Tahoe via San Jose

August 4 ~ 6

Have wanted to go to Tahoe forever.  Too bad we've really got the itch to get east, so we decide to only spend a couple of nights there.  But we waylay to San Jose for the night to see some of the guys Rick used to worked with and they're anxious to see Tor.

We have to stay at a pretty miserable place, Trailer Tel RV Park (trailertel.net), but it's the only place right in San Jose.  We don't want to the guys to come here, so we go to them.....park Tor in their office parking lot and have a little cocktail party.

The road to Tahoe is pretty uneventful except for a couple of steep climbs, particularly the one through the infamous Donner Pass.  Arrive at Coachland RV Park, (coachlandrvpark.com) to this little surprise.  Don't know how long we've been dragging Pearl (the car), with a hurt foot, but discover a very flat tire with a big screw lodged in it. Coachland is billed as a four star facility....don't believe it....who makes this stuff up!

Having only one full day in Tahoe, we decide to start off at Squaw Valley (squaw.com) which proudly showcases its role as host to the 1960 Olympics.

 

Stroll around the village which is very, very quiet and decide to take the 80 mile drive around the entire lake to get a good overview of what Tahoe is all about.  Find Soupa  (squaw.com/soupa), a tiny little restaurant in the village and get what turns out to be the best sandwich I've ever eaten....called a Caprese.  Rick orders a Thai Peanut Wrap and we set off on the drive.

We stumble upon a fast moving stream filled with rafters and consider renting a raft...that's until we see literally  hundreds of rafts fighting for water space...looks like a ride at Disneyworld.....no thanks!

Find a great spot on the Lake for a wonderful picnic.  The Caprese is a whole wheat ciabotta roll slathered with pesto and piled with heritage tomatoes and mozzarella.....marvelous!  The thai peanut comes in a distant second.

It has been said the 25 mile miles from State Line, Nevada north on the east side of the lake is one of the most beautiful drives in America.  If that's all you do, you will be missing the very best part.....Emerald Bay, on the northwest corner of the California side.

This is in no way an educated recommendation, but it seems the north shore is far nicer.....the south filled with t-shirt shops and the like.  At the two state lines between California and Nevada, the traffic is abysmal....perhaps because of the casinos at the very edge of each border.  It also seemed that Incline Village and King's Beach were perhaps the nicest places along the way.

It would be great to stay and have a beach day, but we are really anxious to get back east and to our kids.....trying to find places to stay along the way to break up the very long 2900 miles ahead.

We'll go back to Park City, Utah tomorrow.....missed a couple of things at Olympic Park that we'd like to see.