Historic Estates of Southwest Shore - Lake Tahoe

In my LAST POST I had fun pretending what it might feel like to be a rich landowner in the late 1800s during the heyday of the fancy Lake Tahoe estates.  

At the Tallac Historic Site, you can walk amongst gardens and past houses and "cabins" set throughout three, gorgeous lakeside estates.  They are the Tallac Resort (1880-1920) which was the site of a resort and casino, The Pope Estate (1894), and the Baldwin Estate (1921).  

These beautiful conjoined sites offer museums, gardens, the Washoe Indian Cultural Exhibit, elaborate buildings, and golden sand beaches.  There are also many events, activities, and exhibits in some of the buildings throughout the summer months, including the Great Gatsby Festival.  

Of course, on this early, off-season morning, I practically had the place to myself.  Except for the occasional human and a LOT of chipmunks and Stellar's Jays. 

I began at the Tallac site on walked around under the pines and on the beach for a bit.  I was happy to see some adorable Common Merganser ducks floating around.  

I walked through the cabins reading what signage I could since all the museums were closed.  I was startled periodically by a chipmunk chattering at me or posing for photos. 

They have various boat parts laying about which are really quite fascinating.  Some of them are huge. One area has the "bones" of an old steam vessel that was brought on shore and then left to wither.

The cabin below is called the "Twin Cabin".  Walk through this doorway and there are two identical guest cabins on each side.

And now it's time for my dream cabin!  It's so amazing.  

I just love the intricate detail.  There was an addition made at some point because just behind where my photo ends, you could see the wood paneling going in a vertical direction instead of horizontal like the front.  

I just love the intricate detail on the front porch.  And can you imagine waking up here everyday?  Walking outside to sit on your front porch with a hot cup of coffee?  Is dream.  

And steps away, is the beautiful, crystal clear blue water of Lake Tahoe.  There are so many old pier pilings and tracks leading into the water where historic boathouses once stood.  

While just a few steps inland you have your choice of gorgeous gardens to w(h)ile away the days. 

With deer, bears, chipmunks, birds, coyotes, and mountain lions wandering around. 
That would be so magical. 

There were some weird looking plants growing through the pine needles.  I have no idea what they are, but they looked cool with their vibrant red color. 

From the ground up to the top of the trees, it's just so breathtaking. 

I had to take one last walk around the beach.  The misty mountains and the glassy reflection off the oh-so-clear water was captivating. 

Oddly enough, I love this photo.  So peaceful. 

Seashells on the seashore...errr...lakeshore.

Lake Tahoe has always been a place of peace for me.  

Sure, I love to go play at the craps table all night long (if I'm winning), but you just can't beat the outdoor beauty.  

Maybe someday I'll win enough at craps to buy a gorgeous lakeside estate of my own.  

Well, one can dream, right?

xoxo

Nikon D3300

Donner Party Memorial - Donner Pass California 9/13/15

Well, I haven't posted for a minute.  :-)  So we'll do a flashback to part II of my trip to the Reno Hot Air Balloon Race.  After heading West after the balloon race, I decided to stop at the Donner Party Memorial State Park off of Interstate 80 to do an early morning walkabout.  

This was a somewhat abbreviated stop as I'd been up all night and also had some things to get to later in Sacramento.  The park has quite a bit to offer in the way of recreation but, in my opinion, is best visited in the summer so you can include water activities at Donner Lake.  I will definitely be going back for a longer trip with some camping involved.  And a hike on part of the Pacific Crest Trail which is accessible nearby. 

Unfortunately, on the beautiful September morning, some of the paths were closed for construction but I did spend about an hour walking around and taking photos.  The area is quite beautiful with the lovely Donner Creek flowing through it and the varied flora that comes standard in the Western Sierra Nevada. 

Another standard feature in the Sierras are gorgeous Stellar's Jays with their bright blue feathers and jaunty crest. 

I named this one Bart Simpson.

There is an extremely large statue called the Pioneer Memorial.  It's pretty cool and dominates the area near the Visitor's Center (which was not open while I was there). The metal statue was completed in 1918 and stands on the spot of two former cabins built by pioneer families making the arduous trip West.

On this early morning, most of my company was in the form of Jays and adorable chipmunks.

There was some really cool flora there!  I wish I knew what some of this stuff is. 

This is what remains of one of the Donner Party's cabins.  What a tragically fascinating story of bad decisions that is!  For a good Clif's notes version, see this brochure.  

And their dreams shattered like fissures in granite, with only some of their party blooming through the cracks to live. 

Sad.  But reminders of the dead should spur us to celebrate life.  Which is why I love to get outdoors at any opportunity to see all the beauty that God placed on this amazing world we are blessed to inhabit. 

And speaking of blessings, water definitely qualifies!

Donner Creek

I love these.  I guess they are a type of thistle, but there weren't any sharp parts so IDK. 

These flowers looked like they were made out of straw and it was very cool!

After walking around and talking to a good looking vagabond, I headed out.  What's that?  You want to hear about the vagabond?  Okay.  I actually thought he was a ranger so I asked if there were any  restrooms that were open.  

He started telling me how he travels all over the Western United States with his dog, backpacking and occasionally catching rides with friends from place to place.  He suggested that I was too girly and citified to "pee in the woods" and I assured him I am not afraid to do it when need be, but I do prefer a bathroom.  Sorry for the TMI but it was a very weird conversation to have with a strange man.  

We talked about the outdoors, my job, and my daughter.  He said maybe someday when my daughter is set in her life, I might retire and wander like him seeing as how I like to do that in my spare time anyway.  We agreed that it was a definite possibility and parted, saying "see you down the road!" instead of goodbye.  It was really nice. 

I made one more stop  at the Emmigrant Gap overlook to take some photos and pretend I was in the Misty Mountains of Lord of the Rings.  

It looks cool, but it was actually smoke from all the fires because California was in the process of burning itself up, thanks to the drought. If you would have told me that I would be standing here almost  5 months later looking at snow, I would have thought you were crazy.  But I was. 

Click here to see some more snow photos (some of my best rated actually).

xoxo

Nikon D3000