South Lake Tahoe

I made my first trip to South Lake Tahoe in March 2010, when I met my brother and sister in person for the very first time. Yes, it's quite the story. I won't go in to all of that now, but the point is that I first saw the Tahoe area when there was snow on the ground. It was breathtaking, and there were very few people around.

In late July, my youngest daughter and I drove to Tahoe for the day while we were visiting my brother in Placerville, CA. After playing Wheel of Fortune slots on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe (it's a family tradition), we headed for The Beacon Restaurant, which is where I'd visited in 2010. The setting was the same, but vastly different. The Beacon offers a panoramic view of the lake, the mountains and a vast azure sky. But instead of snow and snow-capped mountains, we found jewel-toned water, sailboats and families under beach umbrellas, frolicking in the water, and soaking up the sun. (note: I did not color-enhance these images. Lake Tahoe really is that pretty.)

My Little Mermaid, contemplating a dive.

The Beacon is an okay place to eat, but swarming with people and crazy busy in the summer. The photo above was taken from where we were eating (see below), so you can see that people really don't go there for the food. Much like The Oasis in Austin, you go there for the view. 

And here's what the same spot looked like the first time I visited, in the early spring of 2010:

I'm in the brown sweater. Can you tell which two are my long lost siblings?