We'll be spending our Labor Day Weekend here at Alpine Meadow Campground high above Martis Creek Lake down below us. The campground is less than half full at the moment, but by the weekend it's sold out, not a single vacancy for Friday or Saturday nights.
It's an Army Corp of Engineers park so we only pay half price to camp here, a budget friendly $10 a night. Most Army Corp parks have water and electricity on the sites, this one does not, that's part of the reason for the inexpensive price.
First up is the fact that it's laundry time again, and we have two empty 3-gallon water bottles and one empty 30-lb. propane tank to fill, which means we got some chores to take care of.
It shouldn't have been much of a surprise when we figured out that the prices to take care of these things was going set some new record high prices for us.
We are camped just 10-miles away from the north shore of Lake Tahoe, outside the town of Truckee, CA.
The price of gasoline in town ranges from $6.95 to $6.99 a gallon, so we won't be purchasing any gas at this stop. We still have half a tank, enough to get us to our next stop at the south shore of Lake Tahoe. From there it's only a 25-mile drive into Minden, NV where the prices are closer to $4.70 a gallon, so we will wait until then to purchase our gas.
The price of propane in Truckee was $4.29 a gallon, when we've previously been paying closer to $3.00 a gallon. Since we only need 7-gallons, I went ahead and filled our 30-lb. backup tank.
We paid $12.50 for a triple-load washer at the laundromat, which is pretty typical for California. Everywhere else we'd expect to pay about half that amount. The point I'm trying to make is it was a very expensive day today!
We are waiting until the end of the weekend before we do our grocery shopping, so the wallet will once again be taking a bit hit!
Similiar to the Sunday Brunch Cruise we did on the Columbia River back at the end of July, today we'll be onboard "Tahoe Gal", the only authentic paddle wheeler on Lake Tahoe.
However, before we head down to Lake Tahoe this afternoon for our sightseeing cruise, we are going to be in need of some breakfast!
In January of 2020, Guy Fieri rolled into town, you know, that guy from the Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Show on cable TV. Well, he was here to check out a place called the Full Belly Deli, and with a name like that we just had to check it out for ourselves.
Guy awarded 👍👍 to their Biscuits & Gravy Burrito, which includes a Buttermilk Biscuit, Cheddar Cheese, Hash Brown, Fried Egg and Chorizo-Sausage Gravy in a Flour Tortilla. If it's good enough for Guy, it's good enough for me, so that's what I ordered.
Tricia instead ordered their Cal-Neva Gnar Burrito, which includes Chicken Thigh, Avocado, Provolone, Fried Egg, Hash Brown, Green Chiles and Southwest Sauce in a Flour Tortilla.
We both devoured our delicious burritos and were saddened to learn the deli is closed on Sundays, and Labor Day Monday this weekend, which is our last two chances to eat here again.
Anyway, it's time to head south, down to Tahoe City to catch our sightseeing cruise.
We'll depart from Tahoe City's North Shore and travel down the western shore of Lake Tahoe to Emerald Bay. We'll cruise past stunning lakefront estates, explore hidden coves, and witness the beauty of Vikingsholm Castle and Fannette Island.
If all that sounds like a sales pitch, it's because I basically copied it "word for word" from the cruise company's website. 😎
EMERALD BAY CRUISE onboard TAHOE GAL
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They ask you to arrive 30-minutes prior to sailing, so or course we were there 1-hour early,...
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...which gave us time to walk up and down the shoreline of Lake Tahoe.
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Soon we were out on the lake and cruising south to our destination.
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At some points we were able to get closer in to shore. The boat only needs 5' of water to float.
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Most of the western shoreline of the lake is privately owned, but there are 3 state parks.
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The first state park we saw was Sugar Pine Point State Park.
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They have a sandy beach where you can swim in the chilly 60°F water if you dare.
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They also have kayak rentals, which appear to be very popular today.
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The next state park along the shoreline is D.L. Bliss State Park,named for a pioneering lumberman, railroad owner, and banker from the region.
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The rails are still on the beach which he used to lower his boat into the lake from the boathouse.
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The shoreline gets very rocky and very steep just south of the state park beach...
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...which is perfect for another summertime activity for the locals.
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That activity is rock climbing!
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The third state park is our destination, the picturesque Emerald Bay State Park.
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It's hard to see in the photo, but there were a lot of boats anchored up along the shoreline.
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There are two main features here at Emerald Bay, the first is Fannette Island.
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Fannette Island is the only island in Lake Tahoe.
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On top of Fannette Island is the Tea House built by the owner Mrs. Knight in 1929.She would occaisionally entertain her guests with a tea service in the small castle.
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Today it's open to the public, but you have to either arrive by boat or swim to the island.
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As you can see it's a very popular attraction to visit.
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At the head of Emerald Bay is Mrs. Knight's summer home, also built in 1929.Vikingsholm is the finest example of Scandinavian architecture in the western hemisphere.
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Mrs. Knight and her architect traveled to Scandinavia to gather ideas for the construction.The home is also open to the public, but only viewable by reserving a tour.
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It's time to make a U-Turn here in Emerald Bay and head the 2-hours back to the dock.
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Lake Tahoe is the 2nd deepest lake in the U.S. at 1645', behind only Crater Lake at 1943".
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The eastern shoreline of Lake Tahoe is mostly federal land, so not as much development.
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With 15MPH winds it was a perfect day to get out and sail on the lake.
For the last two mornings Tricia has been heading out at 7:00AM to take a morning walk around the campground.
Less than 1-mile due west of the campground are the two runways for the small Truckee/Tahoe Airport. There is a curfew where no one is permitted to take off or land between the hours of 10:00PM and 7:00AM, so at 7:00AM each morning there is a flurry of activity going on over there.
TRICIA'S MORNING WALKS
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Single engine and twin-prop planes seem to make up the majority of aircraft traffic here.
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However, helicopters and small commuter jets have also been seen and heard this week.
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There is also a glider-port here and I thought just maybe it was my turn to try gliding.
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Remember, Tricia got her turn to go up last November when we were in New Mexico.We've already spent our entertainment allowance for the month, so I guess I'll just have to wait.
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This morning at 7:00AM it was 33°F outside which created a thick fog over Martis Creek Lake.
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The closer she got to the lake the thicker the fog appeared.
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This is the road that goes over the dam that creates Martis Creek Lake and whythere is an Army Corps of Engineers park here to maintain the dam and water levels.
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