Sky's falling; don't miss the show

The sky is falling once again during the annual Perseid Meteor Shower. On Aug. 12, there will be a Perseid Meteor Shower Family Campout. Families can camp under the stars and watch the night sky light up at the best viewing location in Lake Tahoe at Squaw Valley.

Despite living on the north side of the city amid all the ambient light around, one of my pleasures is sitting in my enclosed patio and watching the stars come out. Not as good as out in the wild, but it's one of life's finer, no-stress pleasures.

No, all I get of the Milky Way is a sort of fuzz of dim light. But Polaris is there, right overhead. The Big Dipper is to the north, and both the East Star and the West Star are bright, one to the west, the other to the east (of course). Sometimes I use my binoculars to study a star, but they are pretty much limited to checking out the moon. I keep looking for a telescope on sale. Satellites are common, practically skipping across the sky. Sometimes I wish I had taken astronomy instead of journalism, but then I wouldn't be writing this.

Meanwhile, the Perseid come every year in late July and into August. Best night for the viewing of the shower is at its best is 12. Squaw Valley offers a program. Stargazers can see fireball, occasional outbursts and almost always, long hours of gracefully streaking meteors.

On that night campers can upload the Squaw Valley Cable Car between 5 and 6:30 p.m. At High Camp, guests can hike around Squaw Valley's upper mountain before barbecue ribs at 7 p.m. Then there will be a briefing on telescopes and at 10, and the meteor shower viewing will begin. In the morning, from 7 to 9, campers will enjoy a continental breakfast. Reservations for the Meteor Shower Campout are required.Call (530) 583-6985.

If you can't make the Perseid Meteor Shower, you can explore the wonders of the night sky during one of Squaw Valley's summer Stargazing evenings: Friday and Saturday, and also Aug. 10 and 11. Professional astronomers Paul and Gigi Giles bring a variety of high-powered telescopes to High Camp

RIM TREKS

Hike the Tahoe Rim Trail on July 28 on the North Shore of the Tahoe Rim Trail with a certified hiking guide.

This hike will be six miles round-trip starting from Mount Rose Summit trailhead. The trip will offer views of Lake Tahoe and pass by Galena Falls waterfall on the TRT. The hike will start at 9 a.m. and take three hours or less. To sign up for this hike or get more information on guided hikes, call 298-0231 or e-mail alexiso@tahoerimtrail.org.

Also on July 28 is a hike on the West Shore of the TRT with a certified hiking guide. This hike will be eight miles round-trip starting from the Tahoe City trailhead. Hikers will see wildflowers, and pass through page meadows. The hike will start at 9 a.m. and take four hours or less. Contact is same as above.

RAINBOW LODGE RE-OPENS

Rainbow Lodge at Donner Summit will reopen its doors today at the Royal Gorge Resort.

The venerable Rainbow Lodge is a romantic stone and timber inn and restaurant on Donner Summit at a picturesque bend in the Yuba River.

The existing structure was built in the 1920s out of local granite and hand-hewn timber and features open stone fireplaces, 33 rustic guest rooms, a historic bar, and a French restaurant. Call (530) 426-3661.

• Contact Sam Bauman at 881-1236 or at sbauman@nevadaappeal.com