South Lake Tahoe

Crossing up into the mountains from Gardnerville, the pine trees and small mountain towns surrounded us. The smell of fresh pine was in the air. It was beyond beautiful! 

Our first stop was at Emerald Bay State Park to see Fannette Island. Rising 150 feet above the bay it is a granite fortress which bears the title of the only island to exist at Lake Tahoe.  On the mount of Fannette Island, there is a small stone structure that was used as a teahouse at one time. Mrs. Knight had stone brought to the island for its construction and a few times each summer, she would bring her guests there for a visit.

The drive is a tenuous one, up steep mountain terrain with 10 mph turns and sparse guardrails. There is a fee to park at the top, but the view and fresh mountain air was worth it. We met the Old Veteran pine tree going up, a tree that was left standing when all the others around it were cut down in the 1800’s. This sole survivor was left because it was not fit for logging due to its dual trunk. It’s been dated to be 350-400 years old.

We drove to Stateline on the way back down from Emerald Bay. The area was hopping with tourists who had come to see the shops and cafes before taking a scenic ride up mountain on the gondolas.

We stopped in at the visitor’s center to learn a bit about how Lake Tahoe was formed. The lake and the mountains around Lake Tahoe are part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range which was formed by earthquakes many years ago. The lake itself began as a river flowing through the mountains, which over time deepened as the surrounding mountains rose. Volcanic eruptions caused a blockage in the river and the valley filled with water, creating Lake Tahoe. It is fed by watershed from the mountains surrounding it, leading to its stunning crystal blue color.

North Lake Tahoe

A few days later, we decided to check out the northern side of Lake Tahoe. There is a stark contrast between northern and southern Lake Tahoe. While the south side is more of a beachy tourist spot, northern Lake Tahoe had a lot more mountainous terrain, few spots for parking, and more rocks than beaches.

This time my husband was able to go with us as we went for a sunset trip. We took off after he was finished with work and headed up with a packed picnic dinner.

We first went up to Chickadee Ridge, a prime spot for overlooking Lake Tahoe. It was a steep, rough climb to the top, but the view was worth it. 

They call it Chickadee Ridge because the birds there will fly into your outstretched hands if you have birdseed to give them. The kids filled their hands with birdseed and managed to hold still for several minutes, but unfortunately, that day the Chickadees were not biting that day. We still enjoyed their sweet song though and left them some seed to come and get when they were ready.

We hiked back down from Chickadee Ridge to find a beach to eat our dinner. Sand Harbor was closed earlier when we had driven by, but on the way back it had opened so we drove in to try it out. Unfortunately they had a no dogs sign and so we had to keep moving on.

We ended up at Cave Rock Beach, about a 20 minute drive south of Sand Harbor.

Carson City – The Capitol of Nevada

When not enjoying the beautiful beaches of Lake Tahoe, we went into Carson City, the Nevada state capitol and toured both the capitol building and the Nevada Railroad Museum.

On the second floor of the capitol building, there is a museum called the Battle Born Museum. Battle Born is also on the Nevada state flag. None of us knew what it meant, so we asked at the front desk. Basically, it means that Nevada was born during the civil war and the silver found in the state went to help fund the Union army’s war efforts. 

The kids got to try out morse code, learn about free roaming mustangs, the state bird, fish, trees, and a bunch of other great Nevada historic facts.

At the railroad museum, they had a number of old steam engine trains. The kids found out the importance of time to a railroad, how to construct train track, how a steam engine works, and about the workers who built the track.

The transcontinental railroad was built in two sections. The first beginning in California and heading east and the other starting in Nebraska and heading west. The two met each other halfway in Promontory, Utah where a golden spike was laid to indicate the final spike between the two halves and the completion of the transcontinental line connecting east and west.