new heights.

If you’re trying to drop a few pounds, one look at all those six-pack abs in the running events or at the Olympic pool might encourage you to bypass dessert, lace up your sneakers and, for starters, go for a a brisk walk.

If you’re already active, digging deeper into what the athletes do to prepare and improve will give you all kinds of information about strength and endurance training you can apply to your own workouts.

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Low water level is forcing the closure of Sand Harbor boat ramp.

Officials said the closure will prevent boats from being damaged during launching and also protect the end of launch lanes from harm.

The parking lot will remain open for non-motorized, carry-in boat access.

The closure starts Aug. 5 at 6am.

The women dominated the courts at Zephyr Cove Tennis Club during the 33rd annual Tahoe Tennis Classic.

Donna Rockwood of South Lake Tahoe, Christy Wurster of Placerville and Holly Tretten of Reno were the big winners, all three winning twice.

Rockwood took home the women’s 7.0 title with partner Becky Darrow of Zephyr Cove and won the 7.0 mixed with husband Craig Rockwood. This is the second consecutive year Rockwood has won the women’s division.

Rockwood and Darrow were the No. 1 seeds in the four-day tournament that started July 28. They overcame the No. 3 seeded duo of Liz Bissell of El Dorado Hills and Lorraine Segala of Stateline 6-0, 7-6.

The Rockwoods were the No. 1 seed in mixed. They beat the No. 2 team of Carolyn Wright of Zephyr Cove and Rich Sheldrew of Minden 6-2, 6-3.

Wurster teamed with Sara Catania (Incline Village) to take home the women’s 8.0 trophy. They defeated Patty Yamano (Henderson) and Shelley Ware (Fort Bragg) 7-6, 6-2. Yamano and Ware met for the first time at this tournament.

Wurster then paired with Mark Silva (Shingle Springs) to win the 8.0 mixed. They were beating Jim Billicki (Rancho Mirage) and Lorraine Daniel (Rancho Mirage) 6-3, 6-4 when the Southern California duo had to retire.

Tretten and her mom, Carol, were out for some revenge this year after being runner-ups in the 9.0 category in 2015. They came from a set down this year to beat fellow Reno residents Jeanette Berry and Laura Pierce 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

In the mixed 10.0 division Tretten teamed with South Lake Tahoe’s Ryan Johnston to outlast Kim Iliffe (Mill Valley) and John Wlcek (South Lake Tahoe) 6-2, 6-3.

Other Tahoe Tennis Classic winners were:

·       Men’s 50 doubles: Chris Long (Reno) and Tren Nolan (Reno) beat Richard Johnson (Ballwin, Mo.) and Ted Yukawa (Palm Desert) 6-4, 6-4.

·       Men’s 65 doubles: Dan Bohannon (Orange) and Mark Peterson (Truckee) beat Ross Rittiman (Zephyr Cove) and Hersh Herschman (Zephyr Cove) 6-2, 6-1.

·       Men’s 7.0: Thor Spargo (Fair Oaks) and Murray Yoffee (Gardnerville) beat Kent McCarthy (Rancho Mirage) and Ryan Solberg (Truckee) because of a default.

·       Men’s 8.0: Randall Osterhues (Reno) and Steve Reid (Reno) beat Denis Diehl (Reno) and Jim Kumpel (Reno) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

·       Men’s 10.0: Tony Matkulak (Reno) and Kevin Strawn (Reno) beat Johnston and Mohamed Irfan Lakdawala (San Francisco) 6-4, 6-4.

·       Women’s 10.0: Iliffe and Keri Mills (Davis) beat Penne Burgess (Carson City) and Serena Quarelli (Sonoma) when they had to retire because of an injury. The score at that time was 6-1, 2-1.

For the second year in a row a record was established for the number of doubles teams who played – 124, which was three more than a year ago. The 184 players – ranging in age from 12 to 81 – came from nine states to play in 12 divisions.

At the end of four days, more than 150 matches had been played.

The four-day tournament is sponsored by the nonprofit Zephyr Cove Tennis Club Foundation.

Looking back toward the start, the coaster winds through the forest at Heavenly. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

By Kathryn Reed

Knees against the metal, hands on the cables, helmet securely fastened, nervous chit-chatter – and then screams of fun.

This is the ritual at the Hot Shot Zipline at Heavenly Mountain Resort as four people at once fly through the air at at least 30 mph.

For Kiana Gamble, this was the perfect way to spend her 11th birthday – with her parents and 14-year-old brother playing on the mountain that is better known for winter fun. The foursome came from Virginia City for the day.

The coaster ride is what the birthday girl was most excited about. And with good reason.

Lake Tahoe is hard to miss from the coaster. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

While the coaster only goes 25 mph, that was fast enough for two in our group to not even notice Lake Tahoe whizzing by in the distance. We went up again – and again – and then they saw it.

It’s one of those rides where once is definitely not enough.

It starts off with a slow, straight ascent up the mountain into terrain that was never a groomed ski hill. The metal maze of the course crosses overhead, with the spiral loop-de-loop to the side. People are whooping it up as they zip by.

Then there’s a shack at the top and the worker signals now is the time to thrust the handles forward – leaving them up is the same as breaking.

Siobhan Stack fastens Kiana Gamble to the zipline rig, while Aiden Gamble waits for the gate to open. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

It’s this first curve where the lake comes into view. And from there on it’s all about whizzing through the forest. This coaster is considered a bit more advanced than Vail Resorts’ other ones – and of course it’s the only one with a view of that alpine lake.

For anyone who likes rollercoasters, this is a must-do. But Heavenly officials stress it is not a rollercoaster – and it’s technically not, but it sure has the fun factor of one.

The whole ride is 3,000-feet long, with a descent of 300 feet. It’s actually one of the least active attractions, making it good for all ages and ability levels.

Every 10 minutes four people fly on the Hot Shot Zipline. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

This play land is part of Heavenly’s expanded summer offerings. Epic Discovery is available at Vail Resorts’ Colorado properties in Vail and Breckenridge as well. The Broomfield, Colo.-based resort owner has invested $25 million on Epic Discovery so far, though the breakdown at each resort has not been provided.

While the company has said it plans to spend as much as $100 million on summer programs across its eight major U.S. resorts, Pete Sonntag, COO of Heavenly, told Lake Tahoe News there are no immediate plans to expand operations at Northstar or Kirkwood.

Some of the attractions at Heavenly are not new. The longer zipline has been operational on and off for more than eight years. The ropes courses opened in 2014. Hiking and tubing have been around since at least 2011.

Coop Cooper of Heavenly explains educational features of Epic Discovery. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

The 2011 Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act allowed the U.S. Forest Service, which owns most of the land ski reports operate on, to permit summer activities.

The longer zipline wasn’t open when the four of us went up there earlier this month. Staffing has been an issue – as it is at a lot of Tahoe businesses. (Companies can’t find reliable help.) Nonetheless, the two of us who have been on both ziplines believe the smaller one is actually more fun and seemed to go faster. Pyramid Peak is in the far distance, while it looks like the roof of Tamarack Lodge could be the landing spot.

A drawback, though, to the Hot Shot Zipline is carrying the 20-pound apparatus on the incredibly slow Easy Rider chairlift and then walking up stairs to the launch pad. This is going to be a problem for some people.

Views of Lake Tahoe are prominent along the 4×4 guided ride. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

Right next to the zipline is the tubing hill. It’s possible to link tubes together or have the workers to spin the rider for a more exhilarating ride down. The coaster is next to the tubing hill.

All of the attractions are accessed from the top of the gondola. An information station is at the bottom of the stairs to point people where to go. To the right is a loop trail that is accessible to the disabled. Heavenly even has wheelchairs with super fat tires to accommodate people.

While there is plenty of physical stuff to do, there is also an educational component. The dozen pathway stones talk about lake clarity, animals in the forest and other pertinent information involving the environment.

USFS rangers also lead tours of the mountain. They may also be enlisted to help with crowd control. This is a work in progress for the mountain as it copes with growing pains in this first summer with so many activities. Rangers may pull people out of line to give them a tour, while their spot is reserved in line.

The 4-wheel drive excursion takes people to an elevation of 10,000 feet. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

A four-wheel drive tour is an ideal way to see the mountain without exerting energy. It is a bit bumpy, so people with bad backs might want to think twice. The 10-seater vehicle is not likely to be a hit with those who ski or hike the area, but it will be ideal for everyone else. A guide who talked less (and didn’t share personal medical stories) would make for a more pleasant excursion. There needs to be time to let guests absorb the serenity of the scenery.

Plan to spend the day on the mountain and not just a few hours. The ropes courses can take 2½ hours, canopy tour 3 hours, and expedition tour 1½ hours. Plus, Tamarack Lodge is open offering a full complement of food and beverages.

Heavenly isn’t done with creating summer fun. The bike park is still a few years off. It will be more of a trail system and not the downhill adventure that Northstar has. Next summer a fire lookout will be at East Peak to teach people about fire in the backcountry. There will also be fishing available on that side of the mountain.

Various pitches on the climbing wall cater to different skill levels. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

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Notes:

·       For $89/adults, $49/kids: Gondola, Ridge Rider Mountain Coaster, Hot Shot Zipline, Granite Peak Climbing Wall, tubing, three adventure ropes courses.

·       Additional costs: Skyway Canopy Tour $189, Blue Streak Zipline $68, Summit Expedition tour $37.

·       The resort is still assessing whether any of the summer attractions will be available in the winter.

·       A closing date for the activities this season has not been set.

·       Some attractions have age, height and health limits.

·       Epic Discovery is open 10am-4:30pm.

By Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times

Upending conventions about how best to strength train, a new study finds that people who lift relatively light weights can build just as much strength and muscle size as those who grunt through sessions using much heftier weights — if they plan their workouts correctly.

Strength training has long been dominated by the idea that to develop a physique like that of Charles Atlas or even Zac Efron, we — and I include women here — must load our barbells or machines with almost as much weight as we can bear.

In traditional weight training programs, in fact, we are told to first find the heaviest amount of weight that we possibly can lift one time. This is our one-repetition maximum weight. We then use this to shape the rest of the program by lifting 80 to 90 percent of that amount eight to 10 times, until our affected arms or legs shake with fatigue.

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Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care’s annual open house is Aug. 7 from 10am-4pm.

This is the one time of the year people other than volunteers with the nonprofit organization are permitted on the grounds where the wild animals are rehabilitated.

The South Shore center has four bear cubs, a red-tailed hawk, 14 raccoons, six great-horned owls, five gray foxes, a bald eagle, a golden eagle and more.

Volunteers will guide visitors through the grounds and describe the reasons the various wildlife are at LTWC, and the prognosis for their eventual release back to the wild.

Information about the nonprofit’s new home under construction on Al Tahoe Boulevard will also be available.

LTWC is at 1485 Cherry Hills Circle off of Elks Club Drive in Meyers.