Monkey Rock / Zephyr Cove

 Tammy noticed the sign for Monkey Rock when we did the bike path to Hidden Beach the other day. We parked in the same place at Tunnel Creek Cafe. The path starts up a road behind the cafe and some houses with million-dollar views.

It was more of a climb than I, for one, had expected, but the views from the top were spectacular.

The white rock to Tammy's right is Monkey Rock. The story is that a local enhanced a formation that was already there.

Just the rock formations (and the view) were worth the walk.

It was time for lunch. We had planned to go to Cave Rock, but the parking lot was full. The state parks here are "free", but then they want $15 for parking. A little further down the road we found Zephyr Cove Resort where parking was only $12. That seemed like a lot for a picnic spot, but there was also a great beach.

The weather has been fabulous as you have probably figured out from pictures. Temps are in the 70s. Hot in the sun (especially exercising), chilly in the shade. The sort of temps where you want to put your feet in the water, but not go swimming.

Can you see the sandbar stretching from the beach to the cluster of rocks in the picture above? A shallow stretch gives access to a tiny island where someone had hung a hammock and kayakers explored. I got my hiking shorts wet trying to get the right angle for this picture. Notice how clear the water is.

I found the fluttering reflections on the surface of the water disorienting and nearly lost my balance more than once.

Tonight we are going out to dinner. Tomorrow we head to the airport, and John and Tammy start the long drive home, stopping in Iowa to pick up their dog at their daughter's. We have enjoyed exploring the area together, and we are still friends after sharing an apartment for almost a week!

View from our restaurant:

Drive around Lake Tahoe

Today we hoped in the car and drove around Lake Tahoe. Fabulous views, especially from the SW side of the lake. Nearing the NW side, everything began to be more commercial.

Inspiration Point, overlooking Emerald Bay, lives up to its name.

There is a tea house at the highest point on that island--the only island in Lake Tahoe. We did NOT hike down to the beach.

A little further down the road is Eagle Falls. I wish we had had more time to soak our feet in the pools and climb all the way to the lake above.

Steve turned back after the falls view while John and Tammy and I climbed to the bridge above.

And then on to this platform overlooking Lake Tahoe. (right background)

Eagle Lake is further up, but I had forgotten to give Steve his water bottle from my pack and John had forgotten to give him the car keys and we had not anticipated going so far, so we turned back.

While Steve waited in a shady spot near the parking lot, he overheard people talking about where the falls continued on the other side of the main road. So glad we didn't miss it.

We continued on around the lake, stopping for a delicious lunch in Tahoe City right on the water.

 We ate so well, that we snacked and cleaned up leftovers back at our apartment for supper with plenty of pizza left over for tomorrow's lunch. After that major climb at Eagle Falls, of course, we returned to the hot tub. :-)

Van Sickle Trail

The Tahoe Rim Trail passes near our resort. There is an access trail from the top of our hill. Only it is closed at the moment while they do major renovation to buildings damaged in last winter's fifteen feet of snow. Instead, the shuttle driver took me and Tammy and John to the bottom of the ski lift below our resort. It made a significantly steeper start to our hike, but we made it. Hopefully by next year the buildings at the top will be fixed and we can access the trail further up.

When I saw this hollow stump, I thought of a picture we have of daughter Erika standing in one at God's Window in South Africa. Nice to have someone else to take the picture. (Thank you, Tammy.)

The path crosses a couple ski lifts

and a couple ski runs.

At this rocky hilltop we got our first views of the lake.

Here the Rim Trail and the Van Sickle Trail we were following are one, with view after spectacular view.

Eventually I started remembering our honeymoon when I took photo after photo of the Appalachian Mountains, only to find when they were developed that they all looked the same. But each moment is so awesome! 

Eventually we came to this small waterfall and from there down to the Van Sickle Trailhead.

I called Steve to come pick us up. None of us was interested in doing the return trip uphill.

Tammy thought this was the best trail yet, and I would have to agree. I would just rather not have to do that initial uphill from the ski lift.  :-)

Back to the hot tub.

