May 26, 2013

Washoe Lake State Park

Carson City, NV

(Lake Tahoe)

We went to sleep at around 10:30 so I didn’t bother setting the alarm because I was sure we would wake up early.  We planned on driving around Lake Tahoe (72miles) and wanted to leave by 9am.

When I woke up and saw it was already 9:30 I was really surprised.  We didn’t end up leaving until 11:30. 

Our route took us on U.S. 50 to the Spooner Summit where it branches off to go either north or south.  We chose to go south passing Cave Rock, Zephyr Cove, and Nevada Beach.

 

 

 

 

I really needed to find a rest room at this point so we turned into the entrance for Nevada Beach.  Before the pay booth the road splits off with a choice of going to the beach or the campground.  We went towards the beach.  The day use fee is $7.  Monte showed his senior pass and was informed that it would still cost half.  We explained that we weren’t staying and just wanted to use the rest room and the attendant kindly let us in without paying.

When I came out of the rest room I saw that Monte was walking towards the beach. 

 

 

 

 

 There were quite a few families having BBQs and despite the cold wind blowing there were people swimming. BRRRR.

As we exited the beach we saw the entrance to the campground and decided to check it out.  The camp host told us that they were booked up for the summer but do get cancelations occasionally and we should check back every day if we wanted to camp there.  We got permission to drive the loop.  There were a few sites that could accommodate our size but only a couple of those were in direct sunlight.  With solar sunlight is very important.

Continuing south we drove through Stateline (the boundary between California and Nevada) where most of the Tahoe action is with first class hotel-casino resorts.  

 We passed historic Camp Richardson that has been a tourist destination for over 100 years. 

 

 

The campground is run by the United States Forest Service and the sites run between $35-$45/night. 

 

 Just past Camp Richardson we turned off at the Tallac Historic Site.

  We parked, grabbed our lunch cooler and set off on the trail leading to the Taylor Creek Visitor Center.  The trail through tall pine trees was approximately ¼ miles. 

At the visitor center, I stamped my passport

 

 

and we found a picnic area to eat lunch. 

 

 

The Center is the hub for four self-guided trials. 

We chose to walk the Rainbow Trail that included

the Stream Profile Chamber 

that through a panel of aquarium-like windows allows views of the stream environment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of the Rainbow Trail, we retraced our steps leading back to the parking lot at the Tallac Historic Site. 

Over a hundred years ago, what is now the Tallac Historic Site held the “Grandest Resort in the World” and the summer retreats for three of San Francisco Bay Area’s socially elite families. 

 

 

Our tour of the Tallac Historic Site began with the Baldwin Museum, a 4,000 square foot “log cabin” that houses exhibits on the significance of the families who build huge estates along the shore and the Native American Washoe Tribe who inhabited the area.

I stamped by passport

and signed the guest book before touring the museum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The back door of the cabin led to the beach.

 

We followed the trail to the Pope Estate, the oldest and largest estate in the Tallac Historic Site.

 

 

 

 

 

After walking out on the pier,

 we crossed over the road leading to the Valhalla Grand Hall, a popular venue for weddings. 

 

 We just happened to arrive as a bride and groom were taking pictures on the lawn.    Built in 1924, the beautifully detailed wood and stone hall includes a wrap-around porch.

 

 

 

 

 Back on the road, we stopped at an overlook to get pictures and just enjoy the breathtaking views of the lake.

 

 

 

We were getting kind of hungry so when we came across a coffee shop in the town of Kings Beach, we stopped.

  I enjoyed a cup of coffee while Monte ordered a hot cocoa to go along with the apple pie I had packed in our cooler.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we reached Incline Village we had the option of taking highway 431 back to Washoe Lake or continue on around the lake.  We decided to continue on because my goal when we set out earlier was to make the entire trip around the lake. 

We stopped at one more overlook that as a bonus for me had a rest room. 

 

We had spent a wonderful day in one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.  How lucky are we!