Lake Tahoe: Diving Into the Blue WorldBy Autumn Rhea Carpenter
During the journey to Lake Tahoe, we all experienced a phenomenon we didn’t realize would affect our experience so much: teenagers with cell phones. A mild distraction during the fabulous excursion, our ears were awakened to conversations on our planes, buses and other means of transportation that went something like this: “Are you tired yet?” “I’m not either,” “Do you like Starbursts?” “So do I.” Those brief conversations kept us entertained on our trip to our final destination for the next week – Caesars Palace.
Once settled into our new digs, we ventured out into the hotel. Caesars Palace is a huge facility, (16,000 square-feet) filled with casinos, restaurants, retails shops and salons. Every cranny offers the guest something new, including a heated indoor, lagoon-style swimming pool, designed with a waterfall and rock islands. The area also includes a whirlpool spa and vast seating areas.
The Reflections Spa also offers sauna, hot tub and steam bath access. Other treatments include personalized skin care, spa body treatments, customized skin care and expert body massages.
Borges offers various rides, from 10am until sunset. Their five handmade sleighs vary in size and range from a cozy two-seater to a 20-passenger sleigh. The company also offers dinner rides, with a 30-minute narrated carriage ride along the beach, followed by a gourmet meal. Borges also provides romantic sleigh rides for weddings and other special occasions.
Each night, we enjoyed family dinners and recaptured the day’s events. Luckily broken bones never were topics of conversation, only talk about the snow condition, plans for the next day and statements about the beautiful area.
Once we reached the mountain’s bottom, we decided to take a paddle wheeler cruise on the M.S. Dixie II. The vessel holds 570 passengers (plus crew members) and is 151 long. It maintains three passenger decks, two dining rooms, a glass-bottom viewing room, and has five engines. The M.S. Dixie II was first brought to Lake Tahoe in 1948 from the Mississippi River, with plans for
The boat tour guide shared various legends connected to the belief that Tahoe is a lake that does not give up its dead. With temperatures usually hovering about freezing, the creation of gases is prevented that would otherwise float corpses to the water’s surfaces. Stories state that fishermen have reeled in a variety of surprises ranging from Indians to Mafia members. The tales kept our attention and imaginations active. The M.S. Dixie II offers numerous cruises, depending on your needs. Some include a Sunday Brunch Cruise, Emerald Bay Sightseeing Cruise and Sunset Dinner Dance Cruise. Each Cruise is tailored to fit its guests’ interests.
Image credits: Photograph courtesy of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, Caesars Palace Tahoe, Heavenly Mountain Resort, Will Hart, Lee Foster and Autumn and Chris Carpenter Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority: 530.544.5050 Caesar’s Palace at Lake Tahoe: 800.367.4454 Harrah’s Casino - Reflections The Spa: 775.588.6611 http://www.harrahs.com/our_casinos/tah/things_to_do/reflections.html Heavenly Mountain Resort: 775.586.700 Ext. 1 Borges Sleigh Rides: 800.726.RIDE Zephyr Cove Resort – Snowmobile Center: 775.589.4908 Zephyr Cove Resort - Dixie II The Vikingsholm Castle |
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Family vacations are always meant to be meaningful, thoughtful, sometimes adventurous, scenic, bonding and fun. A backdrop of breathtaking mountains and a crystal blue lake are always bonuses and certainly added to our Christmas family trip, this year in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada, respectfully known as the Blue World.
Upon arrival, we discovered our large suite, complete with a Jacuzzi tub (a Roman tub) in the room. Our view included the majestic Sierra Mountains and since it was the Christmas season, several buildings were clad with colorful blinking lights.
The next day, my mother, Carolyn, and I made the quick trek to Harrah’s Casino to enjoy spa treatments at Reflections The Spa. Although the casino twists and turns in a maze of hallways, (18,000 square feet) we finally located the spa. It was a luxurious retreat from the bright lights and crashing coins of the main area. Carolyn enjoyed a Swedish massage, given by Jen, and said it was one of the ‘best she’s ever experienced.’ My treatment included a relaxing European facial. The aesthetician, Karla, skillfully explained each procedure and created a stress-free environment with soothing music and her artful touch. 
