hawks

As of Saturday, I am retiring as the Outdoor Editor for Carson Now and a very special outdoor photographer (my wife Elaine) will also be retiring.
It's been a great run, full of great memories, but sooner or later all good things must come to an end, and Oct. 31 is that special time for the two of us.

If you're looking for plans this Labor Day weekend, why not take a leisurely sightseeing tour of our own western Nevada and Sierra backyard? It’s easy to do, you’ll be on paved highways all the way, and you’ll have plenty of chances for taking photographs, shopping, buying souvenirs, eating and perhaps even a little fishing.

As I reported last year, some newcomers moved into our Carson City neighborhood, and their arrival produced some good news and some bad news. The good news about the new arrivals:

I hope you’re looking for a great time tonight, because it will be easy to find. Head over to the Brewery Arts Center for a special appearance by Delta Nove, a funky reggae-fusion band from Southern California; sign up for a membership while you're there to keep the great performers coming! Fridays at Firkin returns with Road Daddy playing on the Third Street Stage. The Whitehats are getting the party started at Carson Station.

It’s a Railroad kind of weekend in Carson City. The historic 1885 Glenbrook Steam Engine will be on display Saturday, all steamed up with the Inyo at the Nevada Railroad Museum. You will want to arrive before the dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. to get the best photos. The V and T Steam Engine #25 will be running all weekend if you want to take a ride. It’s also opening weekend for the Virginia and Truckee that departs from the Eastgate Depot for Virginia City. Roundtrips sell out fast, so make sure to get a reservation if you want to go.

SATURDAY:

• Memorial Day Specials at Empire Ranch Golf Course (free 18 holes with Military I.D.; free bucket of balls if wearing red, white, and blue; free draft beer if wearing camouflage)
• Coffee and Donuts with EAA Sierra Chapter 403 at 2500 E. College Pkwy (8:30am-12pm, all welcome)
• Early Spring Farmers Market in the south parking lot of the Greenhouse Garden Center (9am-1pm)

The Senators of Carson High School took on the Hawks of Hug High School Friday night on the Carson home basketball court. The Senators had just come off a frustrating 33-36 loss against Spanish Springs, but held to their promise and showed different results in this match up.

It was the second game of the season for Carson High School's girls varsity basketball team earlier Friday evening in the CHS gymnasium. The Senators took on the Hug Hawks as their second opponents of the year in a match up.

The first quarter brought the usual slow start, but Carson began pulling ahead early going up 6-2 with 3:57 left in the first. Brianna Alverado racked up five points in just a matter of seconds and a couple of lay ups later the Senators cranked up the score to 15-6 at the end of the first quarter.

It is that time of year again for winter sports in the NIAA Northern Region. The beginning of this year's basketball season took place Thursday evening in the Carson High School Gymnasium as the Cougars of Spanish Springs took on the Senators of Carson in a heated varsity boys basketball show down.

It was the opening action of regional play that kicked off Thursday evening on the hard court as the Carson Senators took on the Spanish Springs Cougars in a cross league, girls varsity basketball match up.

Carson took control of the game from the start when they hopped out to an early 8-2 lead thanks to a couple of early steals.

This large Pinon Pine has made a precarious home for itself wedged in a crack on a huge boulder on Mt. McClellan. Mt. McClellan is the large mountain visible from anywhere in Carson City.

The Pinon Pine was Nevada's original state tree. Today our state tree in Nevada is the Bristlecone Pine. Mt. McClellan is located just north of Carson City, and Carson is visible in the background of the photo.

To reach the peak, it's about a 6 mile trip up a very rough and unmaintained dirt road that begins at Goni Road in North Carson City.

Last week, Rob Buonamici of Carson City and I spent a fun-filled day, "supposedly" scouting for buck mule deer.
I say supposedly, because we actually spent the day, having a ton of fun, enjoying the scenery and my taking a whole bunch of photos (over 60!) We were in Nevada's Big Game Management Area 192.

That Management Area is bounded by U.S. 50 on the north side, the California state line on the south side, U.S. 395 on the east side and Lake Tahoe on the west side.

Coming off a disappointing one-point loss at home, Carson football coach Blair Roman wanted nothing more than for his team to bounce back with enough heart to pick up a tough road win Friday at Hug.
The No. 5 Senators came through.

The Carson Senators took on the Hawks of Hug High Thursday at home on the volleyball court. The Senators made quick work of the Hawks, taking care of business in less than an hour 25-3, 25-12, 25-12. It was a relatively textbook victory for the Senators, who at no point really seemed to struggle to put the Hawks away.

Carson played their sixth match of the season earlier today starting at 3 o' clock at Carson. With the win as a team Carson advances to 5-1 on the season, dropping their only loss to the Grizzlies of Galena. Many of the seniors on the Carson squad stepped up to triumph over Reed for the win today, but one team in particular has been nothing but excellent the entire year.

