Wanderlust of Dill

“In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration” – Ansel Adams

Although a weekend trip to Lake Tahoe was not enough time to explore the whole place, it gave a great introduction into this beautiful lake that sits halfway into California and halfway into Nevada. It is a huge lake that boasts water sports and hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter. I stayed in a cheap hotel on the South Shore (as in really cheap, $30 a night for a decent room with ensuite – there are literally hundreds of hotels on the south side alone so accommodation was at least this time of year more than ample). The South Shore is where most of the restaurants, stores and casinos (on the Nevada side) are and seems to have a lot going on. I drove around the lake to the west to Emerald Bay and watched the sun set over the glimmering lake. I splashed out for dinner at a lovely Japanese restaurant called the Naked Fish, and their hot seared albacore with spicy miso sauce just blew me away. One day I will be able to afford this kind of food every day. One day.

The following morning I got up early and stood shivering in the frost by the lake to watch the sun first paint the still water in soft pastels before making the mountains glow golden in the rising sun. I drove along the east coast of the lake up towards the north end. We ended up in King’s Beach and tried to get breakfast at The Log Cabin Cafe that stated “the best breakfast in Tahoe”. Their menu looked amazing (pumpkin spiced choc chip waffles anyone?) and despite looking quiet from the outside, it was absolutely buzzing inside with a 45 minute wait for a table. Our grumbling stomachs refused to wait this long and instead we ate at a local bakery. I took a walk along the beach and watched dogs playing in the water, then on our way home we stopped by The Lone Eagle Grille in Incline Village a really lovely (and fancy) restaurant/ lounge bar with a large open fireplace, a firepit on the patio and large windows overlooking the lake. I ordered a wine and then lounged by the edge of the lake soaking up the afternoon sun. A lovely and warm contrast to the bone chilling morning.

Popping into a few of the small beaches along the eastern edge of the lake on the way back I realised how many beaches and nooks and crannies there are to explore here and that a few more days would have been lovely to see a bit more!