Lake Tahoe

Tahoe 2023 – Week 6

Beginning last Thursday here at the cabin, Glennis and Kyle had to work most of the day so Tommy and I took advantage of a clear, calm day to Kayak to nearby Camp Richardson, just under 3 miles away as the crow flies. As we launched the kayaks and started off, a clear, plaintive, little boy voice could be heard hollering at us from the yard next door, “Hey, can you take me kayaking with you, please?!!” We felt like jerks explaining that no, there was only room for one person in each kayak (to say nothing of kidnapping charges had we said yes).

We pulled the kayaks onshore among the other beach-goers, ate our lunch and talked with folks on shore. Then we headed for home. It was wonderful going, as Kyle and Glenny’s kayaks are awesome and track excellently through boat wakes. There were many jet skiers and runabout boats on the water, throwing up wakes.

That evening (Paula and Tom needed naps to accomplish this) we enjoyed Bouillabaisse at the Hard Rock Casino’s Oyster Bar. Stuffed and happy, we walked off some of dinner strolling down to the water and eavesdropping on The Foo Fighter’s concert, which was taking place at the back of Harvy’s casino.

Friday, Kyle and Glennis worked and scootered all over the neighborhood on their breaks. Tom and Paula hiked Cowboy Hat Mountain trail.

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This part of the Tahoe Basin still shows the aftermath of the wildfires from 2 years ago.
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The fire burned so hot that some of the trees were entirely consumed all the way down to the roots. The only thing left was a hole in the ground. In this picture, there is still some stump left, but you can see the hole had begun to form.
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More very interesting rock formations.

It was a small mountain and a short hike (~ 3 miles), but the trail was steep. We gained 1100 feet of elevation in the first mile. It got a bit rocky and a little technical near the top as shown in the featured picture, but it was well within our abilities. The surrounding forest showed evidence of devastating wildfires on some parts of the mountain, but there was also plenty of green growth and live creatures. Clicking grasshoppers whirled around us, sounding like tiny Morse code generators, and white cabbage butterflies and white Sphinx moths floated and flitted around us.

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A Marine Blue Butterfly.
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The views were magnificent once we got near the top.
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Some scale as to how big the rocks were.
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Our lunch campsite on top of the mountain. This was a steep 1,100-foot ascent in only 1 mile of lateral distance.
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Note what looks like a “belt” of small rocks around the middle of this big rock formation on top of the mountain.

That night, we had steak salad extraordinaire, thanks to Kyle’s skill at the grill and Glenny’s artfully arranged salad ingredients. That night we watched and fell asleep to “Shadow Recruit” on TV.

On Saturday, Glennis worked hard at the computer, and Kyle accompanied us on a second trip to Cowboy Hat mountain. The second ascent was just as much fun as the first, and the views were just as spectacular.

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Kyle joined us on our 2nd trip up the mountain the next day.
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Paula and Kyle. In the background you can see the runway for the Lake Tahoe airport and beyond that is the lake.

That evening we went The Wine Bar, just a short scooter ride (Tom & Kyle) or walk (Glenny & Paula) away. After cheese fondue, we all rested and then ate at Toulouse Restaurant, out on the deck despite some sprinkles from passing showers in the area.

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The day after Glennis and Kyle arrived, we spent a nice afternoon at a local wine bar that served flights for tasting multiple varieties.

On Sunday Kyle and Glennis had to go back home and Paula and Tom started to prepare for the arrival of Kyle’s parents. All four of them (Kyle, Glennis and Kyle’s parents) came to the cabin on Wednesday evening and we cooked out hamburgers on the flattop. On Thursday, after a relaxing day enjoying good conversation out on our deck, we all went out for dinner at The Oyster Bar again as Kyle’s parents had never been there. We also got prepared for the arrival of the Dacia, Miller, Makai and Tayva as we are to have a very full and happy cabin this weekend.

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At the end of the week, we were joined by Kyle’s parents. We all went to an Oyster bar for dinner that is located inside the Hard Rock Casino.

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