A beautiful hike leading to another amazing lake! This is a two and half mile hike one way and is considered to be moderate difficulty. Fortunately, the elevation gain is on the way to the lake, so it is downhill (and much easier) on the way back!

It was a little bit different then the other areas we’ve been to, since we hiked through a forest, then a meadow before reaching the lake. The views on the hike were stunning and the lake is beautiful, but in our opinions, not as pretty as Echo Lake!

(click on an image for full screen view)

(click on an image for full screen view)

We didn’t really feel like we could say we’ve seen Lake Tahoe until we could actually spend some time ON the lake. Fortunately, we have gotten to know Scott and Chris, our neighbors and new friends! They have spent a lot of time at Tahoe over the years and know the area really well.

They told us about the Rum Runner Cruise that leaves from Camp Richardson and goes to Emerald Bay. This really is a great way to see the lake and Emerald Bay. And, of course, with a name like Rum Runner you know they have to have a great one, right?

Two beautiful lakes a short distance and a short, but fairly steep, hike away from Tahoe!

The second lake is smaller and is mostly a vacation/resort area with a small beach. We did try their ‘famous lemonade’ and a sandwich for lunch. We’re not really lemonade people, but it was pretty good!

(click on any image for full screen viewing)

There are so many beautiful places to see near Lake Tahoe that it’s hard to choose, and it seems like every one you talk to has their own favorite place.

One of our new friends here told us about one of her favorite places in the area so we planned an afternoon to go there together. The Tallac Historic Site is made up of three historic estates and is right on the lake near South Lake Tahoe. The Pope and Baldwin Estates were built between the 1890’s and 1920’s. The Pope Estate was originally built by Lloyd Tevis, a former president of Wells Fargo bank as a summer home. Of course, he also had to have cabins built for his guests to stay in (and a cabin just for the kids playroom!)!

The Site also includes the Heller Estate, which is referred to as Valhalla and can be rented out for weddings and other events.

This entire area is now controlled by the U. S. Forest Service and there is no charge to walk around the grounds or visit the beach.

Coincidentally, the estate is right next to The Beacon Bar & Grill which is rather well known for their Rum Runner drinks, so, of course, we had to stop and get one before the long walk back, right?!?

(click on any image for full screen view)

We like to say that this is a flexible life-style, and this summer we are proving it! We left Arizona with travel plans through Nevada, then a week at Lake Tahoe, then on to Oregon and Washington to explore the Northwest.

We reached Tahoe and fell in love with the area and the RV park. Like many parks, they use a lot of seasonal workampers. We got to talking to one of them and he told us how much he loves it here and that they still have several open positions.

We thought about it and decided to stay for the summer! We talked to the manager and applied. Unfortunately they only have full-time positions open. So instead of both of us working part-time, Mike is going to work full-time. That way Candi has time to do all the regular chores that still need to be done even in an RV.

Some photos to show you how gorgeous the area is … more exploring to come later!

… and where else can you find a campground that includes a roving bagpiper in full regalia?!?!

We are headed northwest from Vegas so we decided to stop in Reno for a week. The drive from Vegas to Reno is almost 500 miles of nothing but desert! There are a few small towns (including one with wild donkeys!) but not much else. We did stop overnight at Tonopah RV Park. This was a great place to stop since it is about halfway between the 2 cities and it is easy access with level, pull-through sites. And there was a pizza shop nearby that delivered!

Then it was back on the road to Reno River West RV Park. This is a really nice small RV park about a mile from the downtown Reno area. Luckily our site was pull through and easy to get in to. There were a couple of nice places to eat within walking distance. There was a cute bar called Shanty Dolan’s about a half mile from the RV Park and they occasionally have food trucks. Since we love food trucks we had to do dinner there one night! And Gloria’s Cafe about a mile in the other direction had a nice breakfast.

We did some exploring around the area, including a day trip to Virginia City which is a neat old mining town with some interesting historical buildings and quirky shops.

We also got together with John and Juliet, some friends we had met last year, and went to the National Automobile Museum. This museum houses an amazing collection of vehicles, including one of the first ‘RV’s! After that we visited a casino and couldn’t resist playing a little roulette – and we doubled our money!! Okay, we started with ten dollars and quit when we had twenty, but that’s double, right?!? We also saw a good stand up comedy show!

What’s better than seeing the Doobie Brothers in Vegas? Seeing them AGAIN in Vegas, from the front row! We were fortunate to find an incredible deal on some tickets through one of the casinos. Sitting in the front row is a whole different experience!

We also got to meet a few other Doobie fans including Cindy and Dan Miske (Cindy is one of the Fan Page Admins) as well as the Doobie Brothers tour photographer, Jim Trocchio!!

Speaking of the DB Fan Page – another one of Mike’s photos got chosen for the June FB Cover Photo!

Everything in Vegas is very surreal, including the Eiffel Tower replication. It is 540 feet tall and is a half size replica of the actual Eiffel Tower. There are some great views of the strip and the water fountains in front of the Bellagio Hotel.

Well, what can we say … die hard fans gotta do what comes natural. And that is go see the Doobie Brothers kick off their Tour Year on opening night in Vegas. They’re doing a short 3 week residency at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood and it’s a great venue! A 7000 seat arena with no bad seats and phenomenal sound.