Visit to Lake Tahoe, California

Author: R.V.SHAH
Date of Trip: December 2010

I visited Lake Tahoe with my daughter Mia, son-in-law Dilip Dand and their 7-year old daughter Rhea in the last week of December 2010. We stayed five days at the Empress Apartments very near to the Cable Car Base Station. On our first day there, it had snowed heavily in the night and the slope just behind the Apartments was full of fresh snow. My grand daughter was in a jolly mood and took along her big round plastic sledge to slide down the top of the small hill. After sliding down 10 times, she started making a Snowman from the tons of fresh snow lying around. We all helped to make a four feet snowman with a big round head with branches stuck on the side as arms and small leaves stuck on the face of the skull to make two eyes, nose, mouth and ears. We took photos of the Snowman with us standing next to it. Then we made snowballs and threw them at each other until we got tired.

Then we took the Cable Car to the Middle station and stood in the gusty wind blowing all round shivering. After taking photos of the lake and the beautiful snow covered pine trees on the slopes, we took the next cable car and reached the top of the 3000 ft. high mountain plateau where there was a mountaineering school and food plaza. Hundreds of tourists had come there to ski down the mountain slopes. We also strolled round the snow covered fields, made more Snowman and had hot lunch in the Cafeteria there.

After going around the snowcovered pine trees on the plateau, we took many photos and then came down by Cable Car. Then we went to the Skating Rink and skated for a couple of hours till it was evening. Multi coloured lights came up around the Rink and the numerous stores / malls / hotels on the main road of Lake Tahoe town making the area look like a Fairyland. We took many photos and had traditional dinner at the Indian Restaurant. After walking in the moonlight for an hour, we went back to our appartments for a good night’s rest.