First Trip to Lake Tahoe

**I'm trying a new way to put pictures in the blog, so bear with me while I figure it out**

We took our family to Lake Tahoe the weekend before school started for one last vacation before the schedule changed. It was the first time any of us had been to Tahoe, and we've lived in the Bay Area for 10 years. we now understand why everyone loves it!

The Dad's company has a condo in Alpine Meadows, near the north shore of Lake Tahoe. We were able to rent it for very cheap for our trip. It was big - lots of bedrooms & beds - and well-stocked with what we needed.

Our first full day, we rode bikes along the west shore of the lake and stopped to get some danishes when we finished. Then we swam at the west end of Donner Lake. Gorgeous! The kids had fun splashing in the water, even though it was a little cold.


On our second day, the weather was much cooler. We drove down to Emerald Bay - so beautiful.

On a whim, when we decided it would be too cool to swim, we decided to go for a hike instead. A park ranger told us about a hike to Cascade Lake & Cascade Falls. The kids did great on the hike. The Princess was so into climbing rocks that day, and the trail was quite rocky, so that kept her interested. The Buddy was excited to see the waterfall at the end of our hike. We got sprinkled on a bit, but the temperatures were perfect for hiking.

After our hike, it was back to the cabin to rest a little. Then we headed out on another bike ride. The Truckee River ran close to where we stayed and there is a nice paved bike path that follows the river. It was nice to ride in the cooler weather as well. The kids have down great this summer on our tag-a-long bikes. Maybe soon they'll be ready to ride on their own...

We went out for dinner in Tahoe City that night - a great way to end our little vacation. We had a nice, relaxing time and hope to make this little before-school getaway a tradition.