Category Archives: Travel

Eagle Falls

The great thing about snow covered mountains (well, one them) is that all of that snow has to go somewhere when the temperature warms up. The melt waters result in powerful river flows and, since we are talking about mountainous areas, there are chances for big waterfalls. On the southwest side of Lake Tahoe is Emerald Bay and above the bay are Eagle Falls. These are some pretty substantial falls when the water is running off and we got them at a great time of year.

The top of the falls is up near the highway. They crash down the hillside and run in to the lake near Vikingsholme. Since we hiked down to the lakeside at this place, we were able to see the falls both from below and from above. They are spread out over a reasonably wide front and make for a dramatic view. Whether you are close in (and you can get ride to the edge of the falls at the top), looking at them from a distance or staring up from the bottom, they look impressive. I don’t know how long they run for at strength but I imagine they diminish quite soon. We did well to be there at the right time.

Last Skiing of the Season

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For the serious skier, nothing should get in the way of your sport – not even a lack of snow. We were in Squaw Valley at the end of the skiing season. The weather was lovely and warm with loads of sun. Shorts and t-shirts were the order of the day for many. However, in the final days of the skiing season, there was still snow on the higher parts of the mountains. We took a trip to High peak on the aerial tram and the last two days of skiing were being exploited by the faithful.

People rode to the top and then walked across the rock to get to the edge of the snow. The snow certainly wasn’t looking too great and the gentler slopes required more effort to get moving. However, you could then get across to other lifts and get higher up on the slopes. There were a lot of people making use of the few runs and lifts still open. I guess they will have to wait until the snows return so the last moments must be worth it. Watching them tromping through the town in their ski gear when others were strolling in warm weather clothes was pretty funny to see.

Vikingsholme

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A trail runs from the highway above Emerald Bay down to the water’s edge of Lake Tahoe. It is not a long hike but it is a steady grade. At the bottom, you come across a house called Vikingsholme. It is a curious mixture of styles. Situated a short distance from the shore, this must have been a great place to live when it was a private residence. Now you can tour the house if you are interested. I was more interested in the outside than the inside. The grass covered roof sections and the ornamentation of the roof lines and the woodwork were very cool.

Emerald Bay

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Lake Tahoe is a pretty place wherever you are on the shore (assuming you exclude the casino resort area on the south end). It is easy to get blasé about the great views as you drive around the lake. However, get to Emerald Bay and you will definitely notice the beauty of the place. The highway winds around the bay high up on the hills so you have a view down to the water below you. We approached from the south and there is a viewing overlook as you round the headland into the bay. This was absolutely packed with people so stopping was not really an option.

We continued down to the trailhead and got amazingly lucky to find a parking space opening up as we arrived. People were parked all over the place and along the road in both directions but we were exactly where we wanted to be! Outstanding! The view down to the bay is lovely. There is a small island in the middle of the bay which makes it look evening more inviting. The idea of staying on the shore, swimming out in the bay and across to the island sounds great. Of course, this is snow run-off so I imagine the water temperature as a bit on the chilly side.

The place was hugely popular. Not only were people on the beaches along the shore but there was a steady stream of boats pulling in to the bay from elsewhere on Lake Tahoe. I have no idea how busy this place gets in the summer but I imagine it is absolutely crazy.

My Timing on the Bridge Was Off

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While reading some of the material at the Donner Memorial, I saw some pictures of a cool looking bridge. A similar style to the Bixby Creek Bridge, this one was above Donner Lake. It is on the old highway which is now bypassed by the interstate. We were heading off in a different direction but we were coming back to Truckee on another day for dinner so I decided to check this place out prior to that. Since it would be early evening, the light should be in a good place too.

It turns out I timed it just a fraction wrong. The sun was low across the lake which did look very nice. Unfortunately, the bridge was in the shadow of the surrounding hills so it was rather subdued compared the rest of the view. A little earlier and it would have looked great. Oh well, too late to change that. Maybe if I am up that way again, I will plan a bit more carefully and see what I can get.

High Peak

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The top of a mountain is always going to tempt me. I love high points with unobstructed views in all directions. Taking the aerial tram to the top of High Peak from Squaw Valley put us in a great place to survey all around us. It was a bit hazy so the distant views were not too great but you could see Lake Tahoe off in one direction and the summits of other mountains around us. The surface was pretty easy going so we wandered around a lot. You did notice the altitude of course so we didn’t overdo it.

The resort buildings at the summit included a pool and hot tub (which was open while we were there) and some catering places, most of which had given up with the end of the ski season. A steady stream of people was making their way up. We had gone early in the day when it was very quiet. By the time we headed down, the numbers arriving were a lot larger and things were getting a lot busier. Still, you only had to walk a short distance to find yourself a lot more alone if you wanted to.

Donner Party Memorial

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Of course, Donner Pass and Donner Lake are named for the Donner Party. If you are not familiar with American history, this was a group heading west that got trapped in the pass in winter and many did not make it out alive. Those that survived had to do some harsh things to make it. The tale is a sad one and there is a memorial to the party near one end of the lake at the location in which they camped. There is a visitors’ center and a number of trails. The focal point is a large memorial. The base of the memorial is as high as the snow was reportedly deep that winter. It is a lot of snow! On top is a group of hardy travelers. When you think what people went through to get across the country in those days, they were truly hardy types.

Donner Lake

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I posted photos of Donner Lake a while back as I was traversing the Sierras en route to Reno. This time we got a lot longer to look around. We did stop at the overlook on the interstate but then we dropped down the hill to the lake itself. There was a nice beach at one end which had a few people visiting even though it was rather early in the year. Some of the houses built along the lake looked pretty nice too. I imagine they would be very pleasant places to spend some relaxing time.

Squaw Creek in Full Flow

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Squaw Valley has a river running through it. This river goes by the name of Squaw Creek – you wouldn’t have guessed would you? It is a short walk from the center of the resort to get to a series of falls that the creek goes over. A trail winds its way up into the hills a lot further if you are feeling energetic taking you to a lake (if it is early enough in the year for it not to have dried up). We didn’t explore all of this. It was the falls that were of interest.

The water was flowing quite nicely with the meltwater run off from the mountains. It would split around obstacles and take various paths down the hill but ending up together again as it descended. The falls were in some nice tree cover so it was a cool temperature as you climbed up the trail.

Squaw Valley Olympic Village

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Ski resorts are designed around the winter season and, come the summer, they can often be rather deserted. The weather was warm and sunny during our visit to Squaw Valley Olympic Village but the place was far from quiet. There was a festival underway so the center of the resort was filled with stalls from various vendors selling all sorts of things but mainly focused on art and craft type items. Meanwhile, bands were playing at a couple of stages.

The event was obviously very popular and large numbers of people were milling about. Some of the lifts up the mountains were also still in use. Obviously a lot has changed since the days of the Winter Olympics in the 60s but there are still signs around the town of the history of the games having been there. I imagine the winter games were a lot lower key in those days but I still imagine the valley was pretty busy at that time. It would have been quite an influx of people. I wonder what the evening entertainment was like then.