Sunday, April 10, 2011

Adventure to Alpine Meadows

Hello Lake Tahoe!

Last Sunday I drove to Alpine Meadows to enjoy the beautiful weather, take some pictures and meet up with a couple of friends along the way. The first stop was Sand Harbor which is part of the Nevada State Park, located on Highway 28 approximately 2.5 miles south of Incline Village. It was a typical bluebird day and a bit chilly! After a nice run on the beach and splash in the lake, we climbed up on the rocks to get some pictures and fresh air.

Sand Harbor

It was time for Brunch so we headed to the Blue Onion Restaurant in Kings Beach which is located right next to the Brockway Golf Course. This restaurant gets 4 stars for their Sunday Brunch if you get a table outside under the bright yellow umbrellas facing the lake. Today, I had the standard Eggs Benedict and Bloody Mary. It was Excellent, and I will be back soon! Next, headed onward to Kings Beach State Park for a run on the beach. Kings Beach State Park is dog-friendly, people friendly beach and a favorite place of mine to catch the sunset!

Kings Beach

After making a few more stops along Tahoe City and Sunnyside, we continued on Hwy 89 towards Homewood and Tahoma. The shoreline along the Tahoe West Shore and Chambers Beach is much quieter without much development. Let's keep it that way!

Tahoma

There are all endless things to do on the West Shore. Sugar Pine State Park is open year round for cross country skiing, biking, hiking and Homewood Mountain Ski Resort is one of the best places for snowboarders. Another highlight is the Beautiful Desolation Wilderness which has several nearby trailheads.  Other points of interest include visiting the Tahoe Maritime Museum and dining at the famous West Shore Cafe.

Visiting the Magical Tahoe West shore is like going back in time, in fact, not much has changed in 20 years. You can even rent a VHS movie at the local Sunnyside Market and look at the old pictures of fishermen holding their trophies caught right out of the lake and along the Truckee River.

Sunnyside Market
The nearby Obexer's General Market in Homewood is another interesting place. Located right across from the Homewood Ski resort, this market has wi-fi, great sandwiches and interesting selection of beer! Be sure to check out the family tree of photographs in the cafe area.

Obexer Family Photographs
After a quick stroll along the beach it was time to head up to Alpine Meadows to visit my friend, "Mr. Truckee". The Resort was packed with spring skiers in all colors.  Alpine Meadows is a favorite among the locals, in fact, right now they are offering a Spring Ski pass for only $99.00. With 48 plus feet of snow this year (average annual snowfall is 14 ft), and regular day passes running $61.00, this is a fantastic value!

Alpine Meadows
Ended the day at Happy Hour at the River Grill - voted best of North Lake Tahoe!. The River Grill is located right on the Truckee River near Fanny Bridge and it is the "In Place" to be after a day skiing on the slopes or rafting down the Truckee River. Talk about great food, bar and people! With summer on the way, be sure to book early for Lodging at the River Ranch.  For additional info on Truckee activities and things to do, Please visit the Truckee Travel Guide.