Lovely Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe

After the craziness of Las Vegas, Andy and I sought some peace and quiet and headed west to the other side of Nevada, to Lake Tahoe.  After catching a short flight to Reno, we hired a car and made the scenic drive down to the Lake.  Though spring was in the “crisp” air, the area was still a winter wonderland with all the heaps of snow around.   As we descended into the valley, we were rewarded with breathtaking views of the glassy lake and a panorama of snow laden mountains on all sides.

Andy skimming stones on the surface of the lake

Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America – it is as long as the English Channel is wide.  Dropping to a depth of 500m, it is the second deepest lake in the US.  (Many drowning victims are never recovered from Lake Tahoe – the cold water at lower depths apparently preserves the bodies and prevents the formation of gases that would otherwise float them to the surface!)  Moving right along: the longitudinal State line between California and Nevada runs right down the center of the Lake.  So, in circumnavigating the Lake during our visit’s explorations, we yo-yoed between the neighbouring States.

The view from our motel room

Our 2 night stay was spent in a modest little motel on the southern shores. (Not quite the Venetian!  But we needed to be brought down to reality a bit.  All american motels look dodgy to me – I’m always expecting remnants of chalk (used to outline dead bodies) on the room floors.  Okay, I watch way too much TV!  At least we had a great view of the lake from our balcony.)

A lone boat in Spring

Back to the beauty of Tahoe!  What amazed us was how crystal clear the lake water was.  While too cold to swim in, we could imagine what the summer months must be like:  bustling with water sports, and other lake side activities.  From larney lakehouses (with their own private jetties) to stunning campgrounds nestled in the thick pine forests lining the shores, this is the perfect setting for weekend get-aways or summer holidays.  (Lake Tahoe is a mere 3 1/2 hour drive from San Francisco.)  The Winter months boast great skiing in the surrounding mountains.  Having dumped all our skiing clothes earlier in our trip, we forgoed the skiing for a more laid back day.  For lunch we bought rolls and ham and cheese at the Safeway (America’s equivalent of Pick ‘n Pay), and picnic-ed next to the lake.

One of many stunning views

Driving around, I recalled the Tahoe scenes from the movie “City of Angels”, where Meg Ryan and Nicolas Cage spend their one and only romantic evening together in a cabin on the lake.  This after Nicolas gives up his angel status to be with Meg.  (Okay, then Meg gets hit by a truck and dies, but up until that point, some stunning scenery of Tahoe in the movie!)  I think the movie is what put Tahoe on the must-see list of places for me.  Graciously Andy indulged me, giving up tour days that could have been spent in a warmer, tropical climate.  Thanks Andy!

Our set of wheels

After Tahoe, we embarked on our ‘road trip’ part of our itinerary.  With our snacks packed, and Starbucks to-go in hand, we began another scenic drive, which would take us to the West Coast.  Actually it was no more than a 4 hour journey, so more like a Sunday drive than a hard core “road trip”.  The drive took us firstly through forested national parks, and then through rolling green hills (the start of Napa Valley – the Franschoek of California), landing us in the beautiful city by the bay, San Francisco.  But more of that in another post.  (There will be less morbidity, I promise!)