Wed. around Tahoe and Thurs on a boat cruise on Lake Tahoe

Wednesday was a relaxing day where we went to a factory stores outlet mall that only has 4 stores remaining and to another shopping area to have an appetizer and beer at a brewery.  There is a gondola ride there that cost $41 per person.  The cars kept going up and down-99% of them empty.  We've also seen larger gondola cars move at the ski slope close to our resort.

The roof of the resort has tennis court, chairs, etc., but it has been a little too windy today to sit there.

Thursday

Relaxed in the condo this morning and then down to the pier to catch the Tahoe Queen-a diesel-powered sternwheeler that was built in Lacrosse, WI.  It has 4 timbers called spuds, that drop down instead of anchors, which allows the boat to get into very shallow waters.  The water is only 10' deep where she is docked.  They never have to tie her down. 

While we were waiting to board, Mark Twain walked on board.  I said I wanted a picture with him for my book club.  He said ok, and I also told him the story about when I was in the 6th grade, my teacher had me read one chapter per morning from Huckleberry Finn.  I credit her with giving me confidence to speak in front of people, which I did many times at church, as a liturgist, at large professional meetings, etc.  He thought was a neat story and said last year a woman told him her father had been a college literature teacher and asked that a copy of Huckleberry Finn lay on his chest when he was buried.

The Captain and Mark Twain took turns giving us information during much of the 2-1/2 hour ride.  I have already written much of it in Tuesday's blog.  The coldest part of the water gets to 39 degrees. 
None of it ever freezes.  The surface temperature around the shorelines can reach about 70 degrees.

A golf tournament just ended and the man who won was a former soldier who lost a leg in Iraq.

The first person to swim across the lake was a woman.  It was 12 miles and took her 23 hours.  Her pilot boat lost sight of her for several hours during the night!  She lost one pound per mile.

The lake basically has no bottom.  As I mentioned before, Nevada and California state lines are within the lake.  The water flows clear to Virginia City inside lava tubes.  Driving distance from Tahoe to V.C. is 42 miles.

We passed a boat camp in Emerald Bay.  Campers unload their supplies on the pier, then moor their boat in the water and swim, kayak, or use a dinghy to get back to shore.  He said the sites are very nice and each has a bear box.  There are black bears in the area, though they are usually various colors of brown.  Campers must keep all food and any sweet-smelling items, such as toothpaste, deodorant, etc., in the box.

We saw a few osprey.  This one in flight a some in their nests.  Their wingspan is about 4'.  They build nests in the tops of dead trees so it is easier for them to see the fish in the crystal clear water.

Tom picked out this man on a rock with his powerful lens.

Eagles migrate here from Alaska, though there is winter here.  But, I'm sure, much milder than in many parts of the northern state.

Mark Twain  moved here in 1861 when he no longer had work on the Mississippi because of the Civil War.  The trip took 20 days on an overland stage.  He lived with some other men in a timber camp.  At that time only about 15 people lived around the lake.

He said "If a man doesn't read a good book, he is no better off than a man who can't."

Nevada's gambling history

The first gambling was a prizefight for which 4,000 people traveled from all over.  People decided that if that many would come for a fight, many more would probably come for roulette gambling, to get married, divorced, etc.  Gambling was legalized in 1931.  Mr. Harrah chased the mob out of the area.  Many wonder if some members are in the lake.  Jack Cousteau's son once dived in the lake and said people don't want to know what's down there!  Harrah once had a collection of 1,400 cars, yet Bill Cosby gave him another one.  Tom and Bob toured the Harrah Collection in Reno, which houses some of them.

It was a perfect day with totally blue skies, 81 degrees, and no wind.  We've been on boat cruises that were a little more interesting because there was so much on shore to see, unlike on this lake.  This is a house that a Scandanavian woman had built from local stone.  She had stained glass windows shipped from her country.  It took only 6 weeks to build it.  It now serves as a tea room.  The walk down to it is 1-1/2 miles, and, Mark Twain said, it seems like 5 miles back up.

 

I should have asked the captain if building isn't allowed around parts of the lake, and didn't find any information on Google.

This is a view of the ski resort near our timeshare.  This run is called the gun barrel.  This is only about one third of the way up the mountain.  Tonight there was a wedding at the top.  The man said there are many of them up there in the summers.