Day 2 - Lake Tahoe

---

Nancy's Entry:
Yes, while I was getting ready this morning, Kevin walked to the nearest Starbucks and brought back some drinks for us. I guess it’s fitting given that we are listening to Howard Schultz’s audio book “Onward” as we take this trip.
We woke up to sunny skies smiling over Salt Lake City. We left our hotel around 8:30, heading West toward our next destination of Lake Tahoe. I was grumpy because Kevin had packed the back seat differently and I couldn’t lean my seat back to a comfortable position. Rather than put up with my pouting, he made an early stop and fixed the problem. Once that crisis was over, we drove around the great Salt Lake and entered the desert. The salt and mineral deposits glistened on the ground like it had rained Swarovski crystals. We entered the Utah desert which was uncharacteristically green due to recent rainfall, then crossed into the Nevada desert, entering into the first town across the border aptly named “Ola.” Several people told us we would be bored with the desert drive, but they were wrong, we both loved it. Very high winds made driving a little tough, but also resulted in the interesting phenomenon of dirt-devil sand tornadoes whirling across the land while tumble weeds raced across the road. Occasionally in the middle of barren land we would see a lone Joshsua tree, green and perfectly shaped, living a peaceful and solitary life.
I had used vacationrentals.com to secure a townhouse in Lake Tahoe for 2 nights. The trip from Salt Lake City was 550 miles, and the first half was perfect except for heavy wind. We started seeing clouds roll in, then got into a bit of rain. Suddenly the rain turned to sleet, and even a light dusting of snow. We didn’t stop to eat until we arrived in Reno, Nevada, which is about 50 miles and 2200 feet below Lake Tahoe. When we looked up toward our destination the skies were dark. We decided to hit the local Wal Mart grocery store to pick up a few things to take to our townhome, then we got back on Route 80 West toward Lake Tahoe. The first 10 miles went fine, but as we climbed up we started entering the dark clouds we saw when we were in Reno. We had heard it was snowing in Lake Tahoe, and Kevin dismissed it as nothing more than the same kind of dusting we got earlier in the day. Then we saw them…the cars and trucks heading down the mountain toward us with about 4 inches of snow on their roofs. We both got very quiet. Sure enough, in a couple of minutes the snow started pouring. It had accumulated on the side of the road and on the trees, and ice patches were forming in several spots on the road. We proceeded slowly with our blinkers on…the Porsche and it’s summer tires were not designed for this. Fortunately we only had to endure about 10 miles of these steep snowy climbs and downhill slopes before we popped into the city of Lake Tahoe where driving was much easier. As we turned off on the road leading to our townhouse, we saw a sign with a light flashing that warned “tire chains required beyond this point.” Yow!
Half of Lake Tahoe is in Nevada, and half is in California. We are staying in South Lake Tahoe in California. Our townhouse is in a development called Chateau x du Lac. It is literally right on Lake Tahoe. We have a picture window in the living room that looks out on the Lake, as well as floor to ceiling windows in our bedroom that also face the lake. We came in, put on a roaring fire, and cracked open a Corona beer to celebrate our arrival. After relaxing for a while, we ventured outside to take Bentley for a walk in the snow. We were shocked at how quiet it is outside. The quaint village has many little chalets set among the towering pine trees and looks like an alpine village. Kevin picked up the biggest pine cone I’ve ever seen and is bringing it home as a souvenir. We didn’t pack winter clothes and the temperature was in the 30’s, but we were comfortable because the air is thin and dry so the cold is not the penetrating cold we are accustomed to in Chicago. We didn’t expect to see snow when we set out on this trip, but we are enjoying it. After all, Lake Tahoe is a world class ski resort, and we are getting to see it in all its glory! When we got back in we popped a pizza in the oven and then curled up on the couch and watched the sun set.
The Nevada side of Lake Tahoe has many casinos, so tomorrow we will explore the town and visit a casino or two. I’m looking forward to seeing the sun rise over Lake Tahoe from our bedroom window. Hopefully we’ll get some nice pictures to share. Kevin has already scoped out the nearest Starbucks…and with that I’ll say goodnight!
Nancy

Kevin's Entry:

