Sept. 10-12, Tahoe

Driving across Nevada was not our favorite. It was a long, mountainous desert with a scattering of  'off the grid' folks living in random towns. No WiFi, no stores really, nothing to see until you reach Reno (which was lovely). After (what seemed like) the longest drive of the trip, we finally arrived in Lake Tahoe. We decided to rent a condo in Incline Village. Good decision. It was much more cost effective and so nice to have the space, the kitchen, the fireplace and multiple bathrooms! Additionally, we were one block from the beach and playground. We had no particular plan in Tahoe so we just drove around and 'found' what we needed to do.

Such clear water!

The entire town was just beautiful. The lake itself was so clear, it was unreal. For folks from the east coast, I only know to compare it to the clear waters of the Caribbean. One big difference, however, was the cool temperature. Ashley, Rachel and Stevie went out and did fine...I could hardly walk in. There were people swimming all around in it though. I guess it is all what you are used to. It made me thankful for our warm southern water back home!
We ended up spending part of each day at Sand Harbor State Park. It is a lovely park with a long sandy beach and several beaches with big rocks/boulders dotting the shore. It was great fun to climb on the rocks, which were round and smooth rather than sharp and jagged like you would usually see in the mountains.

Sand Harbor Park

Ashley's friend, Chloe, mentioned that she had caught crawfish around the lake when she visited there..so, we had to try it ourselves. We did not have crawfishing 'equipment', so we put together some lines with dental floss and bagel or raisins as bait.  Just like crabs back home, the Tahoe crawfish did not seem particular about what they ate. The girls caught them equally with both the bagel pieces and the raisins!

Tahoe Crawfish

We did go visit Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe. It was striking in its beautiful color but was a mile hike downhill to get there. No problem, except, that meant a mile hike back UP.  The first day we had ventured down a roadside trail to the lake and faced the same problem, so we are feeling it today! We are thinking we've hiked enough and will just take in the rest from the beach or car! Also to note, The pine trees around the lake are really, really big. Pine cones the size of Stevie's head! Cool.

Really big tree!

Two fun facts...we found the biggest marshmallows ever at the grocery store here. Giants for making smores! You need a whole Hershey bar and two whole grahams to make one! HUGE. The other shocking thing was cantalopes at the grocery for 87 cents! I have never seen them that inexpensive (and they were very good).

   

Finally a picture of me and Rick! Thanks Ashley.