The Traveling Idiots-Where The Tuck Are They Now?: Tahoe Highlights and Facts to Amaze and Impress Your Friends

It's early Sunday morning here on the west coast and we've had a fabulous time here in Tahoe. As I had mentioned in a previous post it's been quite a while since we've been here and we're looking forward to coming back some time but there is a bunch of the world still to be seen. One thing about Tahoe at this time of the year is that it's very crowded so parking at some places can be a little challenging. If you come, and I hope you do I would suggest the fall. The temperatures would be a little chilly but I'm sure there wouldn't be half as many people here. If skiing is your thing then a visit in the winter would be great as well. My skiing career which was never much has been over for a number of years. I may not be the sharpest pencil in the box but I was smart enough to realize it was time to hang the skis up while all the joints were still working.
A couple of highlights and facts;
Sand Harbor Beach-This beach is actually a Nevada State Park located about 18 miles from Tahoe on the east side of the lake. There are actually 3 nice sandy beaches in the park; main beach, divers cove and boaters beach. We set up at divers cove which is the smallest of the three beaches. The water is incredibly clear and there are huge rocks (boulders) on land and in the water. There is also a very nice amphitheater where they run a Shakespeare Summer Series and have concerts. If you go in the summer go early, the parking lot fills up quickly.
http://parks.nv.gov/parks/sand-harbor
Echo Lake & Echo Lake Trail-Beth and I have done a lot of hiking in a lot of places around the globe but we agreed this was one of the most interesting and scenic trails that we have ever hiked. It's actually part of the Pacific Crest Trail which runs from Mexico to Canada. Since we only had four bottles of water, two peanut butter sandwiches, and one peach we opted not to do the entire trail.
What we did was recommended to us by a Park Service employee and her recommendation was excellent. We drove to Echo Lake which is about 10 miles Southwest of Tahoe and took a water taxi to the far end of the lake. The water taxi ride was very scenic and the lake which is quite large is actually about twice as large as it first seems because of a channel at the end of the first part that cuts through to the second section. We were dropped off at the far end and hiked back to where we started. It wasn't a long hike, only about three miles in length and the elevation change was minimal but the views were amazing. There are many options for longer hikes or not taking the water taxi and doing an out and back hike. There is also wilderness camping further out that a lot of folks were doing although I prefer a bed, toilet and not risking getting eaten by a bear. Both Sand Harbor and Echo Lake would be high on my list of recommendations if you come to this area.
http://www.tahoeactivities.com/echo-lakes-trail-head
http://www.echochalet.com
If sitting in a smoke filled casino is your thing they have those here as well. We did about a five minute walk through of Harveys and Harrah's and were glad to be back out in the fresh air. There was a time in our past when we enjoyed that stuff but like skiing those days are long gone. Maybe I am getting older and wiser!
OK, now for the quick facts on Lake Tahoe that you can share with friends and family to impress them on your intelligence level.
The Lake is:
22 miles long
12 miles wide
72 miles of shoreline
1,645 feet deep
37 trillion gallons of water (enough to cover all of California with 14 inches of water which could be helpful with the wildfires)
Today it's off to Napa Valley and the wine country. I'm going to be on the lookout for the Boone's Farm, Ripple and Mogan David (Mad Dog) wineries. Those were the three official wines of any underaged kid in Mulberry in the 70's.