Reno to Tahoe

It's sooooo hot in Nevada in the middle of the summer.  Fortunately, we were headed up into the mountains.  I-580 from Reno to Carson City is impressive as it clings to cliffs and crosses ravines.  And then US-50 up into the mountains is really impressive; much more narrow, super windy, and really steep, but the scenery is amazing!  And fortunately a bit cooler up on top and around Lake Tahoe.  Still upper 80s.

You have to understand that this was us giving Lake Tahoe a second chance.  The first time we went was a long time ago, for a wedding, and it was so hot and bright that I ended up with a sunburnt fever for the weekend.  When we did venture out, the place was packed with people and it was super smoky; an altogether unpleasant experience.  But we knew the place was beautiful and wanted to try again.  So I had arranged for us to almost drive completely around the lake and I had about ten different beaches that I wanted to check out.

One after another the beaches failed us as there were no parking spots, long hikes in, trails and parking lots covered in people, and/or private residences everywhere.  And so even though the scenery was beautiful, we weren't stopping and we weren't swimming, and we weren't even able to take pictures.  And the few towns around the lake were even worse.  Swarming with tourists, shops, road construction, and private beaches that you couldn't access.

Fannette Island

As we rounded the northern end of Lake Tahoe, I was beginning to run out of beaches on my list and found myself turning down random roads trying to find any lake access.  I finally found beach access and a parking spot at Bistlecone Beach.  It was pretty terrible.  Sharp, gravelly beach.  As we stood on the beach trying to make the most out of it, a few other beachgoers walked past us on the way back to their cars and we overheard them summarize: "shittiest beach on the lake!"  And they weren't wrong.  I concluded that even though this was a beach on Lake Tahoe, this was not what I drive through two states for, and so we left.  And it was a good thing too.  Heading down the west side of the lake, the scenery just got better and better.

Bristlecone Beach did have pretty flowers at least!

I finally pulled in to Sugar Pine State Park which cost us, but I was fine with that because I figured that regulated access would mean we'd actually get a parking spot.  And we did!  We hiked down the hill and dropped Dohnele's paddleboard in the lake and she took off leaving me and the kids to go swimming.  The beach wasn't that exciting, but it wasn't that bad either.  Still had the gorgeous water and still had the neat granite boulders.  Still, wasn't really worth the long drive, however.

Above Emerald Bay (above and below)

When Dohnele got back, we packed up and headed south to our Air BnB in South Lake Tahoe.  Along the way, we got into some really beautiful scenery around Emerald Bay.  The boulders, the peaks, and the water were gorgeous!  We took a bunch of pictures and then headed to South Lake Tahoe and a restaurant that turned out to be a complete bust.  Again, the place was packed and we got a crappy table at the very far back of the restaurant.  The service was fine, but parking was terrible and the price was outrageous.

Finally got to the Air BnB long after sunset.  It was nothing special, but the price was right.  And the location wasn't terrible.  Anyway, thus concludes Lake Tahoe.  Probably not coming back here again anytime soon.  Too many people, not enough nature, and too expensive.

Zephyr realllly liked the waterfall!

Eagle Falls (above and below)