Something we haven't done for 5 years....

3:09 pm - Tuesday - August 23rd - Tahoe City, CA - 83° F, 13% humidity, wind 10 mph out of the southeast......crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 84° F.  On this date in 2016 TLE and I were watching another amazing sunset in Seal Rock, OR.....↴

We began planning a trip to memorialize our 51st weddding anniversary, which comes up in about a week, around a month ago.  We spent a week at Lake Tahoe on our honeymoon back in 1971 beginning on August 30th.  We had been married the day prior, and drove up to Lake Tahoe the morning of the 30th.  We've been back to Lake Tahoe many, many times over the years, but it has been 5 years since we left, under somewhat difficult circumstances, in June of our 4th season at Tahoe Valley Campground in South Lake Tahoe.  Back in 1975 TLE and I again spent a couple of days in Tahoe City on our fourth wedding anniversary, and stayed at the Pepper Tree Inn.  Well, the Pepper Tree Inn is still there, and we were able to get a room on the 4th floor for 3 nights beginning August 22nd.  We wanted to be here on our anniversary, but the Inn had no availability then, so we are here a week early.

We were up around 6 am Monday to get packed, and on the road by 8:30 am for tlhe 204 mile drive to Tahoe City, and managed to leave LPG&RVR at exactly 8:30am.  The drive to Reno was completely without incident, and we arrived at the Reno COSTCO around 11 am.  We wanted to do some COSTCO & Trader Joe's shopping before continuing on to Lake Tahoe, and were finished around 12 pm.

We hit some construction on I-80 around 30 miles from Tahoe City, but still found ourselves exiting I-80 for the final 14 miles to Tahoe City around 12:45 pm.  One of our old hangouts is Squaw Valley (home of the 1960 Winter Olympics), which is just off Highway 89, and TLE wanted to drive into the valley to have lunch before continuing on to our destination....

....the last time we were in Squaw Valley we had lunch at the Dubliner Irish Pub, so we headed straight there and were able to snag the last alfresco table with a nice view of Squaw Peak......

....we immediately ordered two Guinness Stouts (draft), and then an appetizer.  Service was a tad slow, but on a beautiful day like Monday, and no where to be until 4 pm (check in time at the Pepper Tree) there is nothing better than slowly sipping a nicely poured Guinness Stout, and talking with your best friend....

....after lunch, on our way back out of the valley we stopped for the obigatory pictures in front of the monuments to the 1960 Winter Olympics.....

....althought you can't see it in this picture, the Olympic torch is still lit.  At this point we were only 7, or 8 miles from Tahoe City, and were at the Pepper Tree Inn around 2:45 pm.  I called the manager to see if early check in was available, and he advised our fourth floor room was ready for occupancy.....yay for our team!

....of course, the view of the lake from our balcony was/is spectacular.  After unpacking for a 3 day stayt, we celebrated with a shot of single malt....

....another favorite haunt of ours in Tahoe City is The Bridgetender Tavern.....we have eaten here dozens of times over the years, and dinning alfresco along the Truckee River is never a bad thing.....

....TLE ordered some Savignon Blanc (white wine), and I one of their Patti's Famous Bloody Marys with bacon.  I've lost track of how many of these I've had over the years, but it is one of the best Bloody Marys on earth....serious.....

.....for dinner TLE had a prawn salad, and I their amazing Bacon Bleu Cheese Burger.....OMG to both!  We talked, and enjoyed the early evening balmy breezes for 90 minutes, or so before it was time to pay our check and head for home.  We walked to and from The Bridgetender Tavern (1 mile round trip), arriving back home around 7:30 pm totally tired and ready for a nap, or two after our very full day.  Of course the sunsets anywhere around Lake Tahoe are always memorable, and Monday's offering was no exception....

....thanks for stopping by!