It was going to be triple digit heat. Everywhere you looked. In our vicinity. So we figured we would visit a cool body of water. It had been a while. A long while. We went to Lake Tahoe. Straddling the CA and Nevada state borders it is the largest of any alpine lakes in all North America. At a height of over 6,200 ft above mean sea level this amazing blue water was very inviting.
Of course it also meant taking our chances with many like minded folks taking their conveyance to the mountains causing a big traffic jam. It was not too bad. We did get out early enough to beat a large horde of wanna get away crowds and made it to the lake in 3 hours.
The rim is around 70 miles in circumference but we chose to visit the South end and do some hiking followed by a visit to the exact opposite end also on the California side and wade the waters on the shores.
The south end was an inspired mile long hike along the slope on a portion called the Rubicon trail which is a longish hike if one does all of it. We did the western portion that runs past a century old Danish style log cabin along the shore called Vikingsholm. Views were nature at her best. The day was hot even at the lake.
Giant redwoods did help as did the gushing snow melt at each turn on the hike.
The hiking and wading sucked us of our strength but we kept some in reserve to finish the day off at our final destination - the city of Reno, Nevada.
Competing with its bigger rival also in the same state (that thrives on people wanting to part with their cash in exchange for a xylophone + techno music sound track coupled with blinking lights and rotating cherries on a wheel) Reno offers a compact casino world experience coupled with some nice sight seeing in its immediate vicinity.
The Truckee river that emanates from Lake Tahoe and runs east does so through the Reno city limits and offers a calm respite from the artificially generated excitement a few blocks away.
Of course it also meant taking our chances with many like minded folks taking their conveyance to the mountains causing a big traffic jam. It was not too bad. We did get out early enough to beat a large horde of wanna get away crowds and made it to the lake in 3 hours.
The rim is around 70 miles in circumference but we chose to visit the South end and do some hiking followed by a visit to the exact opposite end also on the California side and wade the waters on the shores.
The south end was an inspired mile long hike along the slope on a portion called the Rubicon trail which is a longish hike if one does all of it. We did the western portion that runs past a century old Danish style log cabin along the shore called Vikingsholm. Views were nature at her best. The day was hot even at the lake.
Giant redwoods did help as did the gushing snow melt at each turn on the hike.
The hiking and wading sucked us of our strength but we kept some in reserve to finish the day off at our final destination - the city of Reno, Nevada.
Competing with its bigger rival also in the same state (that thrives on people wanting to part with their cash in exchange for a xylophone + techno music sound track coupled with blinking lights and rotating cherries on a wheel) Reno offers a compact casino world experience coupled with some nice sight seeing in its immediate vicinity.
The Truckee river that emanates from Lake Tahoe and runs east does so through the Reno city limits and offers a calm respite from the artificially generated excitement a few blocks away.
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| Truckee River/ Stream? - cool enough for someone brave enough to swim |
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| Perfect Sunset in Reno NV |
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