Lake Tahoe

We are in Tahoe, California having an amazing trip.  Mr. D was out here for a conference and I joined him, solo, for his last two days of work.  We had a great time at a luxurious hotel.  My mother and aunt, who had the children, returned them to us and we came to a condo in Tahoe City. 

Our first full day here we went for a 10-mile bike ride from Tahoe City to Squaw Valley along the Truckee River.  Today we hiked to Ellis Peak which overlooks Lake Tahoe and offers incredible views of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.  The hike took us about five and a half hours and Doodle did the whole thing without complaining.  It wasn't an easy hike.  There were steep ascensions, rocky terrain and a whole lot of snow.  They opened the road leading to the trail head last week for the first time since last summer because of the tremendous amounts of snow that fell here this winter and spring.  The trail was not marked at all and the snow made it difficult to follow the path many times during the hike both on our way and on the way back.  The hike was longer and harder than we anticipated, but everyone contributed to the success of our trip.  Doodle found the path a few times on the way back down and never complained.  A five-year old making a difficult six-mile trek lasting a little more than five and a half hours is really impressive.  I'm so proud of him.  I carried Pancake on the way to the peak and Mr. D carried her on the return trip.  We all found the trail when we had lost our way.  Pancake's contribution was her cheery demeanor.

Tomorrow we're rafting along the Truckee River.  Great vacation so far.  I'm loving it.  Here are a few pictures from our hike today and one of Squaw Valley.

 

That's Doodle and Pancake on the wall under the Olympic flame.

 Sierra Nevada mountains and beautiful flower meadow.  This is about a third of the way to the peak.

 Snow in August!  We had a few snowball fights during the hike.

At the peak.

 Lake Tahoe