Other stuff near Lake Tahoe when we were not in the gondola

After the gondola ride we headed across a mountain pass to the valley we had seen on the other side of the mountain from Lake Tahoe. As most of you know, Marianne is a quilter and most of the quilt shops are handing out free designs for a week or so. Therefore we visited two shops a few miles apart.

The border between California and Nevada with a casino right up at the border. 

The road over the mountain had lots of curves.

This weird vehicle was powered by a motor.

The mountain where we had taken the gondola.

I took these photos while waiting for Marianne in the 90+ heat. The Lake Tahoe side of the mountain was only 80 degrees. I know which side I would prefer.

Looking back down into the valley.

Our bnb hosts had suggested that we walk though a nature park to the lake which was about half a mile away so after dinner, we girded our loins and headed off. As we set off I turned around to look at the mountains where we had been earlier in the day. You can see the gondola ride on the mountain on the right.

Zoom photo of the viewpoint where we had looked out earlier in the day.

The start to the nature path.

The area that almost became a casino.

Our bnb house. We have really enjoyed our time there.

Marianne was surprised to see this zigzag style of fence because it was used in many of the Civil War parks back east.

The late sun made the meadow look even more beautiful.

There were quite a few people out there walking. Some had dogs.

The trees were cleared in the late 19th century and these are the replacements.

The former airport.

Most of the pine trees have these stumps of former branches.

Small bird that flew near us a couple of times. The birding viewers should be able to identify this.

Huge dandelion.

Huge pine cone that Marianne is bringing home. I have a much smaller one from Mount Rushmore.

We reached the camping area near the lake.

Walkway to the beach.

The sand is very coarse.

The end of the day shortly to occur.

You can see how coarse the sand is.

People waiting for the sunset.

The sun disappeared in an instant.

Naturally we went down and touched the water. There is not much of a tide here.

The beach emptied quickly and we strolled home. It was a lovely evening stroll and we can see why so many people love to come here to Lake Tahoe and relax.