What's New in the West: May 2011
Highlights include the Oregon Beer Odyssey, Legoland's Star Wars Miniland, extended hours at the Idaho Botanical Garden, and an iPhone app with trail maps of 49 California state parks.
- California drivers headed to Lake Tahoe will be rerouted from Highway 50 onto Highways 16, 49, and 88 due to roadwork at Echo Summit for two weeks starting May 11, 2011, depending on the weather. The detour, which directs drivers off Highway 50 in Sacramento or Placerville, takes drivers through the Gold Country of El Dorado and Amador counties, adding 35 scenic miles to the trip. Following the closure, Highway 50 will reopen to one-way alternating traffic for up to six weeks until the project's completion. For more details and an up-to-date schedule, visit way2tahoe.com.
- Spy great grays, saw-whets, and more in the Owl Forest, opening this summer at Salt Lake City’s Tracy Aviary. For the date, visit tracyaviary.org.
- New exhibits at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument visitor center in Pearl Harbor, Oahu, look from both sides at events before, during, and after the 1941 attack. nps.gov/valr.
- Some 2,000 Lego models, including a huge Millennium Falcon, depict elements of scenes from George Lucas’s epic films at Legoland’s Star Wars Miniland in Carlsbad, Calif. california.legoland.com.
- Oregon Beer Odyssey hosts public tastings and evening classes such as Beer for Wine Lovers at locations throughout Portland. $35 a class. oregonbeerodyssey.com.
- A sunset stroll? The Idaho Botanical Garden in Boise is offering extended evening hours Tuesdays and Fridays, from May through October. idahobotanicalgarden.org.
- Is it a red or a white alder? Find out in the latest edition of Trees to Know in Oregon, with 156 pages of keys, maps, and color photos. $18. oregonstate.edu/trees/order_book.html.
- Capture underwater photos and videos with the Swann SportsCam Waterproof Mini Digital Video Camera. $99. swannsecurity.com.
- CalParks, a free iPhone app, provides detailed maps and descriptions of hikes in 49 California state parks. itunes.apple.com/us/app/calparks/id412131861?mt=8.
- Sip wine, shop, and dine on sustainable foods alongside other domestic travelers at San Francisco International Airport’s newly renovated Terminal 2. flysfo.com.
This article was first published in May 2011. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.
