Thursday Travel Ticker: High hopes for winter

What is it about Oct. 5? A year ago on that date, the Lake Tahoe region received an early 4-5 inches of snow. A similar early snow on that same date this year (Wednesday) has triggered hopes of another record-setting La Niña. A recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration study found signs of the extreme weather pattern again this year. NOAA will release its official winter outlook later this month. . . . What will the financial turmoil at AMR Corp. — parent company of American Airlines — mean to those with frequent flier miles? George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com, says that Chapter 11 would have little impact on frequent flier miles accrued. . . . Korean Air will start flying the huge A380 out of LAX on Oct. 11. . . . This year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas tree will come from the Stanislaus National Forest in the central Sierra Nevada. The tree will be cut Nov. 5 and trucked 4,500-miles east, mostly along Interstate 40. . . . The 59^th annual California RV show runs for 10 days starting Oct. 14 at the Fairplex in Pomona. Admission: $10 and the wristband is good for the run of the show. . . . Santa Barbara’s holiday parade down State Street takes place Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m. . . . . Oregon has rolled out five new scenic bikeways. They join the 132-mile Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway, the first in the state. For route descriptions, click here . . . . Travel quote of the day: “In Japan, you have no idea what they are saying, and they can’t help you either . . . . They’re very polite, but you feel like a joke is being played on you the entire time you’re there.” (Bill Murray)