Heavenly Mountain Resort is a convenient shuttle ride away, where skiers can breathe in the white powder world and enjoy various levels of ski challenges. The five-year average snowfall is 360 inches (although it varies every season, especially in 2005) with a vertical drop of 3,500-feet. Heavenly offers 85 ski trails and a base elevation of 10,067-feet.
My dad, Tom, brother, Dylan, and husband, Chris, bravely attacked the slopes and utilized their various skill levels on the mountains, ranging from beginner to expert. We easily accessed the gondolas and rode them to the top of the mountain, enjoying an amazing view. After watching a beginner’s class, Chris picked up the tricks and was floating down the (small) hills with the best of them.
Another day, the group was set for an old-fashioned sleigh ride with Borges Sleigh and Carriage Rides. Our guide, Dwight, explained that the family-owned company started giving sleigh rides in 1968, when Sam and Rosie Borges opened the company. They began with a horse named Little Joe, who was won in a raffle by one of their sons. Sam started building a sleigh using postcard and catalog ; and with the suggestion of a neighbor, started giving sleigh rides to visitors in the Park's meadow.
We enjoyed a ride, pulled by appropriately named, Charlie Horse. He was ornery and bent on making the trip on his terms. Legend has it that by rubbing his nose, visitors are sure to win in the casino. So, guests don’t miss a chance to take in all the good luck they can get, with a fond rub on the horse’s snout.
During our leisurely tour, we noticed a popular tourist stop, the Mark Twain Lodge, that the famous author called home during the 1860s. The author (also known as Samuel Clemens) wrote a book about his travels in Lake Tahoe, called Roughing It. He referred to the area as ‘a beautiful relic of fairy-land forgotten and left asleep in the snowy Sierras when the little elves fled from their ancient haunts and quitted the earth.’ Quite appropriately said, of course.
The tour also stopped at one of the historical Pony Express’ stops. Years before the telegraph, communication east to west was send by way of Pony Express. Young men on horseback would travel from Missouri to California carrying bags of mail. The actual Pony Express Trail, though only in use for 18 months, proved to be one of the most important trails for transportation. Though most of the trail has been built over, 120 historic sites are preserved or are being restored for visitors to enjoy, including ruins of Pony Express stations.
A new day included a day of snowmobiling for the brave group members. After a brief shuttle bus ride to Zephyr Cove, we geared up for the adventure with helmets and gloves. Known as the largest snowmobile tour center in the United States, the company boasts over 100 Ski-Doo snowmobiles. Our guides carefully explained driving signals and we gathered to safely follow our group on the ‘Top of Tahoe’ tour, which includes a two-hour, 9,000-foot scenic climb through pine forests, to the top of the mountain. (Single and double riders are available.)
We swerved and skidded, but overall, it was a smooth trek to the top pf the mountain range. We witnessed amazing views, filled with silence and awe. Our guides provided facts about the area as well as much-needed hot chocolate to thaw our frozen toes.
Tom, Carolyn, Dylan, Chris and I stepped aboard the gigantic boat, for a few hours of cruising the Blue Lake.
her to become a floating casino. Not long after her arrival, the casino plan failed and the boat sank off of Cove Rock. The boat was recovered and converted into a houseboat. In the late 60s she was converted into a commercial tour boat and has carried on that tradition ever since.
Lake Tahoe’s surface is 6,222-feet above sea level. It covers the Nevada/California border and is known as the largest alpine lake on the North American continent. It measures 989- feet deep. Statistics sometimes don’t do the pristine blue lake justice. Imagine a white dinner plate and that it can be seen at 78-feet below the surface. That helps put the numbers into perspective.
The cruise took us to Emerald Bay, where we saw the Vikingsholm Castle. Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight began building her estate in 1928 with as many as 200 workers employed to carve intricate Scandinavian-style designs by hand. Her nephew by marriage, Lennart Palme, a Swedish architect, designed the plans. The house was built without benefit of nails or other fasteners. Many people believe Knight was of Scandinavian descent, but she was actually English. The socialite enjoyed her luxurious lifestyle and shared it with a house-full of guests for 15 years.
After a couple touristy group , we traveled back to Caesars Palace for our last night together. We reminisced on our favorite aspects of the trip and toasted one another for another year of health and happiness. It was definitely a family vacation to remember.