A Weekend in Tahoe
For my Christmas present this year Will planned us a trip to Lake Tahoe. He booked a cozy cabin with a fireplace and hot tub in South Lake Tahoe and snowshoes for snowshoeing. Now, when he booked this almost two months early, one would assume that the "rainy season" would bring plenty of snow to the area. No one was anticipating one of the worst droughts California has seen in decades. As a result there was nothing in the way of snowshoeing to be found, and word among the locals was that even the skiing wasn't the greatest. Despite the drought, we still had a great time. With daytime temps into the 60s, we were able to get out and hike and enjoy the warm sunshine. With nighttime temps into the teens, it was chilly enough to enjoy a fire in the fireplace and a soak in the outdoor hot tub. It wasn't quite the winter getaway we were planning for, but nonetheless, we were in Tahoe! How can you not have a great time?
On Saturday we left the Bay and drove to South Lake Tahoe. We got there around 2pm, two hours before check-in time for our cabin. So we stopped at a local brewery I read about, The Brewery at Lake Tahoe. We really enjoyed this place as it was most certainly a local hang out, and they brewed their own beer! We chatted with the bartender a bit while we sipped our local brews, then headed on our way.
It was about 3pm now so we headed to our cabin, guessing that it would probably be ready for us to check in, and it was! This cabin was just the coziest and we'll definitely be going back.
We did some settling in to the cabin by unpacking our groceries and exploring around the yard. Once we were settled we decided we would go hike around Emerald Bay. We got everything ready and hopped in the car. As I was pulling up directions on my phone to get there I thought, hm, how far away is this place? For some reason I had it in my head that it was around ten minutes away, when actually it was about twenty five minutes away. Seeing as it was a little after 4pm, timing didn't add up to be able to get there, hike around and enjoy the scenery, and get back into town before dark. So, new plan! We'll go to Emerald Bay on our way out of town on Monday morning. But then what do we do now? Well, Will saw a brochure in the cabin about a wine tasting room in town (one of California's oldest!) So, wine tasting it is! We were really impressed with the wines at Picchetti Winery. We were getting pretty hungry, so we headed back to the cabin to have cheese and crackers, wine, and pesto!
While I got dinner ready Will built us a fire.
After dinner it was time for a soak in the hot tub. It felt so good!
Sunday was meant to be a day filled with snowshoeing, but obviously this wasn't able to happen. So we took advantage of the beautiful weather and drove around the whole lake, stopping for views, mini hikes, and even toured an open house. We headed clockwise from South Lake Tahoe.
Will has actually been in Tahoe twice before. He gave a presentation a few years ago on behalf of his department at the U, and last year he went with some guys from his company to go skiing and snowboarding for the day. While he was there a few years ago, he drove around the lake and stumbled upon the Lone Eagle Grille, which is on the beach and part of the Hyatt resort on the north end of Lake Tahoe. We stopped here for a drink and to enjoy the beautiful views. We were able to get a table outside and soak up the sun. I got a warm apple cider drink and Will had some California beer.
We continued our drive and Will pulled over along the East side of the lake to walk around some paths and do a little off path boulder climbing! It was so warm by this time that even a sweater felt like too much!
We continued back toward South Lake Tahoe and stopped back at The Brewery at Lake Tahoe for a beer and a snack while we watched part of the NFL playoff games. Then we headed back to the cabin to make homemade pizzas. Will built us a fire again while I made dinner. He also prepared to protect us against invaders.
Monday we got up, packed everything up and ventured out to Emerald Bay. We hiked about a mile down to the beach area. We explored around the Vikingsholm Castle (even though it was mostly closed up for the season) and walked along the beach.
Despite it not quite being a winter wonderland in Lake Tahoe, we had such an amazing time and I can't wait to go back again. (Hopefully during a winter when it's not a drought!)
On Saturday we left the Bay and drove to South Lake Tahoe. We got there around 2pm, two hours before check-in time for our cabin. So we stopped at a local brewery I read about, The Brewery at Lake Tahoe. We really enjoyed this place as it was most certainly a local hang out, and they brewed their own beer! We chatted with the bartender a bit while we sipped our local brews, then headed on our way.
It was about 3pm now so we headed to our cabin, guessing that it would probably be ready for us to check in, and it was! This cabin was just the coziest and we'll definitely be going back.
We did some settling in to the cabin by unpacking our groceries and exploring around the yard. Once we were settled we decided we would go hike around Emerald Bay. We got everything ready and hopped in the car. As I was pulling up directions on my phone to get there I thought, hm, how far away is this place? For some reason I had it in my head that it was around ten minutes away, when actually it was about twenty five minutes away. Seeing as it was a little after 4pm, timing didn't add up to be able to get there, hike around and enjoy the scenery, and get back into town before dark. So, new plan! We'll go to Emerald Bay on our way out of town on Monday morning. But then what do we do now? Well, Will saw a brochure in the cabin about a wine tasting room in town (one of California's oldest!) So, wine tasting it is! We were really impressed with the wines at Picchetti Winery. We were getting pretty hungry, so we headed back to the cabin to have cheese and crackers, wine, and pesto!
While I got dinner ready Will built us a fire.
Sunday was meant to be a day filled with snowshoeing, but obviously this wasn't able to happen. So we took advantage of the beautiful weather and drove around the whole lake, stopping for views, mini hikes, and even toured an open house. We headed clockwise from South Lake Tahoe.
Will has actually been in Tahoe twice before. He gave a presentation a few years ago on behalf of his department at the U, and last year he went with some guys from his company to go skiing and snowboarding for the day. While he was there a few years ago, he drove around the lake and stumbled upon the Lone Eagle Grille, which is on the beach and part of the Hyatt resort on the north end of Lake Tahoe. We stopped here for a drink and to enjoy the beautiful views. We were able to get a table outside and soak up the sun. I got a warm apple cider drink and Will had some California beer.
We continued our drive and Will pulled over along the East side of the lake to walk around some paths and do a little off path boulder climbing! It was so warm by this time that even a sweater felt like too much!
We continued back toward South Lake Tahoe and stopped back at The Brewery at Lake Tahoe for a beer and a snack while we watched part of the NFL playoff games. Then we headed back to the cabin to make homemade pizzas. Will built us a fire again while I made dinner. He also prepared to protect us against invaders.
Monday we got up, packed everything up and ventured out to Emerald Bay. We hiked about a mile down to the beach area. We explored around the Vikingsholm Castle (even though it was mostly closed up for the season) and walked along the beach.
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| Emerald Bay |
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| Vikingsholm Castle |
Despite it not quite being a winter wonderland in Lake Tahoe, we had such an amazing time and I can't wait to go back again. (Hopefully during a winter when it's not a drought!)
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