Adventure Camera - Kayaking Lake Tahoe - Day 3

Our third day on the lake brought many of my favorite parts of the trip.  We awoke to a gorgeous sunrise over Emerald Bay, and were, of course, the first ones up.  I headed out of our tent with my camera to capture the light just before it peaked over the eastern mountains, and the sight was just amazing.  It's one of those places that makes you feel alive in a way that only nature can.

We packed up quickly, and headed out to finish paddling along the edge of the bay, seeing only one other boat in the bay all morning, a sailboat heading out of the bay.

After a quick trip around Fannette Island (the only island in Lake Tahoe), we were headed out of the bay and toward South Lake Tahoe and it's sandy beaches.

Of the four or so major public beaches along the way into South Lake, Pope Beach was the favorite, with soft, gravelly sand and many trees for shade.  The Tahoe Keys marked the return of private land along the shore, and the number of "Keep Out" signs posted on very empty beaches was more than a little depressing.  However, just after passing the Keys, we decided to take a little side trip up the Upper Truckee River, which was flooded and flowing like gangbusters from all the snowmelt.  The water was seemingly only a few degrees above freezing, and as we paddled upstream, we saw some very cold-looking geese hopping from one foot to the other, possibly to warm up their toes.  Off to the west Mount Tallac rose up above the marshland for an impressive sight, and you can see the extremely quick current in the river below.

Since the river's banks had been long overrun, much of the surrounding delta marshland was under a few feet of water and made for a fun labyrinth of water trails to explore.

After exhausting all the possible trails through the marsh, we headed on by South Lake Tahoe.  It was a little strange to see the resort hotels and casinos from the water, especially after the quiet wilderness of the river, but we soon reached the far side of town and Nevada's less-populated shore.  We stopped for a break at Nevada Beach, another public beach gem, with a campground and picnic areas, and decided to come back later that evening to watch the sunset.  A little while later, we were back at Zephyr Cove and basecamp, showered up, and ready for dinner at our most favorite restaurant around Lake Tahoe-- Latin Soul at the Lakeside Inn and Casino.

Stay tuned for the final day of our trip tomorrow!