I was just re-reading the thread. LinasK, this is in no way a criticism, but think about this -- 18 years since she sat in that 5th grade. The 11 year old school classmates are long gone -- time has taken them away and they are now 29/30 years old. South Lake Tahoe was a sleepy combo small-town and resort in 1991. Some convention hotels were moving in. Now, the properties are listed on Southeby's. It is transitioning to the ultra-rich just like Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Her parents moved away from there. The life taken from her by kidnapping also moved on in time at warp speed and Jaycee didn't get to make that transition at a day by day pace -- it is being thrown at her in one huge time-speed reality.
Ummm, I have to disagree with your characterization of S. Tahoe as a whole. Yes, there are casinos there and there is also much wilderness and camping, motels,homes, rental properties,- any price range you want. In fact, I was just there 2 weeks ago. Tahoe is not
only for the uber-rich, and it really hasn't changed much in the last 20 years, other than Caesar's Palace becoming the MontBleu and some development around the casino/Stateline area. I go there 1-2x/year. Even in Ski season-(Tahoe is a year-round resort), you can find ski condos and cabins for rent at a reasonable rate. I know this.
In fact, the town of Meyers, which is where I believe I read Jaycee was abducted from, is actually outside the Tahoe basin by probably a good 30 miles. , can you help me out here?
One more thing, Southeby's is not just based in London, they are local to us now, so they can't be just for the rich, I have a friend who works out of their office.