Winter settles in at Tahoe

Winter's presence Sunday in South Lake Tahoe brought out dog walkers, shovelers, blowers and others in the mood to frolic in the snow.

With skid-outs, fender benders and chain requirements on mountain passes, motorists were fewer in number and careful, according to law enforcement.

The people who took in Tahoe on foot appeared to enjoy the abrupt introduction to winter that started last weekend. This weekend, the temperatures were higher, the snow was heavier.

"I'm glad it's come so early. I love it up here," said Paul Tanner, who gave his basset hound, Maggie, a nudge out the door for a walk from his Oakland Avenue home.

The 4-year-old dog didn't take to the slippery stuff like the beach in Santa Cruz where Tanner lives part time, but she got in the mood once she got going.

"She was hibernating all morning, snoozing. I got her leash, and she got excited, but once she stuck her nose out, she just stood there," Tanner said. "She got in the mood once she started walking."

At Hope Valley Cross Country Ski Resort, stargazers put on snowshoes to get a glimpse of the eclipse over the weekend.

Many Sorel snow boot-wearing residents emerged with shovels in hand.

Kmart Manager Mary Grant said customers were buying up the snow shovels and chains Sunday.

"It's the same old thing. A few came in last weekend; now, they're all coming in," she said.

Jan Falter was panting as she finished the last shovel swoop to the edge of the road from her Modesto Avenue driveway.

"You know how these berm boulders get hard. I wanted to stay on top of it," she said.

She recently had an opportunity to buy a friend's snow blower for $100, but she passed because "the exercise is good."

Five inches of snow fell at lake level and more than a foot above 7,000 feet, the National Weather Service in Reno reported Sunday afternoon.

Today's forecast calls for isolated snow showers, giving way to clear skies Tuesday. The chance of snow resumes Wednesday, meteorologist Chris Jordan reported.