Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is a blissful paradise that I honestly had never even HEARD of until I went there last week. I would describe it as a place where the wild, wild-wilderness meets “A beautiful day in Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood“, and here are three reasons why:

(1)Outside, there is peace and tranquility

Sometimes I want to be social, but other times I need quiet time to myself. At Lake Tahoe, I was surprised to find I could have both at once—they blend together perfectly here.

The first time I realized this was when Dan and I were on a walk in Emerald Cove and stumbled upon an area where there were private natural “pools” surrounded by rocks. We found places to swim and relax in the water, without another soul around (Other than this person whom I accidentally snapped a picture of).

These secluded scenes repeated themselves throughout Lake Tahoe, including many nature walks and hikes.

(2)Everything you need is accessible

There are convenience stores and shops all around Lake Tahoe, just in case you need anything. In fact, I think we saw at least two Safeway grocery stores within a few miles of each other!

They also have a wonderful Visitors’ Center to help tourists orient themselves. We stopped there to pick up a map (which the representative marked up with all of her recommended spots), and a sticker for our van. Interestingly enough, iOverlander marks this location as a safe place to sleep in your van or RV–and we confirmed that with the manager, who said it was no problem. Yet another reason to love Lake Tahoe!

There is even a small movie theatre–what more could you ask for?!

(3)There is a strong sense of community

One of the first things we did was stop at a local farmer’s market. (You may know this is one of my love languages.) It had that small-town-neighborhood feeling, and it was easy to see that most of the produce was locally-grown and the goods were hand-made. I bought some delicious Rainier cherries (my favorite cherries), and snacked on them during a delightfully picturesque walk by the lake (which is perhaps another of my love languages).

We also spent time working at the Washoe County Incline Village Library–one of the best libraries we’ve visited, by the way. They had fast wifi, many great seating areas with tables with electrical outlets for all our devices, and good zoom-rooms for Dan to take meetings. It was also fun seeing all the flyers for local events on their bulletin board–made me wish we could stay a while longer!

Alright, I’ll be moving on to more of our Lake Tahoe experience now….so, please read on!

Vanlife Specifics

We easily found a place to sleep- right on the lakefront–thanks again to iOverlander! I loved opening our back doors every morning to this view!

And we enjoyed eating breakfast in this same spot most mornings. I call this “dirty eggs.” It has diced broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, zucchini, and yellow squash. It’s a nutrient-dense, delicious way to start any day.

We had no trouble parking in most public places during the weekdays–whether parking lots or streets. Over the weekend, it was quite a bit more difficult, though, and we deferred some of the trails we wanted to hike and a scenic overlook or two because the parking lots and pull-offs were overfilled.

For example, this was as close as we could get to the big waterfall called, “Cascade Falls.” I used my zoom lens, and you probably can’t even see it, right? 🙂 Oh well…another reason to go back again next year!

The Lake

In some parts of the lake, I saw the bluest water I have ever seen! I promise you, although it looks as though my photographs have been saturated with color, they are completely natural and unfiltered.

In other parts of the lake, the water was a stunning emerald green that had me singing Wicked’s, “One short day in the Emerald City…” (I’m truly sorry if you are now singing it too…..I know how hard that song can be to get out of your head.)

I don’t know if my photos even come close to capturing the intensely rich colors. I’ll just say (in my best Sabrina Carpenter voice) please, please, please go to Lake Tahoe and see for yourself if you are able!

Beaches

There are so many choices when it comes to beaches in Lake Tahoe! You just have to ask yourself questions like, “Do I want to have a more public or private experience?” or, “Do I want to lay in sand or grass?” or even, “What color water would I prefer today?” The options are almost limitless! 🙂

Swimming

We really weren’t planning to go swimming because the water was pretty cold (in the low 50’s on average this time of year), but, it looked so welcoming, that we decided, “what the heck?!” And, yes, it really was cold, but totally worth it. It made me feel alive!

Water Sports

We watched kayakers, paddle-boarders, jet-skiers, fishing boats, you name it. We didn’t go out and try anything ourselves this time, but I really would love to one day! And now, I really can’t wait to get to our camp in Maine this summer to use our kayaks. This time, I just took some fun photos of strangers. Maybe one day they’ll read this blog and find their picture. If so, you’re welcome! 😉

Nature Photography

As you may know, this is one of my hobbies–so my best travel destinations tend to involve at least some of this! And, Lake Tahoe did not disappoint. We took some beautiful nature walks and hikes, and sure enjoyed the scenery!

Wildlife Photography

Again–big hobby of mine. Thanks to Dan for spotting all the birds and squirrels for me and being so patient while I tred to capture their portraits! 😉

Even though sometimes that’s impossible…

Food

Honestly, we are still trying to make up for LA, so we have toned-it-down on the food experiences. We mostly cooked in the van–lots of fish and vegetables–and for snacks, mostly fruits–both fresh and dried. But, we did notice lots of delicious restaurant options–so, maybe next time! Sorry for the lack of food pictures this time! (This sorry is especially for my mom, who faithfully reads all my blog posts and often comments on how much she loves the food photos.)

Sunsets

We saw some of the most stunningly beautiful sunsets in Lake Tahoe. And, I was just thinking, what better way to close this blog post than with the setting of the sun. I must also say, I’m pretty proud of these shots!