Going around the lake...first up is Tahoe City. Tahoe City is a quaint little town of South Lake Tahoe, California. It's about 1 mile end-to-end and full of unique little shops and boutiques (this is where I bought my Teva sandals that I think I wore most of the trip). Tahoe City is home to Chamber's Landing Bar and Grill, the oldest bar on Lake Tahoe. The Chamber's Landing restaurant is actually on the shore of Lake Tahoe but their bar is in a very cool shack at the end of a long pier. The bar has casual food like hamburgers and hot dogs as well as their famous Chambers Punch. And if you happen to be out boating around on the lake, you can just dock up and have a little shnack and some punch and then be on your way! And their punch...I must say it is very, very tasty and refreshing. That was just the first of our "punches" as we cruised around the lake. ;)
Next up...Truckee, California. Truckee is so cool. It is a charming little mountain town located in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California (just west of the Nevada state line). Truckee is full of adventure for the sports enthusiast...white water rafting, canoeing, kayaking, mountain climbing, very outdoorsy! The Truckee River flows through the mountains to Truckee and then on through Reno and Sparks in Nevada. The river is about 120 miles long and is the sole outlet of Lake Tahoe. We stopped at a small restaurant that overlooked the Truckee River. We sat at one of their outdoor tables, had a little lunch and more punch and watched people rafting and canoeing on the river.
Truckee River
And then we traveled on to...Carnelian Bay, CA (on the north shore of Lake Tahoe). We stopped at Gar Wood's Grill and Pier Restaurant, www.prestonworks.com/Garwoods.html, an awesome restaurant (great food and ambience) and one of the more popular restaurants on the north shore. We had a few shnacks and some more punch on their large deck as we watched boats pull up to the restaurant's pier only to pick up some take out! What a life! We had a blast just chillin. Gar Wood's is just the perfect place! Don't miss it if you are at Lake Tahoe.
Lake Tahoe is a special place. It is a gorgeous serene lake surrounded by mountains and thick strands of giant pines, sequoias, firs, aspens... It's like a little bit of heaven on earth. So, if you have never been to Lake Tahoe and you get the chance to go, GO. You will love it. It was one of the best trips I have taken. And I'm so looking forward to going back!
