Yet Another Iconic Lake

From Reno we continued south to Coleville, just south of the Nevada/California border to a very nice KOA located at the base of … a cliff? A bluff? Whatever, it provided a really nice view for our stay. We actually didn’t do much while we were here except to visit two lakes, one well known, one not so much.

The known one was Lake Tahoe — known for its beauty and for its recreation options. We can see why. We came in from the east through an easy pass and were immediately wowed by what we saw. Moving counter-clockwise around the lake we saw lots of beauty and then lots of people. Holy crap, the south end of the lake is jammed with hotels, tourists and all of the support businesses you would expect. It reminded me of Kissimmee, Florida, gateway to Disney World and (editorial hat on) one of the least attractive places I have spent time (editorial hat off). Leaving that mess behind us, we did a bit of the west side as far as Emerald Bay, snapping pictures and taking walks along the way.

Interesting side note: on the way home we took Rt 89 South across a very twisty-turny pass back to 395 and home. When I mentioned to the park owner that it was an … interesting ride, he got a strange look and told me that the locals don’t use that road but rather a newer one that is much easier, but not as well marked. Lesson learned: Talk routing with locals.

The second lake was Topaz Lake. Located right at the Nevada/California line, it is a very beautiful little lake with a nice-ish campground. No shade, but a few full hookup sites and really nice views.

Other than some nice walks along the base of the bluff, that’s about it. Another lovely stay along Rt 395.