Well day 2 was a bit of a driving challenge as we headed to South Lake Tahoe, CA…
The day started with a great sunrise on the Wasatch Mountains surrounding Salt Lake City. The morning was clear and promised a warm spring day. I had gotten a great night’s rest in the Hotel Monaco and woke up refreshed at 6:30 in the morning with no alarm. Bentley didn’t want to leave the hotel—he loved it there. They are known as a great dog-friendly chain. After cleaning up, I walked down the street to get a Mocha from Starbucks. I know what you’re thinking and I too was surprised to see so many coffee shops in SLC. After getting everything re-packed into the car we headed out around 8:30 for what looked like a long nine-hour day of driving across the high desert of northern Nevada. Going by the Great Salt Lake was impressive. There was so much salt…kinda seems obvious, but you have to see it piled up high like new snow to really believe it. Nancy did a quick web search while we were driving and explained how the lake is fed new salt and minerals from surrounding rivers which replenishes whatever we take out from ‘farming’. Driving west was simply amazing. It turns out that the Salt Lake was part of a larger dry lake bed complex that includes the famous Bonneville Salt Flats where so many land speed records have been set and broken over the years. There’s a great Anthony Hopkins movie called ‘The World’s Fastest Indian’ about a tinkerer in New Zealand who in 1967 sets speed records on his Indian motorcycle after travelling to America and the salt flats. Driving through this area was unique since the highway was merely a thin ribbon barely above the surrounding primordial ooze of the former lake beds. The salt marshes looked like frozen lakes with snow on top of the ice, but we knew they couldn’t be because it was 65 degrees outside.
The winds were very strong all day. Luckily the car is very slippery but it was a challenge to hold it straight while travelling at 80-mph and fighting a headwind of nearly 30 mph continuously with some gusts thrown in just to keep you sharp. The strange sites just kept on coming. After a brief stop for breakfast and fuel right on the border of Nevada we headed back out. I passed on the opportunity to gamble at a Subway sandwich shop. Bentley was a pleasure to travel with. Occasionally, he’d reach over and scratch my arm three times and pant as a signal for me to turn on the AC but for the most part he just slept.
Climbing into the higher elevations was really cool. Going up past the tree line we saw a bunch of Bighorn Sheep grazing. We got to nearly 7,000 feet along the way. One cool feature of the new Kenwood system I put into the car is the built-in Garmin nav system which shows a bunch of travel facts including elevation—so always fun to check. We nearly got blown off the highway in Elko, NV and saw the winds shred the Mylar billboards. The gusty winds continued along with a constant barrage of dust and dirt. Around Battle Mountain, NV the mix suddenly included snow. Luckily we’d just stopped to top off the gas and let Bentley out for a stretch of the legs. He hates to walk in the rain, so Nancy led him along an abandoned building in the lee of the wind and snowflakes which had just started drifting down. The temps continued a steady decline to 28 degrees with pounding, sideways rain and snow. Around our farthest point north, Winnemucca, NV the snow had begun to stick and the town was covered in a white blanket of snow.
This is the point I should talk about the fact that I just swapped wheels and tires for the season back in Chicago as spring had finally arrived. Taking off my narrow wheels shod with winter tires and replacing them with the wide Turbo Twist wheels covered with low-profile Hankooks seemed like a great idea a couple of weeks ago. They are great all-around performance tires but are not known to handle cold temps and snow as the rubber compounds become harder with the cold. I slowed way down to 55 and plodded along.
As Interstate 80 finally turned southward, things began to improve. We wound down the mountains to the basin area where the temps rose again and eventually the sun came back out. Relief! We saw some more amazing sights as we continued south into Reno, NV on our way to our rental house in Lake Tahoe, CA. The car added another solid performance carving down the twisty road into Sparks, NV. It seemed like Mother Nature just couldn’t resist topping herself again and again with beautiful scenic vistas one after the other as far as the eye could see. The pictures we took just won’t begin to show the majesty—stupid iPhone! The benefit of all the rain and snow this area has had lately is that the high desert was in bloom the whole way down and was an amazing green—ok, sometimes covered with white snow, but green nonetheless. Reno was ‘nice’ as we just looked for a place to get off and take a break from driving and perhaps ‘provision up’ for the Lake Tahoe part of the trip. We ate the best food I’ve ever had in a Wal-Mart….ok, it was the only food I’ve ever eaten in a Wal-Mart but whatever. BTW, I now know where the website, People of Wal-Mart gets their pictures. Anyway, getting back on the road we headed up into the mountains where we knew it was supposed to be snowing. Ugh.
