Lake Tahoe, California

I never understood why Californians and Nevadans held their shared deep, large mountain lake with such high regard, until now.

I have a hotel reservation in King's Beach, but I can't remember the hotel. I call the online booking service that I ordered the room from - but they have no record of my reservation. There is only one option! Go to every hotel in King's Beach. I do this as quickly as possible, until finally, a smiley guy at a dumpy little hotel says, "Erik Gauger?, yes, yes!"

The high regard is warranted, I can say now that I am spending some time here. The entire lake is like an imaginary place - bright blues, snowcapped mountains, and sweet little towns with docks of wooden boats.

The most imaginary and spectacular of Lake Tahoe's coastline is the northern edge on the Nevada side, where state park designation has protected a long length of the coast and nearby mountains.

In these mountains, I wander in the easy-to-navigate woods, and come upon a forty-something German man with long bleached hair. He is wearing camo pants and an intense black shirt. He wears a heavy pair of binoculars, also in camo, and a fanny pack, camo. He is looking up at a tree. When he sees me, he asks if I am a naturalist. I know what he means by this - do I like to wander around the woods and look for things. Birders, wildflower enthusiasts, mushroom hunters - nature collectors all have unique ways of identifying themselves.

I have no problem admitting that indeed, I very much like to look for things in the woods. After a short conversation, we part ways.

Later in the day, I run into him again. He is driving through the Sierra Range with his girlfriend - both on motorcycles. She's back in camp, he's out looking for animals. He has spotted a bird in the willow trees near where we stand, but he can't figure out what it is. I decide to join him, and for a good hour, we work on the identiy of the strange bird in the willows. A pair of walkers cross paths with us. Fascinated, one walker says, "You guys aren't tourists, I gather."

The German looks down from his binoculars at the walker and says with a sort of wilderness intensity,, "You got that right."

I am enjoying this moment, because the walkers are assuming I am part of this guy's camo-wilderness team. You got that right. But actually, I get this guy. When the walkers leave, he says, "I found both male and female horsetails just over there. Think of that. That never happens." A few minutes later, he is staring through his binoculars again.

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