If somebody wants a business idea start a non profit that goes directly against the Sierra Club. I…read morebelieve that organization is part of the reason the US Forest Service can't do their job. Sierra Club goes under the disguise of being this big cuddly teddy bear. They fool good hearted people into thinking they are doing a service to the environment. If you dig around and see how they prevent underbrush cleaning and fire breaks you would see that they are partially to blame for all these fires that have occurred. Can we quantify the amount of pollution from all these fires the past years? Can we quantify the amount of pollution prevented by the Sierra Club. I bet if we could we would see that overall the organization has done more harm than good. The same way city mayors prevent local police from doing their job - there are some major forces that prevent the Forest Service from doing what they are supposed to do. I've seen all the current work to remove all the burned trees in progress... I guess at this point I don't see the point to do any of that work. Besides making things look better I don't see much point. I would rather the money be spent to cut fire breaks in other forests that are not yet burned down.

My name is Daniel. S. Today the "S" stands for speaking my mind against incompetence. Proceeding…read moreinto this review, I apologize for the negative tone of my words. However, the places that I review set the tone of who I am. Based on the lack of security in U. S. Forest Service managed Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (also known as Mount Charleston) outside of Las Vegas, I am of the opinion that the National Forest Service is doing the public a disservice mismanaging our National treasures that include Mount Charleston. I have visited Mount Charleston nearly every weekend since June of this year and the summer of 2015. The Forest itself is beautiful. However the National Forest Service mismanages so badly that is is considered reckless. There is an obvious lack of Rangers patrolling the trails. This is especially the case in the northwest vicinity of Kyle Canyon where vandalism and forest fires are rampant and turned Little Falls into Ghetto Falls. The following paragraph goes into examples that support this rock bottom rating. Near Mary Jane Falls there could of been a heavenly place called Little Falls. However, the limestone cliffs are so ravaged by graffiti. It is concerning that the Forest Service has ignored it since 2007 and copycat vandals have followed. Nearly every aspine tree has a vandal's initials caved in it. Even the roots of the 3,000 year old Raintree shows signs of vandals. Near the Visitor center vandals posted their graffiti of a Boulder on YouTube. You would think the Forest Service would catch it by going on YouTube and typing Mount Charleston vandalism. Now I'll mention the forest fires including the one burning today. In the last few weeks there have been human caused wildfires in the Mary Jane Falls area. You would think that after the first one there would be Rangers patrolling the area. No such thing! As I write this the third wildfire in the area has extended from three to 15 acres. What is sad that it was a hiker and not a Ranger that spotted the smoke at 2 pm on a Friday afternoon. Sadder, on the Go Mount Charleston page a hiker reported seeing campers carry equipment that can start an illegal fire. As a lover of the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area and critic of the National Forest Service, I feel that the best thing to happen to the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area and our National forests is to transfer them to an agency that is managed with a vision to preserve beautiful places such as Mount Charleston for generations to come. Before concluding this review I will say that I reviewed the Las Vegas field office and emailed them the vandalism issue in Mount Charleston. No response! I give the Forest Service land in Mount Charleston 5 stars and the managers of this land 1star. Sorry for the negative tone. I just speak the truth.

The Fantastic 4 and other friends were on way back from mountain-biking and we droved by this, what…read morewas once an enchanting place to live and visit, now a total catastrophe to watch after June 24th blazing fire in the South Lake Tahoe/El Dorado County area, that destroys a large amount of homes and leaving many residents dispossessed and inconsolable. We drove by the now-deserted road and saw nothing but ashes and debris scattered all over the streets. The fire has been longed contained, but the huge damage has been done. Structural damage has affected the residence and other neighboring communities. It is a bear to watch also put tears into our eyes to experience what just happen to a once quiet residential place, now an open area full of disaster. Although the cause of the fire is still under investigation, it's still a tragic to watch live and in the flesh. The residence and homeowners will get 5-star to what they endure.

