Archive for April, 2010

Planning Tips for a Memorable and Enjoyable Wedding Weekend

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

On a spring or fall weekend, you can reserve Stanford Sierra Conference Center exclusively to celebrate your wedding.  Beginning with check in Friday afternoon and ending with brunch on Sunday morning, it is just you and up to 180 of your family members and closest friends staying together on Fallen Leaf Lake.

A fall wedding in front of the lodge

Hosting a number of wedding weekends over the years, we’ve learned what works well.  First, plan a site visit to walk through the lodge and cabins with us to plan the weekend events and envision set up.  During the planning process, make decisions, stick with them, then move on to the next issue.  For needed rental items, contact Eventmasters .  We can provide a list of suggested items that past weddings have used.

Use the bulletin board in the Stanford room to post pictures, your weekend schedule of events and any other information you want to share with your family and friends.

Encourage your guests to arrive Friday afternoon at 3pm to take full advantage of our boat dock, hiking trails and many comfortable places to just relax lakefront.

Kayaking the shore of Fallen Leaf Lake

Plan a buffet-style dinner a little later on Friday evening to allow for stragglers to join the group.  After dinner schedule a bonfire on Baby Beach and hire a musician for a sing-a-long.

Bonfire at Baby Beach

You have access to all 52 of our cabins and 12 lodge rooms to accommodate your guests.  We suggest housing families at the point cabins with less stairs for little one and surrounding our ‘Munchkin Patch’ playground.

Basketball, volleyball and the playground are surrounded by the point cabins

Assign your late night guests to the hill cabins including Juniper.  We’ve dubbed Juniper A, “the party cabin” due to it’s larger living room, four bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Hold your ceremony Saturday afternoon in front of the Old Lodge.  There are not many backdrops more beautiful than Fallen Leaf Lake and Angora Ridge.

A wedding arch on Fallen Leaf Lake

Finally, complete your planning prior to arrival, then hand off the responsibility of the weekend’s events to us and enjoy the weekend with your family and friends.

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Stanford Sierra Wakes from Winter Hibernation

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Our staff arrived last week for spring conference season which begins this Friday, April 23.  The friendly, enthusiastic crew are training and working hard to prepare the lodge, cabins and grounds to welcome our first guests of the year.

Lanie, Sam, Jan and Sherry - part of our spring '10 conference season crew

The staff are cleaning and polishing equipment, removing the last remaining piles of snow, and sweeping away the cobwebs and dust from winter.  The lodge is ready for guests!

From 6am-10pm you can get a fresh cup of coffee or tea in the Stanford Room

During your stay at our Lake Tahoe conference center, there are a number of places inside our out to relax with a book, talk with friends or colleagues or just enjoy the view of Fallen Leaf Lake.

Weather permitting, we keep a fire going in the Stanford Room fireplace

The Old Lodge is clean and ready for guests, complete with crackling fire!

Some snow still remains on the ground, but temperatures are warming up and the decks are clear for lunch or meeting outdoors.

The ski dock is ready for you!

Fallen Leaf Road is clear and open, and we are just about ready to end our winter hibernation and open our doors for spring conference season.  Call or email if you need a place to meet.  We have the comfortable accommodations and friendly staff to make your Lake Tahoe meeting a memorable and pleasant experience.

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Bald Eagle Visits Fallen Leaf Lake

Monday, April 5th, 2010

The winter crew at Stanford Sierra Conference Center were lucky to see a bald eagle on its recent visit to Fallen Leaf Lake.  According to a University of Nevada, Reno report there are usually only one or two pairs of bald eagles in the Lake Tahoe Basin in the summer.  During the winter, the eagles migrate South from Canada and Alaska due to the milder climate, then there can be up to 20 eagles in the Tahoe basin including Fallen Leaf Lake.

Bald eagle perched atop a pine tree. Photo by Brian McClintock

Bald eagles primary diet is fish, so they tend to stay near areas like Lake Tahoe and Fallen Leaf Lake.  The crew spotted this eagle just one day over the winter, but hope it makes a return visit before heading back North for the summer. If you’re visiting our California conference center this spring, be sure to keep your eye out for eagles.  If you are looking for a Lake Tahoe meeting location and would like a serene, beautiful natural setting, check our available dates.

Bald eagle flying over Fallen Leaf Lake. Photo by Brian McClintock

Contrary to the eagle’s single visit, a group of river otters have made a number of recent trips to our Fallen Leaf Lake resort.

A trio of river otters in Fallen Leaf Lake. Photo by Brian McClintock

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care in South Lake Tahoe houses the only river otter rehabilitation in California.  Visit their photo gallery for up close photos of a recently rehabilitated river otter .  During your visit, make sure to take a boat out from our boat dock and keep an eye out for those otters!

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