The main thing we came to California for was to go to Yosemite National Park. However, we just couldn't pass up visitng Lake Tahoe also. Before my kids call me and ask if Alzheimer's has already begun, I do realize that Lake Tahoe is also in Nevada. I did not realize until I saw a map of the lake that most of the lake and most of the resorts are on the California side (west side) but there is a lot to see on the eastern Nevada side as well. We actually stayed at a campground in Nevada, but when we went to the town of South Lake Tahoe, we were in California.
LAKE TAHOE
With 71 miles of shoreline you can spend hours driving around the lake, but we spent most of our time on the southern end, east and west side. Here is a picture taken at Emerald Bay.
The average depth of Lake Tahoe is almost 1000 feet. It never freezes over due to the constant movement of water from the lake bottom to the top.
Of course, we had to take a hike to a "vista point".
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
If you like to look at big granite rocks (BIG, HUGE rocks) and sheer drop off cliffs, this is the place. Of course, there are meadows, waterfalls, lakes and wilderness areas to boot. We enjoyed our 2 1/2 days in the park, even though it was unseasonably warm for September.
What everyone comes is to see is the two most famous granite rocks; El Capitan and Half Dome.
El Capitan stands 3,593 feet from base to summit. Climbers come from all over the world to scale it.
Half Dome rises to an elevation of 8,842 feet!
One scenic drive in the park is along Tioga Road. One vista we especially liked was Olmsted Point.
Doug just had to go out to the very edge. I was too scared to go!
Here is a lake called Tenaya Lake. We fell in love with this lake. One day we had a picnic there. It even has a beach! The water is so clear you can see to the bottom of the lake until it gets too deep.
Unfortunately Yosemite Falls and BridalVeil Falls were almost dry by this time of the year. I'm sure they are spectuacular in the spring.
We are in Arizona now and will soon be posting pictures of the Grand Canyon. Wish you were here to enjoy it with us!
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