We climbed from the approximately 5,000 feet of Carson City ever higher. I’d started to see a few flakes but they weren’t sticking. Perhaps when they said ‘snow’ it wouldn’t be like what we get at home in Chicago…I was of course wrong. Turning onto Route 50 now we really started climbing up and began to see trucks coming from the other direction that were caked with thick, wet snow. I kept the car in 4th and 5th to keep the RPMs up and keep the engine and trans happy. More snow fell as we climbed into the big fir trees up the steep mountain road. Fewer and fewer cars were with us. As it snowed harder, some stopped or turned back. The big modified trucks of the locals zoomed by us as if nothing was unusual. Seldom do I think of trading the Porsche for 1989 Ford F-150, but now I wasn’t so sure! The scenery was beautiful and we passed several signs for ‘Bear Crossings’ as climbed and climbed and it snowed harder and harder. Now the snow was sticking--alot. We pressed on, barely going above 40 mph with the emergency lights flashing so folks knew to stay away from the pinhead in the sports car from Illinois skating along on z-rated performance tires. When we crested the mountain and began our descent the fun really started. The snow was about an inch deep and the temp was 28 degrees again. Luckily the pickups gave us a wide berth and I kept the car in 4th and let the trans take us down the hill safely. We came to a tunnel which was covered in ice and packed snow. Not once did the car show any signs of losing traction and I don’t think the all-wheel drive ever kicked in above the normal amount.
The last 20 miles seemed to take forever as we passed between sunshine and snow and sometimes a combination of the two. Finally we had made it down to the lake level which is supposedly 7,200 feet and then just followed it around to the Nevada/California border. Out of the fog and snow, several giant, high-rise casinos appeared and then we crossed over into CA and drove the final mile to the condo. The rest of the drive was uneventful. We pulled up to the units and the code to the front door worked fine and we settled in to unwind and relax after the white knuckle drive over the mountains. The condo is wonderful and as I sat looking over the lake, I unzipped my gig bag and pulled out my trusty Gretsch guitar and began to play some music and relax with an ice cold beer.
We are supposed to be here for a couple of days and then head into wine country and warmer weather. We were not expecting that tonight it will drop down to a record low of just 23 degrees and we did not pack accordingly so we are getting by with layers of long sleeve t-shirts and sweat shirts. Tomorrow we’ll try our luck at the seedy casinos after starting the day with a Mocha at Starbucks—yup, they have them up here as well. By the way, we’ve been listening to the CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schulz’s new book on CD about how he came back to rescue the company…more on that one tomorrow. I’m not looking forward to getting back on the road Tuesday morning to go through Donner Pass (Google it) where it is expected to snow some more.
Kevin

---

Photos

The Great Salt Lake
Leaving Salt Lake City, we drove around the Lake headed on Interstate 80 West

Salt Flats
Salt Flats near Bonneville

Bonneville Raceway
The famous Bonneville Raceway

Clouds
Ominous clouds replace the blue skies of Salt Lake City

Snowy Mountain Road
The snow begins to fall heavily as we climb the mountain from Reno to Lake Tahoe

Heavy Snow
The snow was accumulating in Lake Tahoe

Living Room View
The view from our living room in our townhouse

Bedroom View
The view from our bedroom in Lake Tahoe.

Our Street
This is the street our townhome is on

Walking Bentley
Kev walking Bentley in the snow

Playing Guitar
Kev unwinding with his guitar after a harrowing drive up the snowy mountain

Comments

[Lynne]

Ola! and Hola!
What a fantastic jounrney so far! We will be biking Casey Key and walking a 1/2 mile to the beach for our journey today. Then, I will be pulling out MY copy of Onward to continue reading today! How funny. Be careful in the snow and can't wait to see where you end up next!