Lake Tahoe

Ken and I had a great vacation to Lake Tahoe last week. We enjoyed a relaxing week together. We . . .

. . . ate yummy food:

. . . Swam

. . . Ken birded (added five new life-listers) and rode his mountain bike - a lot!

. . . Picnicked (9.9)

Our picnic guest. He's the great-grandson of the squirrels Joan and I fed 50 years ago at Lake Tahoe- aggressive little monos! Remember Joan??

. . . Saw beautiful flowers

. . . and Mountain scenery

. . . Fed baby ducks on the beach

. . . Saw incredibly beautiful scenery

. . .Visited the Mormon settlement museum (run by the state) Did you know that area was first settled by Mormons? (this nice ranger opened the museum for us and took us on a tour even though it was "closed")

Orson Hyde ran a trading post there.

. . . Spent a day in Reno. We visited the Nevada Art Museum there and

Attended the temple.

This temple is exactly like the Snowflake, AZ temple we attended last year.

. . . And saw beautiful scenery (did I mention that?)

Lake Tahoe is clear and gorgeous and HUGE!

We also watched five movies, I think, including "Dr. Zhivago" Neither of us had seen it before, and we thought a vacation was a great time to watch a 3 1/2 hour movie. We both really liked it, though it's a bit depressing. Next vacation: "Gone With the Wind"

We also enjoyed browsing several local art galleries, and I enjoyed shopping in the little shops.

Tahoe has a lot of locally owned family type cafes. One of our favorites was the Red Hut Cafe- famous for their waffles.

I thought this sign was a joke until Ken saw a bear on one of his bike rides. It was only about 50 yards from him.

The way there and back was long. Nevada is the most desolate state in the union, I'm sure. It IS the middle of nowhere. On the way home we traveled the extraterrestrial highway. It's famous for being so desolate and for being close to Area 51. Nu nu nu nu. The intense secrecy surrounding the base, the very existence of which the U.S. government barely acknowledges, has made it the frequent subject of conspiracy theories and a central component to unidentified flying object (UFO) folklore. (from Wikipedia)

We also visited the recently destroyed by fire Mormon-owned hot springs. It was originally built by Howard Hughes and was his oasis in the desert getaway. It used to be gorgeous. with hundreds of palm trees. Now it's a charred mess.

As a child, I had a doll named "Vacation Ken" I now own a real vacation Ken. I really, really like him. It's so nice to get him away from all of his pressures and get his full attention. I'm having a hard time adjusting back to real life. I can't wait for our next getaway!

Vacation Ken: