This is a picture of Lisa and her good friend Margie Boyett in the the afternoon before they were to participate in the 2025 Lake Tahoe Triathlon Sprint. Margie had competed in this event a few years earlier and had convinced Lisa that it was a really fun experience and one they should share this year.
As in previous years, this event took place at the Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State Park on the west shore of Lake Tahoe, near the town of Tahoma, CA. This is one of our favorite places to go camping and it was helpful that we were familiar with the area.
A triathlon sprint is a scaled down version of a full triathlon that includes a 500 meter swim, a 10 mile bike ride, and a 2 mile run. A full triathlon is significantly more challenging with a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run.
For both Margie and Lisa this was not an event to compete, but rather one to accomplish together as friends.
Bob giving Lisa an early morning hug before starting the race with her 500 meter swim in Lake Tahoe.
A panoramic view of competitors preparing in front of the Hellman-Erhman Mansion at the Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State Park before the race.
Hannah's friend, Melissa Steele, and our wonderful kids showed up first thing in the morning to cheer on their Mom.
Lisa tentatively anticipating the swim course.
Nothing like starting the race with a friend to help calm the butterflies.
Of the three legs of a triathlon, the swim is Margie's favorite so it's no surprise she was the first to "dive in".
The swimmers were divided into groups with specific swim cap colors. This helps officials identify different race waves and, by extension, approximate age groups. This is the wave of swimmers Lisa and Margie were part of.
In the distance you can see cone which is the first goal and turn point in the swim leg. Those in kayaks were support and official race staff.
Lisa and Margie swimming into the finish of the swim leg.
Margie all smiles as she finishes her swim.
And coming out of the water right behind her is Lisa.
Lisa all wet, happy and relieved to have the swimming leg behind her as she puts on her water shoes to make her way up to the staging area to prepare and start the 10 mile bike leg.
Of the three events in a triathlon, biking is Lisa's favorite and she was all smiles while putting on her bike shoes at the staging area.
Lisa made good time on her bike leg and came in looking great!
Caleb running alongside to encourage his Mom as she finishes the bike leg.
You couldn't ask for a more beautiful place to hold a triathlon and the weather this year was perfect. That said, the last part of the last leg of the triathlon is up a fairly steep hill. This picture captures Lisa almost at the top of the hill and near the end of her first triathlon. We were all so proud of her as she made it up this last section.
Crossing the finish line like the true champ she is!
And, as good friends do, she went back so she could pass through the finish arch with her good friend Margie Boyett.
A very proud family surrounding their Mom at the end of a big accomplishment in the backdrop of the beautiful place we live!
On Sunday, August 17th, Bob took Lisa to the Chart House restaurant near the shores of Lake Tahoe. Over the past year Bob had been given a couple of gift certificates for handy man work he had done around Legacy Christian Academy, the small (but getting bigger) Christian elementary school where Lisa works and this was the perfect way to spend them.
Views of Lake Tahoe from the Chart House.
On July 1st Bob was appointed as a Commissioner for Mineral Resources for the State of Nevada by Governor Joe Lombardo.
What this all involves can best be summarized from this brief description of the position as outlined in Chapter 513 of Nevada's Revised Statute: "The official duties and responsibilities of a Commissioner for Mineral Resources are to advise on and recommend state mineral policies, formulate administrative policies for the Nevada Division of Minerals, and adopt necessary regulations. Duties also include staying informed about mining legislation and administration, providing public education on mineral development, encouraging mineral exploration, and reporting to relevant state authorities like the Governor and the Legislature."
Much of the work of a Commissioner is accomplished through quarterly Commission meetings, the first of which Bob attended in Elko, Nevada on August 7th. Mining is such a big part of, not only Nevada's history with precious metals like gold and silver, but also it's future due to the large deposits of lithium and other critical minerals necessary for the future of transportation and energy storage. Considering gold alone, Nevada has consistently produced more than 70 percent of the U.S. gold production and often would rank in the top five in the world for gold production.
While at the Commission meeting on the 7th, Rob Ghiglieri, Administrator for the Nevada Division of Minerals, set up a wonderful tour of some of the largest mining operations in the state. The landscape panorama above is what lies above one of the largest underground gold mines in the world, the Goldrush Mine which is operated by Nevada Gold Mines, a joint venture between Barrick (61.5%) and Newmont (38.5%) Mining Corporation.
This mine is expected to have a 42 year life and the ore is high grade. There is currently eight miles of underground tunnels with an expected 25 miles when at full production.
This is a closer view of the peak in the center of the panorama above. In it you can see the drill platforms where core samples are taken to identify and map the location of gold bearing formations. These maps are then used to guide and direct underground mining operations.
Our group at the entrance tunnel of the Goldrush Mine.
Looking out to the entrance of the Goldrush Mine.
Rob Ghiglieri, the Administrator for the Nevada Division of Minerals.
The two of us in all our safety gear deep underground in the Goldrush Mine.
One of the horizontal tunnels off the main tunnel. The paint markings are where the rock is to be drilled, explosives inserted, then blasted after which the broken rock, called muck, is collected and loaded into very large, 65-ton underground trucks.
One of the large 65-ton underground trucks exiting the Goldrush Mine.
A 65-ton Sandvik underground mining truck.
Also on our tour we got to see one of Nevada's largest open pit gold mines, the Pipeline gold mine which is part of the larger Cortez Gold Mine complex. Like the Goldrush mine, the Pipeline mine is also a Nevada Gold Mines joint venture between Barrick and Newmont.
In 2023 the Pipeline Mine produced over 450,000 ounces of gold and 64,000 ounces of silver. Production this year is expected to be even higher and with current gold prices above $3,500 an ounce they're having good days!
This is a picture of one of the largest cable shovels in the world that can fill a 400-ton mining truck with three loaded buckets. To appreciate the scale and size of the shovel and the truck it's about to load, click the picture to the left where you can see a tiny pickup mid-picture.
Another perspective of the mining operations at the Pipeline Mine that emphasizes the size and scale of not only the mine, but the equipment that is used.
Bob decked out in mining and safety gear.
He fits right in and is excited to now be a Nevada Commissioner for Mineral Resources.