Lake Tahoe, California

Wow...you'd think that I would have a ton of extra time, by not traveling anywhere for business during January. I guess there was a great deal of work that needed to be done at home.  I've been more busy than I thought.  I've been working on several websites - including a wedding site for my son and his fiance.  I realized that I have NOT been keeping up on blog posts...but there aren't too many people that have noticed, because we're all a little busy these days.  However, I'm getting a little restless...I guess I'm not used to being in one place for so long ; )  To assuage that travel lust, I will continue with my posts.

Today, my friends, I will tell you a little about Lake Tahoe.  Located on the border of California and Nevada, Tahoe is mostly a resort destination that has benefits and attractions in both summer and winter seasons.  The Lake itself is the second deepest in the U.S. (1,600 ft) and the tenth deepest in the world.  It's about 22 miles long and 12 miles wide.

I spent most of my formative years in the San Francisco Bay Area, and my grandparents lived in Reno (only 4 hours away).  We used to drive near Lake Tahoe every time we visited Grandma and Grandpa.  Needless to say, I've been to Lake Tahoe many, many times - as a child and as an adult.

As you can see from the map, the Lake is huge...and split right near the middle.  On the South Shore, you'll find that the most popular area is the Nevada side...complete with a ton of casinos and hotels.  

Harvey's Casino

I'll be honest...this isn't my favorite part of Tahoe.  My heart belongs to North Shore...and the amazing parks along the western shore of the lake.

In the winter time, Tahoe is all about the skiing and snowboarding.  You've got a huge selection of fantastic ski resorts to choose from:  Heavenly, Squaw Valley, Northstar, Alpine Meadows...there's something like 12 ski areas! 

The gondola at Heavenly Valley

One of the most famous of these areas is Squaw Valley.  This was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics:

I still can't figure out how this tiny little area (back on the 1950s) was awarded the Olympic games, when compared to some of the big European winter resorts.  At any rate, it's a fun place to visit - winter or summer.

Speaking of summer - Tahoe has a great deal to offer fans of the outdoors.  The hiking around the lake is phenomenal.  One of my favorite places to go is above Emerald Bay.

Yes, that's me on that ledge (1997).  I freaked out my friends who were with me...

The view from hiking above this part of the lake is unreal.  Here are a few shots (none of them mine) to give you an idea of just how amazing this place is...

One of the most memorable trips to Tahoe happened in 1997.  I went there for Labor Day weekend, hanging out with my friends Brooke and Michelle.  We had an absolute BLAST hiking above Tahoe and rafting down the American River.  One evening, we were watching TV and heard about Princess Diana's car crash...

We all couldn't believe that she died.  I was just stunned and couldn't stop thinking about her sons - what would they do without their mother?  The story is even more surreal - I left a few days later for a conference in London.  I arrived on the day of Diana's funeral, and was able to see the outpouring of emotion from the citizens of the UK for this woman.  I will probably write more about this when I finally get around to my posts about London - but this tragic event connected these two trips and I'll never forget it...ever.

I've got a ton of great memories of Lake Tahoe - but not too many pictures of all the times that I've spent there ; )

I've taken my kids and family to the Lake, to play.  The water is freakin' cold.  I've only been swimming a few times - I usually go numb after a little while ; )

My little brothers and nephews (1997)

I've only had one chance to play golf at Lake Tahoe - there are several great courses, right alongside the water.

They usually hold a huge Pro-Am tournament at Lake Tahoe each year in August.  I do remember seeing Michael Jordan playing there in the early 90s.

Well...I could go on - but I think you get the feel for how much I like this place.  I'm waiting for the day when I can take my wife there and show her why I love it so much.  We're plotting how to get there on one of our trips to the Bay Area...then I'll have to come back and update this post ; )