Take a ride to Tahoe

Hello everyone, Dave the van driver here (imagine a nice trucker hat, a man in need of a clean shave n' shower and sufficient amounts of caffeine pumping through his system).  I'm glad you decided to hop on the Des-mobile (listen closely and you'll hear NPR's "Wait, Wait don't tell me" in the background) where you'll enjoy a ride through scenic Lake Tahoe.  Everyone sit back, buckle up, or at least lay down so we don't get pulled over!  Here we go, yaow!

As we leave Reno, Des rides like a champ- blinkers blinking on cue, gas being consumed at a reasonable rate, transmission shifting like it was born to shift, basically kicking butt- even often being referred to as a "truck" which really tickles Des' ego.  As the passengers looked about we couldn't help but be overwhelmed with the sheer volume of casinos in Nevada.  Dave the van driver takes a long look at this casino, thinking to himself, I could really be a winner.

  Side Note: At one point on our trip we happened to stop at a casino for a free nights stay, only to walk away with $40 free money that we won from new membership promos. Nice, huh?

Hey there folks, we're heading down the hill to Lake Taco- 'er I mean Tahoe and I'd like to pull this van over so ya'll can take some pictures.  What do ya say? 

That's Lake Tahoe, in all it's glory

The van, Des, found it's way to a beautiful lake for the campers to enjoy.  All were happy for the night and the stars rejoiced.  Fallen Leaf Lake is a quiet and pristine lake only a few miles from the Lake Tahoe.  It connects to trails that surround Lake Tahoe- a great place to bike.

Fallen Leaf Lake

The next day, Dave woke everyone up, fed them some eggs n' bacon and whispered to them over the sound of kids running by.  Gather around, gather around, today you are going to see an amazing sight, a bay of emeralds (Dave sniffs) so blue you won't want to leave.  You'll want to capture it in one of those picture cameras, but you can't.  





Des ventured out, heading around the lake on the only road available that would take a few hours to drive around completely.  Des and Dave found some free camping at Blackwood Campground (score) and headed back on the road toward Emerald Bay.  This road is not for the faint of heart because it's curves are sharp and long are the cliffs that lead to the lake.  The many switchbacks and steep grade changes might make you a bit queasy, but vistas prove to be captivating, as Dave the van driver mentioned, and more.  At one point, we took our tour on a little mile-long hike to see the lake up close touch the cool, blue waters in person.

Well, friends, thanks for coming with us on the adventure, we sure do appreciate your company.  You can exit the van on the passenger side, don't forget to grab your kids, puppies and other merchandise. Thanks.