 

Spooner Lake, NV

After yesterday's strenuous loop, we decided on a more level walk today around Spooner Lake a bit north of here.

There were occasional benches like the one I was sitting on when I took this.

One of the advantages of hiking with friends is someone else to take the picture.

We have seen lots of signs to look out for bears, but so far, this is all the wildlife we have seen.

We picnicked under the trees.

Then we drove further up NV28 to Tunnel Creek Cafe where we could get the Tahoe East Shore Trail, a three-mile multi-use trail along the edge of the Lake Tahoe. The parking at Sand Harbor State Park at the south end (closer to us) was closed, and parking at the north end was very tight in the middle of the day. The shore walk was supposed to be another level walk, but the trail climbed over a hill before dropping to shore level. (I suspect that coming in from the south would be less strenuous once that parking lot reopens.)

A tunnel took us under the highway...

...to Hidden Beach where we soaked our feet in the turquoise waters before climbing back over the hill to our parked car.

There is a hot tub in our building, but Tammy and I enjoyed a good soak in the outdoor hot tub with its fabulous views of the valleys on either side.

Tomorrow the plan is to drive around the lake tomorrow. Lots to see on the other side. Especially with no forest fire smoke.

 

Castle Rock

When we made our reservation, we upgraded to a two-bedroom apartment at the resort and invited our friends John and Tammy to join us. We traveled with them to Iceland last year (beginning Monday, July 25, 2022) and enjoy their company. I was eager to show them my favorite walk here to Castle Rock.

It's a short drive from the resort to the North Kingsbury Trailhead, and then a moderate walk. The views are well worth it.

Last year this view was totally obscured. This year we stand in awe.

I had a not-so-secret motive in inviting John and Tammy to join us. I was looking for hiking companions who, like me, want to know what is around the next corner or over the next hill. Steve joined us to Castle Rock, but then he returned the way we had come while John and Tammy and I continued around a circle with views I never dreamed of last year. Can you spot Castle Rock in the background on the right?

We have a full kitchen at the resort. Last evening we had a roast chicken from Safeway. Tonight we made a chicken wild-rice soup from the carcass and wild rice Tammy had brought from home. (They drove.) This is rice they had harvested themselves. We both brought cheese from Burnett Dairy. We're from Wisconsin, after all, and no other cheese tastes quite the same.

The song that has been going through my head today is the Carpenters, "I'm on the Top of the World." The top of the world is a great place for sunset pictures.

 

Virginia City, NV

Last year we spent a few days at the Holiday Inn Club Ridge Resort on the ridge above South Tahoe, NV. (See September 9, 2022 and following in this blog for pictures). Despite the overwhelming smoke from forest fires in California, I told Steve, I could come back here every year and not run out of exciting places to hike.

So we came back.

On Friday I flew with Steve's mom to Seattle to settle her with her daughter in Washington. They provided a wonderful birthday dinner of fried shrimp and fried green beans (Delicious, Bob!) for our two September birthdays. Then on Saturday I met up with Steve at LAX to fly on to Reno. We spent the night in Carson City. We walked around the historic town center, but evidently I didn't take any pictures. Probably because of poor lighting in the evening, but there were a lot of beautifully kept 19th c houses.

Sunday morning our bodies were still on Central time, so we were both awake in time to stream the 9 AM service at my home church in Indianapolis. That was 6 AM Reno time. After breakfast we took off for the desert and a ramble around Virginia City. I have been humming the theme from the old TV show Bonanza all day. 

I always pictured Virginia City as on a flat area. It isn't. We stopped here for coffee and the view. (That's our table out there.)

Most of the mining town (all wooden buildings) burned to the ground in 1875. It was rebuilt in the brick you see today, which draws tourists to its quaint street.

"Millionaire Row," where the mine owners lived, still has some fabulous homes.

Having started the day so early, we still had several hours before we could claim our room at the resort. We had a delightful lunch at Heidi's Family Restaurant back in Carson City (mostly breakfast dishes on the menu. The lightest pancakes I have ever tasted.)

