It didn't invite lounging around and so all three if us were very quickly packed up and on our way up out of the campground to the store at the top of the hill in the sunshine. It was marginally warmer there but windy.
Randy was preparing his morning coffee while Sarah and I were doing our final packing and clothes selection. We would start with a few miles of climbing (usually a warm activity) but it was so cold that I decided to leave on all of my cold weather gear. I would just stop along the way to remove clothes as I warmed up.
Before starting on the road today we said goodbye to Randy (at least for now). He is headed to South Lake Tahoe to make use of the amenities there (haircut, bike shop, motel). He is in need of a short day after the last several long days.
We are planning to push on closer to Truckee today and get north of the lake.
Come on Sun...warm me up
We were headed towards Luther Pass which would take us down into the Lake Tahoe basin. As I started to warm up, I started to enjoy the scenery again. The high valleys and meadows really are quite beautiful.
Still snowy up here in June
We reached Luther Pass before too long and of course stopped to take the now requisite Pass Picture.
This one is a bit higher again
Since Randy was behind us we decided to return his favor from yesterday and leave him a note as we went over the pass. I was curious if he would find it.
Maybe we can convert him
We descended down into the lake basin by a side route that took us around South Lake Tahoe. The west side of Lake Tahoe (especially the south end) is primarily national forest and state parks. this means lots of trees and pretty riding. it also means that it was quite a while before I actually had a first view of the lake. Quite nice with the mountains as a backdrop.
Trees, water, and mountains...all the important stuff
The road around the lake climbs up and down the mountains and stays quite a bit above the lake level until the north end. While not too harsh, we got our climbing in for the day.
We stopped for lunch over looking Emerald Bay. I had heard about it from our Fish Camp hosts. It was recommended as a nice view. They were right. I also caught a but if the history (but missed the whole story). Apparently this bay used to be a separate lake and at some point became joined to Lake Tahoe. This had me wondering if the lake level had risen at some point and covered over the land in between and how long ago that happened. While at lunch I found a sign that explained that Emerald Bay was joined to Lake Tahoe when a glacier covering the valley pushed through the end of it. Okay, so not recently.
That opening has been there a while
We finished the climbing portion of the day after lunch and settled in to a nice cruise along the lake shore to Tahoe City.
Bike path along the lake
Great spot for a break
In Tahoe City we still had about 12 miles to go to our campground but it was still pretty early. We stopped at a coffee shop for a while and the a supermarket across the street. With a slightly downhill ride to the campground, I could get a few extra things for dinner and not notice. It would be a nice break from bean burritos.
Another great coffee shop
We arrived at the campground before too long. I still had time to relax and do some reading before I ate my dinner. Unfortunately, I soon finished my last book (I'll have to fin another tomorrow).
Book, fruit, dinner and snacks...a reward for the day's work
Unexpectedly, I had phone coverage so I sent a note to Randy to let him know where we were. We had agreed to keep in touch in case he caught up to us. He was comfortably settled into a nice motel with a fresh haircut and newly serviced bike. My curiosity from earlier in the day was satisfied when he sent the follow up message.
He has been converted...or caved to peer pressure
I exchanged some text messages with my sister and niece (winning softball games in the midwest) and went to bed early. The peaceful stream next to the tent was offset a bit by the highway on the other side of the tent so it was another night for ear plugs. I have learned that they are essential gear for quiet sleeping.
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