Lake Tahoe August 2011

After leaving Clearlake we headed to North Lake Tahoe.  We have a family in our ward that has a cabin up there and we "bought" a week there during a ward auction (a fundraiser for the youth programs at our church).  It couldn't have been more awesome!  I grew up going camping in South Lake Tahoe almost every year, and although it was sad to not be around a camp fire every night, it was very nice to go home every day to a nice warm cabin with beds.  The cabin was also within walking distance of the lake and shopping, so everything was right there when we wanted/needed it.

Accommodations

Funny story about this next picture: Hunter would not walk on that air vent in the ground.  He would be running full speed and stop dead in his tracks to slowly walk around either side of it.  Ok, so it doesn't sound that funny, but it totally was, and it is a memory we don't want to forget.

Exploring North Tahoe
Because I grew up going to South Lake Tahoe, we weren't sure what there was around the cabin we were staying at, so the first day was just spent exploring the area.  We found a fun park and then just went hiking from there.  The kids loved finding "walking sticks" during each of our hikes and would carry them the entire way once they found the perfect one.

Sand Harbor Beach
This beautiful beach was on the east side of the lake.  I would definitely go there again if given the chance because it was so pretty.  Tahoe is not known for its warm water, but you can't beat the beauty surrounding it.

Indoor Smores
And what family trip is complete without smores?

Eagle Lake Falls and Eagle Lake
This hike is one that I grew up going on when I was a girl.  The falls are a short 3/4 mile hike, if that, but if you continue on the path you can hike another mile or so and come to the lake in the pictures.  Not many people continue on to the lake, so it was nice to have the peace and quiet once we go up there, enjoying the picnic lunch that we had brought.

Emerald Bay

Bike Ride Along Truckee River Bike Trail
Most beautiful bike trail ever!  It was a nice easy ride (even for me and that is saying alot!) and right along the river the entire time.  We rented bikes for a couple of hours and just went riding and stopped along the way to feed some ducks.  Definitely on the "to do" list next time we visit Tahoe.

Angora Lake
This is a fun little lake that you get to after about a 3/4 mile hike.  It is so pretty and peaceful.  There are little rocks to jump off of close to shore and then some bigger cliffs to jump off of for those who are more daring.  I wasn't feeling it this year, but the kids were able to convince Brett that he should jump off the 15 footer.  The kids favorite part of this day was feeding the squires.  Those things would come right up to you, even if you didn't have food.  If you left your bag open, they could literally climb inside to check things out.  But it definitely made for a fun time for the kids to watch them and feed them.

Glen Alpine Falls (Fallen Leaf Lake)

Magic Carpet Golf, Carnelian Bay
And to finish off the trip we hit the miniature miniature golf course.  The kids had been asking to go to that "cool looking" place all week, so we thought why not.  I think they had a blast and would do it again if we asked them.

Yosemite National Park

On the way home from Tahoe, we decided to take the "scenic route" and drive through Yosemite.  Our real desire was to go to see the Giant Sequoias, but the three hour drive through the park was a beautiful added bonus!  We are glad we went off the quickest path to see the beauty that this earth has to offer us.

As you can see, it was a very fun trip.  We did a lot without doing too much at all.  I know that was a lot of pictures, but I don't want to miss any memories from our trip.  It is times like these that I treasure in life.  Added bonus:  Brett accidentally threw his phone into the lake on the second day of our trip, so we were really able to get him away from work!  Oh, the tender mercies. . .