Spent the last holiday weekend with a little 3-day vacation in Tahoe. Even with its nearness to the city I'd never actually gone up there, only driven through coming or going somewhere else and mostly during the snow-less summer months. As luck would have it there wasn't much snow this time either.
Its still damn pretty up there either way.
Stopped off to admire Emerald Bay and lovely Fannette Island. We'll have to come back in the summertime to explore the bay's sunken barges and take a tour of Vikingsholm. Oh, to have a tea house on an island.
Made it to the house just in time for relaxing by the fire and dinner-making. You can always count on a well stocked bar wherever we go.
Happy dining on Andy's spaghetti bolognese. I love family style dinners.
A couple rounds of speed scrabble and some trips to the hot tub.
Lights out, day 1.
With the lack of snow we figured we'd spend the day thrifting and having a look at the towns. Got ourselves snowballed in the process.
Poor St. Jude.
So many moorings, it must be crazy during the summertime. I like to imagine the lake full of old wooden ChrisCrafts.
Lots of neat old resorts around as well.
Got ourselves some burgers at the Char-pit.
Then home for beer can chicken a la Chris Rolls.
So good.
Chocolate pudding pie and warm Kahlua drinks fortified us for a gambling trip to Cal Neva.
Antler chandeliers and this great stone fireplace with the state line painted down the wall and across the floor. Back when state troopers used to raid the place all the patrons would step across from California to the vice-safe haven of Nevada.
Such an odd place with a mix of really neat old details from the Frank Sinatra era (he owned Cal Neva Resort from '60 to '63) and before, but also that slightly dank and musty feeling casinos get when they don't see a lot of use. Back in the day it was filled with lookers and even boasted an underground tunnel for whisking the likes of JFK away from overzealous admirers. Marilyn Monroe even had her own cabin. At present, we dropped in on a Saturday night and there were all of 10 people in the whole place and only 3 tables open. And still the odds at roulette were against me.
Back to home $40 poorer and lights out on day 2.
Got up and out for some sledding on the ice hills. Man, those discs are fun, no matter what the conditions.
Ghost ride the disc. Snow, snacks and a good time in the mountains.
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Post-Season? It may well be that the snow days are over in Tahoe, at least for this year, but maybe that just means its time to get ready for summer. Its really so goddamn pretty up there and the area we were in (between Carnelian Bay and Tahoe Vista) was really mellow and scenic. Franklin and I took the longer way from San Francisco, cutting east on Hwy 50 so we could stop in Placerville and do a little nosing about in the antique stores and our favorite army/navy surplus (where two years ago I found my favorite straw fedora). Its quite a nice drive up from there and (regardless of which side of the lake you're heading to) you get an absolutely stunning drive along the shore. I think it was that view along the 89 North that did me in, starting with Emerald Bay and then all the moorings and little resorts. Nice to know stuff like that still survives amidst the Harrah's and ski-bunnies.