Summer Camping Trip # 1: Meeks Bay, Lake Tahoe

Last weekend, C and I drove to Lake Tahoe to go camping just the three of us (C, B and me).  The trip almost didn't happen, though.  We left at 2pm on Friday and arrived nine hours later.  During that span of nine hours we got stuck in rush hour traffic, temperatures rose into the triple digits, our car broke down, roadside assistance was called, a tow truck was dispatched with an ETA an hour and a half out, a man with a giant stuffed monster hanging out the back of his truck bed kindly towed us onto the shoulder, we got the car running again, a DOT worker helped us off of the freeway, the tow truck was cancelled, we ate dinner outside (read: in the sweltering heat) of an air conditioned Chick-Fil-A (because we didn't want to leave Buckwheat in the car in those conditions), we drove to a park and sat in the shade on a slope of cool grass, we discussed getting a hotel, we called several car rental companies (all of which were closed), we thought it wisest to turn around and go home . . . and then we decided, "Tahoe or Bust!".  The "or Bust" part made the rest of drive a bit nerve wrecking but we made it all the way to Tahoe.  And the rest of the weekend turned out just great!     

We passed the weekend with seven games of backgammon, one hand of gin rummy, three blongo ball matches, four bowls of peanut butter puffins, six packets of Via Coffee, several plates of pasta, one bag of spring mix, two apples, eight marshmallows, four graham crackers, 3/4 of a Hershey's almond chocolate bar, one roaring campfire, five cans of Hell or High Watermelon, four cans of Lava Lake Wit, three plunges (each) into Lake Tahoe, several hours spent on beach towels, three trail runs (C went twice, I went once--the elevation was killer!), one trip to the PDQ Market for a sandwhich (when we discovered we had brought cream cheese but had failed to purchase bagels), 96 pages of Slaughterhouse Five (me), 33 pages of Ender's Game (him), one stop at a vista point, a quick stroll down a dog beach (where Buckwheat greeted at least five dogs) and one lunch (consisting of two sandwiches, an order of fries and side salad from the Get Away Cafe) on our way out of town.

Below are some photos from our above described weekend in Tahoe:

7 games of Backgammon

Camp Cook (photo taken by C)

We might have cooked TOO much pasta (photo taken by C)

Sunset from our campsite

Views from our tent

Views of our tent "Big Agnes"

Buckwheat taking a snooze

 Camp Dog

Looking up

Tree tops

We pitched tent in a perfect little grove of trees (in the dark, I might add!)

Camping trips = cereal for breakfast!

Clear Water

Morning on Meeks Bay 1

Morning on Meeks Bay 2

Horizon

Shore

Roadside vistas

(We were told there was a tea house on this island)

Dog friendly Kiva Beach

C and B at Kiva Beach

Just goofin around

(Buckwheat's a pretty good sport).

Waves and a single fuffy cloud

Good Bye, Tahoe

Until next time!

I had been to Tahoe once before (when I was ten).  What I remember from that trip are the windy roads, the pool at our hotel, getting stuck on rocks while trying to raft the Truckee and my childhood best friend accidentally throwing her glass of ice water into the river after dinner one night (long story).  I didn't actually remember much about Tahoe, aside from it being very large and very blue.

When we drove into Tahoe on Friday, it was too dark to see the lake in any detail.  We stayed at Meeks Bay Campground and in the daytime, parts of the beach are visible from most campsites.  I first got a glimpse of the lake when I woke up Saturday morning and caught a bit of the sunrise over the water while in route to the bathroom.  It was an impressive first glimpse.  The view of the rest of the bay waited until noon--first came a little more sleep, breakfast, a trail run and some reading while C went on his run.  When I finally made it down to the beach, I was not disappointed.  Even from a beach full of people, Tahoe looked spectacular: the fine red sand, the tall skinny pines surrounding the shores, the clear clear water, the smooth colorful rocks beneath the surface, the saturated hues of the lake en masse,  the faded blue silhouettes of distant mountains, and the sheer enormity of it all.  And that was just one bay of a gigantic lake.  Yes, we'll definitely be going back to Tahoe (hopefully several times)!  In the meantime we have two more camping trips planned.  And I can't wait!