What’s not to lake?
Lake Tahoe, here I come. I have left the crowds behind and am heading to the Sierra Nevada — a mountain range that straddles California and Nevada — for the tranquil lake. I drive for about 40 minutes from Reno (in Nevada),
Dubbed the “biggest little city in the world” — a reference not to its size as much to its attitude — for my first glimpse of its shimmering turquoise waters. With a surface area of about 122,200 acres, this is the largest alpine lake in North America. At 6,225 ft above sea level, it is also among the highest lakes in the US.
I dip my toes in the lake while the not-so-timid jump right in, tries stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, windsurfing, and an array of other water sports. But even as I look at this vast expanse of blue-green, I want to learn more about the lake, how it was formed, what lies beneath, and the life it sustains. So my local friend, Naomi, suggests a trip to the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, which sits within the Sierra Nevada College campus in Nevada.
Do it yourself: The Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences within the Sierra Nevada College campus breaks all clichés and makes learning fun with the use of interactive technology – IMAGE COURTESY: THE UC DAVIS TAHOE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER This is a center that breaks all stereotypes and makes learning a whole lot of fun with the use of interactive technology. Donning 3-D glasses, I soar over the lake and then go underwater without getting wet! A booming voice dubs mean Earth scientist, while the video explains how the lake was born. It goes back over 2 million years. The lake, I learn, emerged out of geological faulting. Think of faulting as a
