Tahoe

Fresh water is hard to come by in the western US. There are huge fights between states about who gets what access to fresh water, most especially the Colorado River. Most fresh water is held in lakes, however. Lake Tahoe is one of them. Fortunately, for now at least, no major entity is tapping Tahoe's water and draining it.

This was our third visit to this natural wonder, and we enjoyed it once again. Driving to the lake from the west takes you up and up and up into the Sierra Nevada mountains, along very twisty roads that run through miles and miles of thick forest. There are also the stark remains of trees burned in recent huge fires.

The road goes through a lot of the area burned in the 2021 Caldor Fire, which was one of the most destructive in decades. It is sad to see all those miles of burned forest, yet the undergrowth is already returning and a new forest is coming to life.

Mountainside burned in the Caldor fire. This was the scene along the highway for miles.

But then you get to the top of the final mountain pass, and are rewarded with a stunning view of the lake and its surroundings. There really is no other place like it on the planet.

The lake in the distance to the right. This picture doesn't do it justice.

We got there a couple of hours before we could access our VRBO unit so we went to the Zephyr Cove Resort area and had a drink at the bar overlooking the lake. It was sunny but kind of breezy and chilly, which made us wonder about the people who were in bathing suits along the shore. They had to be cold, especially if they went into the water, which is about 45-55 degrees at this time of the year.

View from the bar at the Zephyr Cove Resort.

The next day we played a round at the Lake Tahoe Golf Course, which has some wonderful mountain vistas. The course was in good shape and we enjoyed the experience.

Golf course view facing northwest.

They had robot mowers everywhere on the course. Probably cost 4 people their jobs.

That evening we had dinner at Riva Grill, right on the lake. The food was quite good, though far from the best we've had on this trip. The food scene at Lake Tahoe hasn't caught up to the vistas.

Dashcam caught us waiting for the valet to bring the car at the Riva Grill.

The casinos in South Lake Tahoe are built right on the Nevada state line. They have been refurbished or rebuilt since the last time we were there.

We woke up the next morning and went back to the Zephyr Cove resort to get on the MS Dixie II for a cruise across the lake to Emerald Bay. We had done this cruise before but the weather was perfect for this one and the views of the mountains surrounding the lake are spectacular. Highly recommended!

Heavenly ski resort is on the south side of the Lake.

The U-shape valleys surrounding the Lake were carved by glaciers.

Back at the dock, we ate a late lunch/early dinner at the Zephyr Cove Restaurant. Again, the food was good but not great. Then we went back to the unit to do some packing in preparation for leaving the next day.

View from the deck of our unit.

We'll be honest: Other than a great location and view of the lake, this VRBO and its management company had issues. We were happy to leave that condo the next morning, though not the Lake itself. It's a beautiful place and we will be back. Just not to that same VRBO!