As the forecast was for snow, we had already decided to pack up the tents while it was still dry and when we finished climbing on Monday we hauled our asses back over to South Lake Tahoe to cheap and cheerful, warm and dry motel.
Over-night it rained, a lot, and then it snowed. We were so relieved we were’t still in the tents.
What kind of a summer rock climbing holiday is this?
As we were’t going to get any climbing done on Wednesday, in fact we were’t going to get much exercise at all, we decided an all American breakfast was required. After all it was Paul’s birthday! Off we went to the Red Waffle Shop.
After breakfast we did a little shop surfing – we found the Patagucci shop and managed to waste at least half an hour in there, not spending any money what-so-ever.
The snow was easing a little, so we went for a drive to Emerald Bay and Eagle Falls, but by the time we got there, the snow had started again and the temperature had dropped to zero. But that didn’t stop some of us taking a short walk along a marked trail.
…. But it was too cold to stay out for long, so we went back to the motel and watched TV!
After going stir-crazy in the afternoon, and establishing that…
- The weather wean’t any better in Yosemite
- It was too far to drive to Joshua Tree
- The weather wasn’t that much better in Red Rocks and that was also too far to drive
… we decided we would stay near Lake Tahoe, but sod the camping, and the expense, we needed to find some superior accommodation with a kitchen.
After a bit of Googling we found a company not far from the motel where we could hopefully get a cabin for a week.
The guy at the rental company tried to sell us a luxury apartment with leather sofas and two (!) plasma TVs. I simply said “we don’t need features, we need cheap and warm!”, so for a very reasonable price we ended up with a three bedroom house in South Lake Tahoe. π
So are you going to visit Lake Tahoe and jump in for a swim β
I think the walk around Lake Tahoe is 250km and a bit of US classic, maybe you could stop being lazy and do that ;-).
All the time I thought you were in a tent in the snow and you had facalities than me – plasma telly !
Just read the comment again; in my haste I did not read it properly you do not have a plasma TV but you might as well get some comfy slippers !
Hello Doreen, It is great to be in touch with you; I really appreciate Peter letting me play with his toys. The weather has been most unfair. The house we have rented is luxurious in the extreme. I cooked the lamb meal last night only with chicken. Please could you send me the recipe for philadelphia cheese with seafood – the thing that Kirsty did, I can’t remember all the details. Hope you are are all well. If possible, please could you phone my dad and say I am alright and having a great time. Tata for now, Chris.
I sent a couple of non climbing photos to your Dad today from the first blog. I will phone Sat when he will have received them. I am very impressed that you are cooking. You can find the recipe on the Philadelphia site. It is called Ed’s smoked salmon tagliatelle. However you can experiment with what you want but remember to make your own pasta !!!!!I have no idea of the time difference but it is now 5.15pm Friday evening here.If you cannot get on the site I will give all the details later.
Things to do around Tahoe in the snow:
Markleeville Hot Springs
Bodie (ghost town on the way S towards Mammoth). Well worth a visit, and there’s unlikely to be significant snow there.
A bit further afield – winery touring N of Jackson. There are some pretty nice wineries in the hills around there.
You could try climbing at those areas N of Reno (Monkey condos and that area). It’s likely they’re snow-free and they’ll be much warmer than Tahoe. Just watch out for the gun nuts, and the ground clearance on the car when crossing the stream beds coming out of the canyons. Got my Subaru stuck there once! π³
Ah, the hot springs sound like an excellent idea.
We visited Bodie on a rainy afternoon when we visited Yosemite last time. It’s a fascinating place.
This morning the sky is blue, but there’s still snow on the ground. The house we’ve rented is great and we’ve got a huge American fridge now stuffed with all American food. π― π―
We’re going to head over to Sugarloaf to see if the sun has melted the snow off the ledges.
How can I change my strange icon ?It is not very flattering.