Lake Tahoe

This past weekend we went to Lake Tahoe for the first time. It is a 3.5 hour drive away, and a very popular weekend destination for people in San Francisco and the East Bay. Fall is considered off-season since it's too cold for the beach and lake activities, and there is no snow for skiing on the many hills. It was lovely to see some fall colours, smell the crisp air, and get an idea of what it is like before the snow and crowds arrive. We rented a little cabin-esque condo that was the perfect size for us, and looked out at a redwood forest.

We went for a walk behind the condo on Saturday afternoon and the kids had a great time with all the pine cones, sticks, leaves, and rocks.

I tried to get a decent timer shot, but they all turned out a bit blurry.

Daddy was woken from a snooze on the couch by this squishy little cheek smothering him with love!

On Sunday, we drove from the north end, where we were staying in a little village called Truckee, down the eastern edge of the lake (which is actually across the state line, in Nevada). At the southern end of the lake, we found a beach where we had lunch and the kids played in the frigid water for a while before we began the long drive back.

It would be fun to go back at least once in the winter - this is probably the closest we will live to snow for the next few years! Steve and I would love to use our x-country skis again, and it would be fun to introduce the kids to playing in the snow.