Elaine and I recently returned from a fun-filled, three-day, fishing and hiking destination in the mountains; and if you like hiking, trout fishing, together with good food and comfortable accommodations, you might be interested in knowing about the Virginia Lakes area in California.

How to get there:
It's easy, just take U.S. 395 south from Carson City, through Minden, Gardnerville, Topaz, Coleville, Walker and Bridgeport to the very top of Conway Summit. At the summit, take the paved road on the right for six miles to the end of the pavement at Little Virginia Lake.

My son Jim, daughter-in-law, Kathi, Elaine and I are four joint owners of the “Quilici Cabin,” located on a steep, mountain hillside at an elevation of 6,000 feet in the middle of a forest of pine trees, Quaking Aspen trees and brush, between Portola and Davis Lake in Northern California.

We have a small, comfortable home, built in the late 1940's, located in the older west side of Carson City, and we recently discovered that what is considered good news for some is actually bad news for others in our particular neighborhood. Let me explain what I mean:

Hello fellow anglers, winter came back and stirred up the fishing. I now think that is behind us, for at least a week or so. This time of year never trust Mother Nature and always be prepared. I have been caught off guard back in the high country as well as an overnighter at Indian Creek Reservoir.

If you're not into traditional winter sports such as ice fishing, ice skating, downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing or snowmobiling, there is not a lot to do in late winter...for most people.

Some choose to stare out the window, complain about the snow, ice, frost and darkness of wintertime and stay glued to their TV sets. However, there are plenty of activities to take your mind off our cold weather, dark mornings and evenings, if you would like to do so.

Elaine and I spent an enjoyable day in the Great Outdoors last Sunday, which included spincasting for trout and taking photographs.

It was a fun-filled day that you might want to replicate in the near future, before Old Man Winter arrives with all of his cold, frost, snow and ice.

Here's an annual reminder of a special event at this time of the year! The Davis Lake area, just north of Portola, California has some spectacular displays of colorful wildflowers blooming at the present time.

In our many wanderings in the Great Outdoors in the last few years, Elaine and I have encountered all kinds of wildlife and birds; and I thought that it might be fun to share some of those encounters in the hope that, you too, might also experience some unforgettable memories.

So, with that as a lead-in, here's where to look and what you might see, and don't forget to take your iPhones or digital cameras for photos:

Leatha May Old was born in Reno, Nevada to Evelyn Marie and Fred Woods Halbouer Jr. She was first married to Eugene Herman Hawks in Fallon, Nevada in 1951. She later married Donald M. Old in 1...

By way of background, the “Quilici Cabin” is located in a rural area of Plumas County at an elevation of exactly 6,000 feet on a steep hillside between Portola and Davis Lake in Northern California; and it is jointly owned by Jim, Kathi, Don and Elaine Quilici, all of Carson City.

That two-story cabin was built back in 2003, and from our deck, you have a spectacular, world-class view of the surrounding groves of pine trees and quaking aspen trees plus the nearby and the faraway mountains.

Hobart Reservoir, a small, high-mountain reservoir, located at an elevation of 7,600 feet in the mountains between Carson City and Lake Tahoe, will open for the 2012 fishing season on May 1.
Because of its high elevation and location, this reservoir is normally covered with ice, and surrounded by deep snow drifts, when it opens on May 1.
However, this year is entirely different, ice and snow-wise. It will remain open to fishing through September 30.

Calling all wing lovers, the Great International Chicken Wing Society presents Carson City’s first Wing-Off at Carson Station Casino, Friday through Sunday. Check out the latest Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau blog for details and go here for a list of happenings through the month of October.

Troopers from the Nevada Highway Patrol-Major Accident Investigation Team are still piecing together the seven-vehicle crash that happened on Highway 395 near Jacks Valley Road in Douglas County Monday that sent several to the hospital and shut down southbound traffic on HIghway 395 for four hours.

Hobart Reservoir, a small, high-mountain reservoir, located at an elevation of 7,600 feet in the mountains between Carson City and Lake Tahoe, will open for the 2011 fishing season on May 1.
Because of its high elevation and location, this reservoir is normally covered with ice, and surrounded by deep snow drifts, when it opens on May 1.

It will remain open to fishing through September 30.

It's been a bad week for Sierra snowsports enthusiasts, as a professional skier from Vermont succumbed to injuries sustained during a freeskiing competition at Kirkwood, and a snowboarder died after hitting a tree at Northstar-at-Tahoe.

Ryan Hawks was competing in the Freeride World Tour event at Kirkwood ski area on Sunday when he attempted a backflip off a cliff. He was flown by helicopter to Renown Medical Center in Reno where he died Tuesday morning from his injuries.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A stunt pilot, Frank Hawks, unknowingly changed the direction of history for half the world’s population on Tuesday, December 28, 1920.

All he did was take a 23-year-old former tomboy who defied normal female behavior for a 10 minute ride in his plane. “By the time I had got two or three hundred feet off the ground, I knew I had to fly,” exclaimed Amelia Mary Earhart.