Camping America’s most beautiful desert lake

by Kyle Ellison on

In the middle of a high altitude desert completely devoid of shade, I somehow find myself setting up a tent on the beach.

At least, I think it’s a beach. There’s sand under my toes, the sound of waves lapping against the shore is no further than 10 yards from my tent flap, and between lukewarm sips from my Tecate beer can I’m able to faintly make out the scent of sea salt wafting on the breeze.

Only, I’m not on the coast. I’m in Nevada, 300 miles from the Pacific Ocean, on the shores of one of the few remaining salt lakes in the entire country. Furthermore, this is the desert, a place that only receives 7 inches of rain a year and is synonymous with exceptional dryness and heat.

Yet here I sit, tailgate facing the water and beach chair firmly planted in the sand, wondering if there is a reason why I’m the only one here.

%Gallery-131840%At 3,800 elevation and over an hour from the nearest urban center (Reno), Pyramid Lake is regarded by many to be the nation’s most beautiful desert lake. Covering a swath of 188 sq. miles of desert, the lake is 1/10 the size of Utah’s Great Salt Lake, yet due to its greater depth actually contains 25% more water. And yes, it’s salty, with the water containing about 1/6 the salt of regular ocean water.

As the terminus of the Truckee River which flows from higher, cleaner, and far more popular Lake Tahoe, Pyramid Lake retains an aura of tranquility and calm that’s lost on its famous neighbor. While other notable Nevada lakes such as Tahoe and Lake Mead swell with weekend partygoers and well-heeled recreationalists, it’s still possible to find a sliver of sand on Pyramid Lake where the only semblance of movement is the sun sinking below the distant horizon.

Set entirely within the boundaries of the Paiute Indian Reservation, Pyramid Lake is also a renowned spot for fish-hungry anglers looking to go home with a filet and a photo. In addition to the various species of trout that populate the lake (many of which are caught by fisherman sitting in the shallows of the lake in strangely concocted fishing chairs that look curiously like glorified lifeguard stands), Pyramid Lake is the only place on the planet known to contain the critically endangered cui-ui fish.

At the general store in the town of Sutcliffe, a local, non-Indian woman sporting a “Charter Member of the Piss and Moan Club” t-shirt is criticizing the recent move by the Paiute to close certain sections of the lake to non-tribal members. Due to various instances of graffiti found on sacred sites along the lake’s eastern shore, the tribe has taken the drastic measure of closing these sections to the general public.

These sites include the pyramid shaped rock structure 19th century explorer John Fremont incorporated into the lake’s name when in 1844 he became the first Westerner to lay eyes upon the lake. For the next 16 years, Pyramid Lake would be at the center of the tensions between native Paiute tribes and the hordes of American prospectors looking to strike it rich in silver, lumber, whiskey, and gold. Finally coming to a head in 1860, over 70 early settlers would be killed in a botched attack on the Paiute Tribe in what would infamously be the Pyramid Lake War. A full account of the reservation and the cultural history is available by visiting the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Museum and Visitor Center in the town of Nixon.

Camping permits for the reservation and Pyramid Lake are available for $9/night at either the Nixon General Store or by advance purchase online, so for less money than the minimum bet at the Vegas craps table, you can have the finest piece of beachfront property Nevada has to offer. The sunsets even come free.

A Short Break From The Road In Oklahoma City

by Paul Brady on


Seeing the recovery underway in Joplin, Missouri was an end point to a chapter of my trip. I’d done the Great Lakes, the East Coast, the South and, now, the Midwest. As I drove out of Missouri, the great expanse of the West loomed, a monstrous stretch of America to cover in the less than two weeks that remained in my trip.

I wasn’t looking forward to it. After eight weeks in the car, on the road, sleeping on floors, in tents, in anonymous hotel rooms and cozy bed and breakfasts, I could feel the end of the trip creeping closer, my end goal of Los Angeles in sight, if more than 2,000 miles away by the sinuous route I’d plotted. But first, I’d spend the night in Oklahoma City.

Traveling the American Road – Oklahoma City Baseball


After passing through Tulsa, with a quick stop for lunch at the Dilly Deli and coffee at DoubleShot, it was on to Oklahoma City. Like Atlanta, it’s a place much changed since the ’90s, when Timothy McVeigh killed 168 people with a truck bomb at the Murrah Federal Building. A beautiful and contemplative memorial to the dead now marks the site, its reflecting pool shimmering in the scorching August heat.

In the sixteen years since the attack, the downtown neighborhood of Bricktown has developed into the city’s preeminent nightlife and entertainment district. Anchoring it, at least for someone fascinated by baseball as a cultural touchstone, is RedHawks Field at Bricktown, the home of the Houston Astro’s AAA affiliate club. I was determined to see a game despite the triple-digit heat and bought a $15 ticket that would park me right behind the home team’s on-deck circle. I was in the second row.

I didn’t know it at the time, but it would turn out to be the last ballgame of the trip. There was too much road to cover, too much to see in Texas and New Mexico and the vast spaces of the American Southwest. It was a bittersweet game, this last minor league battle, a sign that my trip would soon be over, even if I had thousands of miles yet to go.

Five last-minute Labor Day hotel deals

by Melanie Renzulli on



If you’re like me, you haven’t booked a Labor Day weekend getaway just yet because to do so is to admit that summer is coming to a close. Luckily for us procrastinators and autumn deniers, there are a number of hotels that count on luring in last-minute stragglers with deep discounts on room rates and packages. Let’s take a spin around sites like Google Hotel Finder, Expedia, Travelzoo, and others to see what sweet hotel deals are on offer for Labor Day weekend 2011.Mission Inn
Riverside, CA
This historic inn-turned-resort and spa an hour east of Los Angeles has hosted presidents and celebrities and been the setting for books and films during its 125 years of operation. The Labor Day weekend deal at the Mission Inn starts at $169 per night (minimum two-night stay) and includes complimentary valet parking, dinner for two (with margaritas!), and a $25.00 resort gift card, which you can put towards a spa treatment at Kelly’s Spa or more margaritas.

Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa
Stowe, VT
It is neither peak New England foliage viewing time nor ski season, which makes finding a deal at a ski lodge in Vermont pretty easy. The Stoweflake, which has an on-site nine-hole golf course, walking trails, and a spa, caught our eye on Google’s Hotel Finder because its room rates for Labor Day weekend are listing at 35% less than the typical rates. Rates for rooms start at $160 or you can rent one of the resort’s town houses starting at $239 for a studio townhouse and $399 for a two-bedroom townhouse. As for margaritas, I’m sure they can shake up a few. But its Stoweflake’s 3,000-bottle wine cellar that’s worth checking out here.

Wigwam Resort
Litchfield Park, AZ
A vision in the Sonoran Desert just west of Phoenix, the 80-year-old Wigwam does the Southwest to ridiculous excess with golf, tennis, and pools with water slides. Labor Day weekend room rates at the Wigwam Resort start at approximately $79 per night. The hotel is also offering a “pick your perk” program, which includes half-price tennis clinics, $25 greens fees, and a few other deals. To get the perk, you must use the code “ENDOFSUM” when booking on the resort’s website. Did I mention that the Wigwam has tequila tastings? Having a wide variety of tequilas with which to make margaritas is essential to holiday weekend imbibing.

Biltmore Hotel
Miami, FL
You know where you can get a kick-ass margarita? Miami*. And where better to stay in Miami than the beautiful Biltmore Hotel? Through September via Travelzoo, you can get a junior suite at the Biltmore for $149 per night, a 60% discount from the typical price of $369.
*Okay, sticklers. I know the hotel is technically in Coral Gables. But have you checked out the pool, once the largest swimming pool in the world? More importantly, have you seen the outrageous caviar spread for Sunday champagne brunch? It’s $75 a head, but think of all the cash you’re saving on your hotel room!

Tropicana Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV
For less than the price of Biltmore brunch, you can stay at the famed Tropicana Las Vegas, a touch of South Beach on the strip that received an extensive renovation in 2010. Labor Day weekend rates at the Tropicana Las Vegas start at $65 per night, which means you’ll have more money in your pocket for slots and roulette. And, don’t you worry about those margaritas. As long as you’re gaming at the Tropicana’s Las Vegas Casino, the margaritas are free. What’s that, croupier? I lost again?!

Maybe we should just stay home.

Watch the new Ski Channel movie trailer: “Winter”

by Kyle Ellison on

After hauling in 12 awards from various film festivals with the astoundingly successful 2010 release of their first film, “The Story”, the adrenaline addicts over at The Ski Channel have done it again with their second film, “Winter” which is set to make its debut in early October.

In addition to capturing the death defying escapades of some of the world’s top adventure athletes, the film also features 5 tracks off of the soon to be released album “The Sea of Memories” by the rock artist Bush. The album’s feature track, “The Sound of Winter”, provides the background for the high-energy trailer and is poised to become one of the top singles in the nation.

With their first film having been filmed on location in Nepal, Antarctica, Chile, Alaska, Argentina, British Columbia, and the United States, “Winter” promises to take the viewer on a global whirlwind to some of the planet’s most remote destinations in ways, which according to the trailer, “push the human spirit to its limit…and then a little further”.

Launched in 2008, The Ski Channel is a Video on Demand Cable network that also operates one of the largest ski sites on the web. Features on the site regularly range from breaking ski news to equipment guides, and it also serves as a portal for adventure sports ranging from BASE jumping to Adventure Racing.

Watch the trailer, check out the site, and I guarantee you won’t be sitting in your seat for much longer.

National Parks Conservation Association rallies public support for park funding

by Kraig Becker on

The National Parks Conservation Association wants the U.S. government to stop cutting critical funding to national parks – and apparently many Americans agree. Earlier this week, the NPCA announced that it had garnered more than 105,000 signatures from its supporters asking Congress to put an end to budget cuts to the National Park Service, asserting that those cuts that are endangering the future of parks.

Back in May, the NPCA kicked off its National Parks Protection Project which was designed to educate members of Congress and the American public about the importance of proper funding for the national parks. When that initiative got underway, an online petition was also included, with the goal of attaining 100,000 signatures asking the government to stop slashing funding to the parks. After all, the NPCA points out, the Park Service’s budget is just one-thirteenth of one percent of the total federal budget.

For that relatively small amount of money, the national parks generate quite a return on the investment. Not only does that funding go toward protecting and promoting the most amazing park system in the world, it also has an important impact on the communities that surround those parks. It is estimated that the national parks are responsible for contributing more than $13 billion to local economies each year while also creating nearly 270,000 private-sector jobs.

Now, just over three months after the petition went online, the NPCA has not only met its goal, but exceeded it. In fact, the organization’s president, Tom Kiernan, has said “This is by far the most successful petition drive we’ve ever had – in nearly 100 years of operations – and it’s time for Congress to take notice of how many people have joined this effort.”

I tend to agree with Kiernan. The national parks are a fantastic resource and one that we need to protect for future generations to enjoy as well. Unfortunately, budget cuts have made those efforts incredibly challenging. But considering what the parks give back to us, both tangibly and intangibly, perhaps it is time to stop looking solely at the bottom line.