Then we put King's Canyon Waterfall into the GPS. It was only a 0.3 mi hike from the trailhead parking lot, so I didn't bother to dig my hiking boots out of my suitcase. Big mistake. I would have loved to venture out on the stepping stones, but not with sandals. 

Last year we drove up the valley that Carson City is in and couldn't even see that there were mountains until GPS sent us up some switchbacks. This year we crossed over further north and drove south on NV 28 along Lake Tahoe. No smoke! We could see the opposite shore and the famous blue and turquoise waters! 

A family was having a small wedding at this overlook--only the bride and groom, parents and their attendants, but what a background for their vows!

 

Tallulah Gorge

It was supposed to be cloudy, today but the sun was shining when we got up, and we didn't complain. We took off for Tallulah Gorge. Five waterfalls with cataracts in between are within the two-miles of the gorge with trails on each rim.

There are five lookouts on each rim. Just before number ten is this undercut rock with a stone bench built into it.

View from the bench inside. Great place to catch my breath and sip water from my backpack.

We ate lunch at a picnic ground by a lake, but the chainlink fence between the picnic tables and the beach made it not very photogenic. By then the threatened clouds had come in, leaving us chilly. We were both feeling the results of yesterdays hikes, so we decided to consult our National Geographic Scenic Highways and Byways book and see what we could see from the car. Sure enough there was a route that took off from the town of Helen near Anna Ruby Falls. Wonderful backroads through a couple mountain passes. A spur off GA 180 took us to Brasstown Bald, the tallest mountain in Georgia. The book said there was a shuttle from the parking lot to the top, but not in April. I couldn't resist the 360-view from the top. The warning on this sign did make me think twice, but I didn't see any.

At 4,800 feet, spring was barely beginning, and leaves were just starting to come out. The view from the top would have been better in the sunshine on leaves, but it really was mountains in every direction.

 The gray square on the left is the parking lot where Steve awaits with his book. :-)

Another trip to the hot tub when we got home. Tomorrow we head back to Indy with a stop in Chattanooga for lunch with friends. Steve's ideal vacation is going from place to place, visiting friends. Mine is great places to hike. So this vacation has pleased both of us very much.

Anna Ruby Falls and Unicoi State Park

We met up with friends at Perimeter Church in John's Creek on Sunday. It's a huge megachurch with a beautiful building, multiple sites, and a vision to reach "the perimeter" of Atlanta. I liked their vision and the service, but I'm happy with our much smaller congregation at home.

After lunch with our friends, it was such a gorgeous afternoon that we headed for Anna Ruby Falls. Only we had had such a good time talking over Chinese, that we didn't get there until about 4:05. The gates close at 4. 

Supper was our usual Sunday night popcorn and apples with Burnett Dairy cheese, only this time the popcorn was made in the microwave. Not bad.

 We headed back to Anna Ruby Falls this morning and were pleased to find that our National Parks card got us in for free. (Best investment we ever made, says Steve.)

The path to the falls is steep, but it's paved and only about half a mile. Besides, it follows a delightful cascading stream.

And then there are the rocks...

and the flowers...

The falls are well worth the climb. 

I posted a video here on YouTube.

I took a picture for someone's Christmas card, and they offered to take one of us, so in case you forgot what we look like or need proof we really did make the climb...

I bought a couple Christmas presents in the gift shop. Not saying for whom. :-)

Next stop was a trail around the lake in Unicoi State Park we had passed through on our way to the falls.

It was an easy walk, mostly level with lots of fishing platforms to walk out on. 

Great picnic spot back at the beach where we started the loop.

Last walk of the day was the Bottoms Loop trail. Nice woods walk, but not as photogenic as the rest of the day. Lots of buds on the rhododendron, but no blossoms. Next week maybe. But then it will probably be too hot and humid for us. And we will be back north.

Another soak in the hot tub after all that walking. (16,000 steps according to my phone app.) Dinner in our apartment with ham brought from home and canned bean salad and German potato salad. Very nice and relaxing not to go out.

Tomorrow we are off to Tallulah Gorge. Weatherman says it will be cloudy, but not raining.