We dropped off the dog at the kennnel at 7am for this trip, as we were looking forward to being away hours each day on activiites we couldn’t bring Lucy. However, she was a pampered dog while we were away!
We had a great drive to Tahoe, avoiding most traffic and arriving at Sugar Pine State Park by 1pm. It’s a great park with with really big sites nestled in the woods. You can walk or ride to the beach, located at the site of a summer home built in 1903 by a San Fransisco banker. The tour of the house is great, as well as a visit to the boat house.
The beach is pretty popular and, as you can see, is a rgeat place to spend the day.
In our case, however, we were headed south above Emerald Bay for a hike to Cascade Falls. While we didn’t expect much water this time of year, we knew we would be rewarded with spectacular view, and we were not disappointed.
The “falls” were a short 1.5 mile hike away, and we enjoyed sitting in the shade and cooling our toes off in the cold stream flowing though the granite. I imiagine it’s really specacular to see in the Spring.
On the way back to camp we stopped at the scenic overlook for a photo of Emerald Bay.
Back at camp we decided to grill steak. The yellow jackets also thought that was a great idea. We were told on the way in that they were especially bad this year. I had no idea I would have about 20 hungry guests looking to share my steak! I managed to fend them off without getting stung, but we decided we would eat out the rest of the trip. 🙂
The next day we left early to D.L. Bliss State Park, a few miles south of us to kayak. On this side of the lake, I had heard mornings were best, both for kayaking in less wind and also to score one of the limited parking spaces at the park.
The kayaking from here south to Emerald Bay is some of the most beautiful coastline I have seen. Experiencing it from a kayak was amazing!
After the kayaking trip, as we packed up we noticed how many people were circling the parking lots looking for a spot. We gave ours to one lucky family who happened to be in the right place at the right time.
We were really hungry by this time and decided to drive back to Tahoma for a sandwich at the PDQ Market. They make great sandwiches, but they are huge, so we decided to share one, which we took back to the RV to enjoy.
Not a very LEAN approach, but hey, we have yet to complain about their sandwiches! 😉
The next day, we decided to take our bikes to Tahoe City to ride the trail along the Truckee River to the Squaw Valley village.
It’s a beautiful ride down the gently flowing Truckee River.
The scenery along the way is well worth the trip. It can get hot, though, so take along some water and wear plenty of sunscreen!
Of course, Squaw Valley was the home to the 1960 Olympics, which they proudly remind you of on the way in.
The village was nice, and we enjoyed shopping a bit, but decided to head back to Tahoe City for a late lunch. We stopped by Rosie’s Cafe, appropriately decorated with a bicycle theme. The food and atmosphere was great. Service was slow, but we were not in a hurry.
We then walked around Tahoe City doing a little shopping and site seeing, until we found the local ice cream store, and sat on the patio, people watching for awhile.
Before heading back to the RV, we also walked to the beach in town, and visited the newly refreshed Gatekeepers Museum at the mouth of the Truckee Rvier.
The next day it was time to leave for home, but we really enjoyed our long weekend at Lake Tahoe. I have to say the memories of kayaking along the shore towards Emerald Bay will stay with me a very long time.
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Looks like you had a wonderful time. Beautiful lakes and neat places to eat. That is one big ice cream cone!
Thanks, Arlene! Yes, we had a great time and still smile when I think about it, and the ice cream was awesome! 🙂