The city of South Lake Tahoe is a pit. I can't believe that Sacramento/ Bay area people can't see…read moreit. Every Hotel in SLT has bed bugs. You pay crazy amount of money for hotels. All the restaurants have the same low quality food from the same 2 suppliers in town but charge twice as much as where you live. They load up police staff during busy times and weekends just to pad the cities bank account.

This is the place to get your permit to cut-down your own Christmas tree in Tahoe. For $10 they…read morewill provide you with a map and help you figure out where to go to get the best tree. By cutting-down your own tree, you are actually helping the forest by thinning-out the overgrowth, not to mention you will have fun and get the freshest tree for a very reasonable price. Many of the locations are close to the road so you won't have to go far.

These guys are super cool. They arrested my uber driver for DUI and gave me a ride home. There…read moreservice. Uber reimbursed me for the ride. Winning

Motorists driving along isolated State Route 88 at the Nevada border are advised to exercise…read moreextreme caution relative to the California Highway Patrol's practice of targeting vehicles just prior to leaving California or just after leaving Nevada on this rural road. Speed enforcement sans any other vehicles on the roadway are suggestive of those east-coast and southern state revenue generating speed traps from years ago. California continues their downhill slide...

Meyers is a small area along US 50 that is often confused with Greater South Lake Tahoe. Martin…read moreSmith opened a trading post and inn in the 1850s. Ephraim "Yank" Clement then bought out Smith and the place became known as Yank's Station. In 1873 George Henry Dudley Meyers bought the place and was renamed as Tahoe Paradise in 1962. Meyer is also is the location of a California Department of Agriculture Border Control Station. We passed through yesterday during a brief "no chains" travel window. Two officially attired agents and their dogs watched the long line of cars, and as far as I could tell no agricultural items were being inspected for pests. On the face of it, the whole exercise seemed kind of pointless. However, according to the State's web site, these inspections really work. One quoted study indicates that for every dollar spent on pest prevention, $14 are saved in later control costs and economic losses. Right now I believe this as much as I do the notion that Pennsylvania State Liquor Stores provide superior consumer choice and help prevent drunk driving.

Another "bug station" review…read more This one is small and very easy when traveling west on US 50. I understand the point is deter people brining in plant products that may harbor undated bugs or pathogens that would potentially devastate the gazillion dollar agricultural industry in California. Not to mention, something might wipe out all those grapes that make that fantastic California wine that I hold so dear. If you are a "local" (my Nevada plates seem to count me as one) and you are coming from Lake Tahoe and are returning the same day (that was definitely me) then you can just pass on through to the right of the check lanes. Easy, no hassle, barely a slow-down. A-OK in my book. Won't get into the discussion of possible waste of taxpayer money. I just think of all those lovely Old Vine Zinfandel grapes and the tender Pinot plants and the lovely Chardonnay vines and know that there is no price too high to keep them safe.

Being a business owner in the North Tahoe area, I feel that it is important to be a part of the…read morecommunity and to be involved in the happenings of where we do business in order to survive. I feel the the NLTRA does an amazing job at making this all possible for you. Wether your business is large or small there is tons of opportunity in the chamber. Not to mention lots of great networking events and FREE education workshops!

