We headed north with our first stop at Sand Harbor. I love the rock formations at this beautiful, scenic harbor on the Nevada side of the lake. The Nevada side is much less populated/congested than the California side. I'm not sure if Nevada just decided to keep it pristine or what, but the two sides of the lake are definitely different.
Not only does the lake look beautiful from afar, but look at this close up of the crystal-clear water. It is also a sight to behold. We didn't stick a finger or foot into it, but I'm sure if we had it would have been very chilly! The temperatures in Carson City at night have been getting down into the high teens with the daytime temperatures in the high 40s/low 50s. Quite a temperature differential!
Here we are on the beautiful beach at Sand harbor using the "Gorilla" to take our photo!
I couldn't help but include a video panning the harbor. And don't forget, you probably won't be able to see the video unless you click on the title link of this blog. I hope it's worth your while, though!
After Sand Harbor, we made a roadside stop to let the dogs stretch their legs and do their business. The Truckee River follows the highway for quite a distance and the dogs really enjoyed their time running around on the river bank. Although, it wasn't all fun for Sherwood. He did slip on the ice and land on his belly in the mud ... poor baby!
There were a couple of mallard ducks enjoying the sunshine and nibbling on whatever the river bed had to offer.
We missed our turn-off in Tahoe City (which we didn't figure out until we were in Truckee!) and ended up going by Squaw Valley. What the heck, let's take that turn and sneek a peek at the old Olympic Village since it's almost Winter Olympics time. This is one of two entrance signs to Squaw Valley.
Here are a couple of pictures of the mountain at Squaw. It was pretty crowded although not all the lifts were open. But that didn't stop the skiers and snow boarders from flocking there this weekend to enjoy the manmade snow and superlative sunshine.
We probably went a total of 26 miles out of our way (13 miles to Truckee and then 13 miles back to Tahoe City). We're not sure how we missed the turn other than we just weren't expecting that we would have to make a turn off the main highway to stay on our drive around the lake. But we don't have to worry about time too much anymore :).
One of the most photographed and well known places on Lake Tahoe is Emerald Bay. OMG, there were over 200 cars parked all over the place when we got there! Gary stayed in the car and kept driving around the parking lot (he said he got dizzy) while I jumped out and took a few photos.
Here's one more time the Gorilla paid off ... no one to take my picture, but the Gorilla on sitting a rock does just fine!
Gary did finally find a parking spot so we both jumped out and went to a different place to take a few more pictures. Someone very kindly offered to take ours (after I took theirs, of course!).
The photo below is a close-up of the castle on the small island, Fannette. Fannette is the only island to be found in all of Lake Tahoe. It is located in beautiful Emerald Bay on the west shore of the lake. A sparsely timbered, brush covered upthrust of granite that rises 150 feet above the water, Fannette Island was not always known by that name. During the past 100 years it has been known as Coquette, Fannette, Baranoff, Dead Man's, Hermit's, and Emerald Isle. Fannette was the name that finally stuck.
The stone structure on top that looks like a miniature castle is the "Tea House" built during the same time that Vikingsholm was constructed, from 1928-29. After being transported to the island by motorboat, Mrs. Knight and her guests would occasionally be served tea there. A small fireplace in the corner and a large oak table and four oak chairs in the center of the 16 by 16 foot room gave it a very rustic appearance. The tea house has been vandalized in recent years and today only the stone shell remains.
One good video at Sand Harbor deserves another one at Emerald Bay, don't you think?
You know how I love to take pictures out of the front windshield while we're driving down the road, right? Well here's one of those shots of the road past Emerald Bay on our way to South Lake Tahoe.
We traveled through this tunnel. Fascinating, right? (Ha!ha!)
We finally arrived in South Lake Tahoe and kept driving around looking for just the right place to eat. It's not like there's no place to eat, but I really wanted to eat somewhere on the lake. Unfortunately, that didn't happen (so sad) and we ended up eating lunch/dinner at Montbleu Casino's café. Notice the time? It's now 3:00 p.m. Yup, starving! Didn't care where we ate!
We headed home back down the 50 and pulled over to take a picture of the beautiful Carson Valley. You can see just how clear and gorgeous of a day it was not only at Lake Tahoe, but also in the valley.
We didn't end up with a spectacular sunset, but here's a shot of the sun slipping slowly behind the Sierras after a beautiful day spent driving around Lake Tahoe.
Psalms 46:4-7 // There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
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