Nature Photos by Carol

On our first trip to Lake Tahoe, my family headed towards the north shore. We had been told this is the place for peace and quiet. South Lake Tahoe (think ski resort, movie stars) is much busier and more commercial. We couldn't get into our room at Cal Neva (once owned by Frank Sinatra which we thought was very cool) until 3pm, so we went in search of a restaurant by the lake to have lunch. We found Captain Jon's and were fortunate, after just a short wait and a few pictures later, to get an end table on the pier. It was the most peaceful setting; far from the busy beaches, with boaters and geese meandering by . The owner showed us to our table and was very gracious and welcoming. (Captain Jon's, 7220 North Lake Blvd, Tahoe Vista, CA)

The hotel was interesting. A little run down, but the balcony overlooking the lake made up for that. My husband and I went for a drive while the girls headed to the lake for a little sun-bathing. Driving north from the city of Crystal Bay, we found several viewpoints where we could stop and take pictures. It was crazy-busy, with lots of teenagers and families parked along the road and heading for the public beaches. I became obsessed with the large boulders along the shoreline and kept imagining playful giants tossing them in the air and piling them up in the water.

Now for a history lesson, courtesy of Wikipedia: "The lake was formed about 2 million years ago and is a part of the Lake Tahoe Basin with the modern lake being shaped during the Ice Ages." (Basically that explains the big rocks.) "The area surrounding the lake is also referred to as Lake Tahoe, or simply Tahoe." (I still refer to it as 'Lake Tahoe' as I don't feel like we are on first-name-basis yet.) And just one more important fact: it is the second deepest lake in the United States, after Crater Lake.

My family is known for its planning, and consider it almost sinful to leave home without first doing research and having reservations all set. This trip was the exception as we all had been too busy to plan ahead. For dinner, we found a restaurant called Jason's Beachside Grill and decided to give it a try. We had to wait about 20 minutes to be seated. But, the wait was delightful--sitting beneath gorgeous trees, a view to the lake, listening to live music...perfect. The food made it even more worthwhile. I had grilled chicken penne pasta which was yummy. (Secret ingredients--smoked gouda sauce and sun-dried tomatoes.) My daughter excused herself from the table early and, before dessert even, ran to the beach to take pictures of the sunset (like mother, like daughter?) Interesting little rock sculptures in the water (kids playing?) and the half moon helped to make the pictures special.

I woke up early on Sunday, as per usual, and headed to the lake to take pictures. Cal Neva doesn't have a private beach, but has a small public beach a short walk away. I enjoyed taking pictures of the beautiful flowers along the way. The beach was lovely with huge rocks and interesting footprints in the sand. Hint: go early to beat the sun bathers and watch for signs saying "private beach". One out of two wasn't bad for me. Ha.

After checking out from the hotel and having breakfast, we took off for a drive around the lake. We headed east, drove into Nevada, and ended up in South Lake Tahoe. Some day, we will go back there, when we are seeking excitement and not relaxation. It had some great shops and the gondola ride looked fun. We chatted with a nice young man who gave us tips for our next trip (shhhhhh--best advice--go to Riva Restaurant if you want to see stars--this is your reward for reading all the way through this). We next headed towards Emerald Bay as we wanted to see the castle, Vikingsholm. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a spot in the parking lot, so had to save that adventure for another time. We decided it was enough to have seen the beautiful view from the lookout point and none of us was willing to hike the one mile down to the castle, and back! If you are interested, check out their website: http://www.vikingsholm.org/ If you plan a visit in the summer, go early enough to beat the crowds. We will, next time...