In this second year of the pandemic, I resign to the fact that staring at our computer screen for many hours is going to kill the eyes. No matter how the new normal becomes, the pandemic has taken a toll. It takes a break to realize we need a break, there you go for a break at South Lake Tahoe.
South Tahoe is about a 4-hour drive and made a perfect destination for our first Tesla 3 “road trip”.
Day 1
We resume our subscription to Tesla entertainment which gives hundreds of radio stations plus many other things. We found all the Indian radio stations not working and half of the Taiwan stations not working, but there are still enough to keep us entertained and we get used to the modern day standard of product testing in the high tech world. We charged our Tesla 3 to 100% for the first time but still need to fit in a charging stop. The 4-hour trip became a 5-hour trip. Along the way, we could see more traffic along the way compared to the year 2020.
We arrived at Marriott Timber Lodge. The resort area was unexpectedly crowded and it was touristy; we were also surprised that the outdoor swimming pool was open. Located just a block from the Nevada stateline, the whole area felt a bit like the Las Vegas Casino Strip: touristy and busy. It was a cool thing to go back and forth between California and Nevada many times over the next few days – a reminiscence of the Istanbul ferry ride that went between Asia and Europe all day long.
We checked out the Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen, a restaurant with the same name as the TV show located inside a casino, about 10 minutes walk from the Lodge. We were fortunate to get a table without reservation and there were about 90% of diner occupancy. Even inside a casino, Gordon Ramsay name brand supports its premium pricing. We ordered a few appetizers including scallops, lobster risotto and the foie gras on shortbread followed by the main course of Beef Wellington. It came with a dessert which tasted like a pumpkin sponge cake with a bit too much sugar. These dishes do not seem to be designed to complement, so it left me with a lot of different tastes but no single dish stood out that I would come back again for. My husband enjoyed the beef wellington the most. Overall it has been a worthy one-time experience but was overpriced in the casino ambience.
Day 2
The very friendly concierge told us that most water activities are not yet open: the water is cold and the weather is cool, kayaking is out of the question.
We spent the day hiking the Eagle fall trail and the Cascade fall trail. The Cascade fall trail is quite rocky, which makes it challenging for the knee and the ankle. After hiking about 5 miles, we rewarded ourselves with a super late lunch at the Himmel Haus German restaurant. The restaurant has both the outdoor setting as well as the indoor setting. The indoor was sparsely filled at this odd hour for lunch and we felt comfortable to sit on a bench table far away from the other diners. We followed the waiter’s recommendation and had no regret. The German beer came in no time, and the food followed quickly. The pretzel together with the dips made one of the most delicious pretzels I’ve ever had in my life. I would definitely go back just for the pretzel. The sausage and the pork shank were really good too. The pork shank was tenderly cooked and super yummy together with the potato paste and cabbage gravy.
Day 3
Our Tesla 3 has been telling us that our tire pressure was not totally balanced. Fixing the tire pressure was a tedious trial-and-error effort. Fortunately, we were not in a rush. After the nth time at the air station, the tires were balanced with the right amount of air pressure.
We rented a surrey at the bike shop, at 35 dollars per hour. We enjoyed nice scenery along the lakefront and some beaches. Riding surrey was more strenuous than riding a bike to go uphill and it made a good 2-hour exercise. What better than having a good meal after the exercise? We settled in Macduff’s Pub which has an outdoor booth that was like a tiny greenhouse with a table inside; and the servers were super friendly. We had an authentic Scottish meal, with Scottish beer together with shepherd pie plus fish and chips.
We decided to check out the Tahoe Keys Marina. To our surprise, we could rent a boat, at a hefty rate of $200+ per hour to go out to the lake, without a boat license. It made an adventure on Mother’s Day. We got a 10 minutes orientation on how to drive a boat and were reminded of the costly penalty should we damage any part of the boat. The orientation did its trick to intimidate; and to add to that, it could be life threatening if either got overboard into the cold Lake Tahoe water. We started the boat at a super slow speed of 5 mph. Once we got out of the marina, there was absolutely no traffic, and most of the time, we could not even see any other moving bodies. I love screaming in the wide open where nobody hears nor cares. We had no clue how long it would take to get to the Emerald Bay within our eyesight, and ended up taking a very long time. We barely arrived, and had to immediately head back. We worried that we could miss our marina closing hours, so we doubled down on the speed and took only half of the time on the way back. The boat trip was a lot of fun mixed with excitement and a tiny bit anxiety in the middle of the lake, worrying about getting lost and getting late. If driving a boat is comfortable and relaxing at low speed, driving a boat at a higher speed is uncomfortable, tiring and stressed. I would love to do it again, but maybe when the weather is warmer and with a bigger party.
Day 4
We checked out Camp Richardson, a nice resort for families and our neighbor went there often when their kids were young. We hiked on the Rubicon trail, a 16 Mile hike round trip around the Emerald Bay. It was one of the most beautiful hiking trails I remember, very well paved. The Rubicon overlook area gave a fantastic panoramic view of the Emerald Bay and Lake Tahoe. After the overlook, the trail led us all the way down to the lake and we were able to dip into the water. The sand was colorful, the rocks were shining like granite. The weather was warmer and so was the water. It was nice and quiet in this desolate area. We did a good hike of ~5 miles. On our way back we stopped at the Riva Grill for another late lunch. The outdoor swimming pool at our hotel was open, and we could not miss the chance to use it.
Day 5
It has been a lovely trip and we enjoyed all the outdoor activities much needed for both our mind and our body.
oliviatamccue 