CA - Day 3 - Yosemite - Tuolumne Meadows

A view from the top of Pothole Dome

Monday, August 31, 2015

The Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite was our destination for the day. It was a bit of a drive from Tahoe, but luckily we happened to stop by the Mono Lake Visitor Center to stretch our legs, use the bathroom, enjoy the great displays and get some great information that was useful for our next few days. The views outside of the visitor center were incredible! The entrance to Yosemite was only a short drive once leaving the visitor center. The park is $30/vehicle (or use your annual park pass). We arrived just in time for a guided hike at Pothole Dome (about 2.5 hours). The talk dragged on a little, but it was very informative.  We learned all about Belding Ground Squirrels – very interesting (they hibernate for 8-9 months a year)! The four types of predominate granite that exists in Yosemite was also discussed. Once we finally reached the top of the dome, we were rewarded with a view of many peaks of the park. Unfortunately, nearby wildfires caused the park to be a little hazy.

A view from the Valley

Getting the National Park Passport Book stamped was the next activity. The visitor center was small with minimal displays and gift shop selections. On the positive note, there were bathrooms; however, there were not water refill stations available. There is a small restaurant, post office and general store a couple of miles down from the visitor center. We grabbed lunch at the restaurant (very affordable) and then headed to the Soda Springs area. The soda springs were not very impressive. The Parsons Memorial Lodge near the springs was a nice building with some nice displays. The trail to the springs was 1.5 miles round trip and was an easy walk.

Mono Lake - South Tufa Area

We spent about five hours at the park before heading to the Mono Lake South Tufa Area. The cost is $3/person or you can use the National Park Pass.

Mono Lake is rather interesting. The South Tufa Area is the area where the most tufas are present. Tufa is a type of limestone that is formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals. Scientist figure that the lake was created at least 760,000 years ago. The lack of an outlet causes the salt level to be high – approximately 10%. There are a ton of little flies at the water edge, back in the day local Kutzadika’a people relied on the papae of the alkali flies for food. Brine shrimp live in the waters also. The lake also is a major stopping location for migratory birds. We spent about an hour walking down to the water edge and checking out the formations.

CA - Day 2 - South Lake Tahoe

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Vikingsholm Castle courtyard area

Based on prior research, we determined that we wanted to start the day at the Vikingsholm Castle. Apparently the parking lot normally gets full by 9:30-10:00. Arriving before 9:30, there were many spaces available; however when we left around noon the parking lot was full and cars were circling for a space. A parking fee of $10 was charged. There was free parking along the side of the road (probably about a quarter mile down the road).

Given that we had arrived before the first castle tour time (10:30) we had a leisurely walk to the area of the castle. The walk was about one mile down a steep, but paved road. The walk was quite scenic – lots of nice views of the lake as well as some small trickles of water along the road. With some time to kill, we hiked to Eagle Falls (not impressive at this time of year). The trail head was right by the ticket booth for the castle. Getting back from the waterfall hike, we waited around by the visitor center to get the tickets for the castle. No one showed up, but we were able to buy tickets at the door instead ($10/person).

Vikingsholm was built in only six months back in 1929 (200+ workers that were provided barracks to live in). There is about a half an hour talk about the home and then you are left to explore the space on your own. The home is decked out in Scandinavian motif – there are, I think it was mentioned, 60 dragons located throughout the home (both inside and out). Another interesting feature is the sod roof.

Emerald Bay and Fanette Island

There is a small island located in the bay (Emerald Bay) across from Vikingsholm, Fannette Island, where a tea house was located. Guests at the home were invited out to the island for tea. Currently, the tea house is roofless and in decay. Visitors are welcome to rent a kayak (by the hour, adjacent to the castle) and venture to the island (apparently only about a 10 minute paddle or so).

Venturing back towards Tahoe for lunch, we made a pit spot at Inspiration Point. Inspiration Point is about 600 feet above Lake Tahoe and provides dramatic views. Parking is mega tough around that area – lots of cars park illegally along the road.

For lunch, we headed to a little place called Macduff’s Pub (ranked #11 out of 103 at the time on TripAdvisor). Portions were large, which was good since the prices were a little steep. We were all happy with the food that we ordered (onion soup, fish and chips, and the kona pulled pork sandwich).

After lunch, our CA friends headed home and we were on our own. We spent the rest of the day wondering around by the water and had some gelato at Art of Gelato. It was very yummy – lots of flavor choices. It was a little expensive at $3.50 for a small dish, but I would have to say it was worth it!

CA - Day 1 - South Lake Tahoe

Saturday, August 29, 2015

The trip did not get off to the best start, the plane for the flight came in late and then there were some issues with some of the seats (seat covers were not fully on or something along those lines). After leaving the airport, about 40 minutes late, we were a little bit concerned about making our connecting flight in Salt Lake City. Luckily, we arrived to the gate around the time that the boarding started. After arriving in Sacramento and picking up our rental car, we had a relatively easy drive to South Lake Tahoe. There was a bit of traffic the last 10 miles or so.

Taylor Creek 

We were excited that some friends that live out in CA were able to spend some time with us in Tahoe. We checked out Taylor Creek (free parking and entry), which has some nature trails and a stream profile chamber. The stream profile chamber sounded cooler than it actually was. The fish in the chamber were quite small. There is also access to the beach from the park.

Tallac Historical Home

Adjacent to Taylor Creek is the Tallac Historic Site. There is a trail that connects the two parks. The Tallac Historic Site was known as the “Grandest Resort in the World” about a century ago. The site is comprised of three summer retreats that socially elite families from the San Francisco area owned. A few of the buildings are open to the public (for a fee). There is also beach access at the site.

After checking into our accommodations (Lake Tahoe Vacation Resort) for the next few days, we headed to the Heavenly Village area for dinner. South Lake Tahoe has a concert series throughout the summer and one happened to be going on – the Mark Sexton Band. Deciding on the California Burger Company, we were able to snag a table right by the stage. The concert was good, as was the food. Mike and I both had the Ohana Burger. Upon returning to our hotel, we walked around the Heavenly Village and got a caramel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.