“Three months of camp life on Lake Tahoe would restore an Egyptian mummy to his pristine vigor.” – Mark Twain

Red Lake Peak

South Lake Tahoe, California (& some Nevada)

Day 5

So if you are still with me on the West Coast Honeymoon Food Adventure we are now on our way to South Lake Tahoe! (Check out Part 1 and 2 first!) We were sad to leave Yosemite but excited that we still had SO many places left to see on our trip. Heading out of Yosemite was another adventure as the roads were windy and the cliffs were steep. I was once again leaning into JJ and asking him to slow down (he was going 20 mph). The views on this trip, however, were fabulous and as soon as we started getting used to the rolling hills it suddenly turned into bright blue skies and greener than green pine trees. We were so amazed that JJ pulled over on the highway to snap some pictures.

JJ found a hike that would be on our way to our hotel in South Lake Tahoe and of course it was IMPOSSIBLE to find. We stopped at Silver Lake to stretch our legs and we did not realize the temperature had dropped and we were so freezing we had to run back to the car. Finally we found the trailhead for Red Lake Peak, it was titled “Meiss” trailhead so naturally we were confused. I have always trusted that JJ has researched the hikes and trip enough that I can be care-free and just go along with whatever the adventure brings…you’ll see how that worked out…

I was starving so I popped a Rickaroon and grabbed some Steve’s PaleoStix for the hike along with our camelbacks filled with water. We headed toward the trail and it was pretty flat with no sign of Red Lake Peak. JJ kept saying “we’re getting close” so I just followed and enjoyed the fresh air. We finally turned a bend and there was Red Lake Peak! However, the trail headed AROUND the mountain not UP it. JJ turns to me and says “OK we are hiking up this river bed, ready?” I gave him the “are you kidding me right now?” look and stared at the flowing river with snow piles around it. Well he was not in fact kidding and led me up this interesting path…and because I am stubborn I followed him (I didn’t want to say I couldn’t reach the top!) We made it to the highest part that we could….and I was not speaking because I do not like surprises…and there was snow…but the view (as you can see in the picture at the top of this post) was BEAUTIFUL.

The beautiful view from Red Lake Peak…could that be Lake Tahoe?!?!?

Once I collected my thoughts we shared some PaleoStix and then made our descent back towards the car. I had enough adventure for one day and was ready to see Lake Tahoe! We checked into our sweet hotel called Basecamp in downtown South Lake Tahoe. It was a themed hotel that was basically camping indoors with electricity and running water…so my cup of tea. The layout was super original and they had a bar and hot tub, score!

From our hotel, such cool decor!

Once we dropped off our luggage, we headed out to get our very first COUPLES MASSAGE! It was fabulous and just what we needed after hiking Yosemite. JJ found this place and decided to spoil me and it was totally reasonable and they did a great job for $125 TOTAL! Go check out Elements Spa if you are in South Lake Tahoe and spoil yourself.

We then went into town to find a place to eat, figuring it was a pretty hopping town we’d have no problem finding food. WRONG. Somehow EVERYTHING closes at 8 or 9 so we were out of luck and the only place we found still open was Gunbarrel Tavern & Eatery, and if you are in that area STAY AWAY! The service was dicey and the food was not good at all! I asked for my burger without a bun and it came with a bun, so the waitress said “well this is what you ordered” and proceeded to say “you can just take the bun off.” Are you kidding me?!?! Of course I told her my predicament and how that was not ok and that I did in fact order the burger bunless. After that I didn’t trust that my burger would come back new or without spit on it. So I pretty much just picked at it and JJ and I ran out of there as soon as possible. I guess we had to have one bad meal on the trip :-/

Day 6

We started this day early around 6:30ish because it was a Saturday and we heard that it’s a zoo around the popular hiking areas. We headed towards Emerald Bay which runs into Lake Tahoe and it was BEAUTIFUL! We pulled up at 8 and I would say we definitely started early enough as we were maybe the 3rd car there minus the campers. The view of Emerald Bay was unreal and just GORGEOUS! There was not a cloud in the sky!

My favorite way to start the day!

We were planning on hiking South Maggie’s Peak so we headed towards the trailhead. They require you to have a permit to hike this peak so we signed the permit and I assigned myself as the team leader 🙂 We headed up the peak and BOY was it steep! This peak was probably the hardest yet. Along the way we met some locals who were headed to all different peaks which was cool, how could you ever get tired of living in a place like this?

On the way up the mountain we stopped to look at Granite Lake which was so beautiful it looked like a million diamonds were sparkling in it when the sun hit just right. We then continued on the ascent which was so steep almost the entire way! The views at the top were 200% worth it! When we finally got to the top (with a little off-trailing to get there), we were in SHOCK at the beauty that this country holds. How can a lake be THAT blue?!? No one was even near the peak by the time we got up there so we hung out and explored for over an hour, one view was better than the next and the AIR QUALITY was just amazing it made you feel like a new person!

Granite Lake!

Finally, we were starting to get hungry and our jerky was not enough so we had to hike back down. On our way down the 1st group we saw was from CLIFTON PARK, NY!!! What a small world 🙂 When we reached the bottom there was another short hike we could do that led to Cascade Falls but my legs were cramping so we headed back into town.

Hey! I picture with both of us!

For lunch, we went to Basecamp Pizza Co., and we were prepared for another disaster, but what a SURPRISE! The waitress was super accommodating and while they do not have a certified gluten-free kitchen she asked if I needed the pizza to be cooked in the special gluten-free area! We ordered the Hawaiian Gluten-Free pizza which was delicious and it hit the spot! They had an open kitchen, and I noticed that it had some top-of-the-line equipment, similar to what you can find at Nella Toronto. The service was also spectacular and we even had a live band playing for entertainment. Once we were able to move again we gathered ourselves and walked around town for a bit.

What a view 🙂

We wanted to go up to the top of Heavenly mountain but the gondola ride was a whopping $39 each and since we had already had a sick view from South Maggie’s Peak we decided that we would go to the “beach” instead. I say “beach” in quotes because growing up the only beaches I ever went to were on the ocean so it was a new experience to see a beach around a lake! It was nice to see a beach for an hour or 2 on our honeymoon since most couples spend their entire trip at one! While there, we saw a beach wedding which was fun and we started to recount our own.

Proof that we went to the beach for one second.

We headed back to the hotel since the water was WAY too cold and JJ was getting antsy, anyone surprised? Not me! So we grabbed drinks in the lobby of our hotel and chilled on the deck for awhile. When my stomach started growling we decided it was time for dinner. We headed into Nevada! This was pretty easy to do as our hotel was ON the state line between California and Nevada. I had read good things about Edgewood Tahoe but they laughed at us when we asked if we could seat 2 for dinner so we settled for the “grill” area called Brooks’ Bar & Deck which I didn’t mind. It was much more laid back and still had a great view. We sat outside and breathed in that wonderfully fresh air.

 

I told you the view was great!

We ordered drinks, JJ got a flight of beers to try and I got their freshly made Mojito, yum! We split the fish tacos and the salmon salad and while simple it was cooked perfectly and hit the spot. I can’t wait to go back to the actual restaurant next time we go here! They are known for their farm-to-table and you all know how happy that makes me!

We went out to the lake to enjoy the sunset and then turned in for the night. Next up? NAPA!!! We took a break from hiking and started to relax (well as much as we know how!)

Stay tuned for more of our adventures!

Stay Sassy!

xoxo