After being belittled & degraded by the General Manager & his wife (working the front desk) at the…read morePepper Tree Inn on Friday, June 23, I decided to visit the North Tahoe Chamber of Commerce this morning on my way out of town, to file a complaint. Although there were more than eight Administrators sitting in a meeting in the conference room when I arrived, I was told I could write a letter & send it to them. I asked -- "is there anyone I can sit with now & share my story with?!? I experienced something egregious" -- I was told I could sit & write my letter & leave it with them. I wasn't given any other options, even though Pepper Tree Inn is a member of the Chamber. While I will be sending my letter to them, I'll also share it here: The new motto for the Pepper Tree Inn should be a quote by the Dalai Lama -- "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." My boyfriend & I visited Tahoe City this weekend for the very first time, & the Pepper Tree Inn seemed the ideal spot. Upon check-in, however, things took an extremely unexpected & horrific turn for the worst. I live with a physical disability & I've been training a mobility service dog for myself for the past 14-months, which means she often travels with me. When booking the room, I spoke directly with the General Manager & let him know I'd be bringing a service dog with me. After checking in, my boyfriend accidentally identified my dog as an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) -- the General Manager flipped. Recognizing the miscommunication, I quickly showed him my dog's badge & paperwork, identifying her as a mobility service dog. He proceeded to scream obscenities at me, my boyfriend, & my dog -- calling us liars & stating repeatedly that ESAs are not service animals. Although my dog is not an ESA & I showed him the paperwork, he accused me of lying to him when I booked the room. He degraded, belittled, & humiliated us in front of other customers. When I finally got over my shock, I asked him -- is this really how you run your business?!? He responded with -- "yeah & if you don't like it, you can get the **** out -- I'd actually prefer it if you left." I ended up crying in the parking lot for at least 15-minutes, before we went into the room for 30-minutes to find a different hotel. When we called down to let the General Manager know we'd be leaving & wanted to ensure the payment would be credited back to us, he told us -- "no, I'm charging you for a full day since you went into the room -- he then called us idiots & screamed further obscenities at us." The next day, we had to pick up an Amazon package that was delivered to the Pepper Tree Inn, & we brought a Sheriff's Deputy with us to ensure our safety. I have NEVER in my life been treated the way this man treated us. It was a disgusting display, an unsettling & sad experience, & one I will NEVER forget. I'd suggest going to ANY hotel in the Tahoe City area, but NOT the Pepper Tree Inn!!!

On my latest outdoor venture, I headed to Crystal Basin Recreation area in the El Dorado National…read moreForest. It is a short distance away from Pollock Pines California. This information station also serves as an ranger station as well as an office for the "American Land & Leisure Office. " They manage most of the campsites in the area. The "Crystal Basin Information Station" is located 12 miles from Highway 50 on Icehouse Road. I am terrible when it comes to direction (ask my wife) so I was thrilled to see Park rangers parked in front of the information station. The park rangers as well as all the employees in the information station were extremely helpful in directing me in the right direction. The cabin style station was well maintained with plenty of parking. Not only did the station have maps of the area, they also had nature books, cloths and souvenirs for sale. So if you are ever in the area, stop by and say hello ! Live/ Love/ Travel

My first visit to the department on Arrowhead Drive in Carson. I had to see if a boat and trailer…read moreI had just purchased is exempt from sales tax. It was complicated to unravel the mess I had in the way of records for this purchase, past history of boat, etc. The lady that I met with was very nice, she had a good sense of humor, and worked quite a while to sort it all out but in the end she did, and I got my official papers showing I dealt with the use tax thing so now I can get title to my boat at NDOW. The state facility on Arrowhead is a nice building, lot of parking.

I came to the Nevada Department of Taxation in Carson City in August of 2017. The office is in the…read moreCollege Parkway Business Center (North) at the northeast corner of East College Parkway and Research Drive. I had ordered a GoPro camera from California, delivered to Nevada, and was charged sales tax on GoPro's own coupon/discount, which should not have occurred according to what I have read of Nevada law. I went to their office to get clarification and show them my invoice. They first have to buzz you in, which they did. They have a camera mounted at the door from which they can see you. Their office is to the right. There was no line, as I was the only customer there (that is Carson City for you!). There was a woman at the service desk and she was very helpful. She thought it was correct what I was charged, as she said the company can either charge Nevada sales tax on their own discount, or not, as long as they do it consistently to all their customers in Nevada. But she got another person who helped me more. The other person said I could request a written advisory from the Department of Taxation. She gave me all the info. I would have to prepare a letter with any proofs and explain what I thought was wrong, and they would get back to me in a month or two. I left very happy with their service and my (lack of a) wait time. Parking was easy: right in front. In then end, I did not submit the letter, as I was leaving for a trip, and it was a lot of work given the small amount of money involved.