Jon used to live and work in Tahoe, and couldn't understand why we weren't spending several days there. I don't think he understood my avoidance of large population centers. But we took his advice and booked two nights.
We woke up at 5am in our Valley of Fire campsite, with both screens and the pullover screens on the front doors. It was still warm, but not the 87° we went to sleep at. We hit the road straightaway, wending our way back to I-15 by 5:30 and North Las Vegas by 6. The plan was to beat the rush hour traffic, and we would have done it perfectly except for getting in the US-95 South lanes instead of the US-95 North exit. So we drove into Vegas 3 miles of traffic before exiting and getting back on track.
(Would it be useful to have a GPS that more clearly acknowledges when you screw up? My old GPS used to say "recalculating" in what always seemed a sneering tone. It seems there's a slew of little things the app could say, especially if it could recognize how you blew it. I think it would be nice if Google Maps said something like, "Looks like you got on the US-95 South exit. Let's find an exit to get back on track." Driving a 24' van in traffic at 70 mph, you don't want to change lanes too aggressively, lest you hip check some poor commuter off the road.)
The rest of the 500 mile drive was light traffic through the desert plains of Nevada, occasionally slowing down driving through towns, but mostly cruising along two lane blacktop at 70, to hell with fuel mileage. Solar arrays are big in Nevada, lakes much less so. Eventually we reached higher ground, and wound our way up a mountain pass before dropping into the Tahoe metro area, and California. (We topped off a half full fuel tank in a small Nevada town at $3.13/gal, where regular was 20¢ more. In Tahoe diesel is $4.13/gal!)
Fallen Leaf CG is by the southern shore of Lake Tahoe. Our site is wonderful, reasonably separate from neighbors. But the temps are dramatically cooler than we've had lately. We got our Bear warning at check in, that open windows are even a target for them. No worries, with lows in the 40s and no electricity for the heater our windows will be shut tight!
Day 2
Ernie and our blankets kept us warm and toasty overnight, and we relished our cacoon. Stepping outside, it was already 45, but the wind took away any warmth created from the bright sun. After a leisurely breakfast we hiked around the campground, visiting Fallen Leaf Lake. Its rep is a more secluded and protected lake than Tahoe immediately north. But the wind was generating breaking waves as we approached the shore. The full brunt of the wind off the lake was dramatic as it pushed us away.
The biting wind made hiking or biking an unpleasant proposition, so we drove Ernie to Safeway to replenish the larder, and then an excursion to Emerald Bay. Alas, the parking lots were full as well as the roadside, so we turned around and back to the campsite.
After lunch we hopped on the bikes for a couple hours of riding. We visited a couple beaches before heading to the trails around Fallen Leaf Lake. Surprisingly the wind was still whipping down off the snowcapped mountains and across the lake, and the trees must be creating a Burnouli Effect.
Pics are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/uALJxCU9nxpi5BT62
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