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When we woke up on our second morning in Tahoe city the golf course behind our motel was covered in a fresh layer of snow on top of the considerable amount that was already there! It then began to snow really hard as soon as we stepped outside for a walk up the road to the "Bagelry" for some breakfast! It was almost a blizzard! In the few minutes it took us to walk the short distance we were looking like two abominable snowmen! We holed up for a couple of hours, enjoying the sight of the snow from the warmth of the Bagelry & chatting to the owner, Curtis. We thought it wise to stay put in Tahoe city rather than risk driving out into uncertain weather & unknown roads! Soon, as predicted by the locals, the sun came out & we were able to explore more of Tahoe City. We eventually ended up in "Bluestone" jewellers where I simply had to buy a locally made silver & turqoise necklace & matching earrings in the shape of Lake Tahoe. Then we went back along the road to the Information centre to buy a few postcards & spent a pleasant half hour chatting to the staff whilst the snow started to fall again outside! After that we picked up some provisions & headed back through the snow to our lovely warm motel where we spent what was left of the day relaxing, reading & catching up on all our correspondence, both paper & electronic!
What a difference a day makes! The following morning was brilliant sunshine, with a promise of fine weather all day! Of course the roads were also completely clear (they're obviously very used to dealing with huge amounts of snow here!) After our breakfast bagel, coffee & chat with Curtis we hopped into the car & headed North. Oh my goodness!! At every turn there were more spectacular Alpine views of Lake Tahoe, mountains & forests! We drove past Cornelian Bay, Tahoe Vista & on to Kings Beach, on the Nevada border, all the while exclaiming at the beautiful, incredible views before us! We stopped at various lookouts along the way & were able to see right across the lake to the peaks beyond - Mt Tallac & Ellis, Barker, Twin, Ward & Squaw Peaks were clearly visible. We went through Incline Village, Crystal Bay & on past Spooner Lake where we turned onto Hwy 50 so that we could continue driving the lake perimeter - all 71 miles of it! On the way we drove through Cave Rock, the remnant of a volcanoe that erupted three million years ago. This rock is sacred to the Washoe Indians whose ancestors once performed religious ceremonies inside the largest cave. It rises 360 feet above the surface of the lake & takes up 300 feet of shoreline.Two tunnels have been blasted through the rock but in the 1840s there was a road built around it to accommodate gold & silver miners going to the Cumstock mines. We carried on to South Lake Tahoe & back to Heavenly where we stopped to look around & have something to eat. Along the way we again managed to stop & chat with people who, like us were admiring the breathtaking views. After Heavenly we retraced our steps, stopping to take photos of the sun lighting up the lake. On the way we passed a spot where there had been a huge rock fall, causing part of the road to be closed. Looking around you can see huge rocks balanced precariously above the road - no wonder there are signs everywhere banning parking & warning of rock falls! It was getting late when we arrived back in Tahoe City so we spent the rest of the evening relaxing & looking at all the lovely photos we'd taken which just can't begin to show how truly amazing this place is!
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Wendy M Just sounds amazing! You lucky people you. Have to say we are having some beautiful spring days here. Clear blue skies and warm temperatures. No mountains in Gillingham though :)