Lake Tahoe

lake tahoe is without a doubt one the best places that I've ever been 

the smell of fresh pine trees in the air 

mountainjays flying everywhere 

and the clearest blue waters 

tahoe is pure serene perfection

it's no wonder they call it the lake of the sky

after a morning of airballooning in Napa and spending the afternoon in the Old West of Sacramento, we drove through the mountains and arrived just in time to set up camp. the next morning was a bit tumultuous. 

Real Life Travel Moment

Someone lost the $400 electronic key to the Prius we were renting. Oops! 

Husband stayed calm even though I was totally panicking, but 2 hours later someone returned our keys to us. it never ceases to amaze me how many good people there are in this world.

after that stressful morning, we decided to regroup at what quickly became our sanctuary....

The best caramia coffees and free wifi (a luxury when you're camping in the mountains)...I love Alpina Cafe! We only had a day in Lake Tahoe and we had already decided to spend it in South Tahoe, which is the place to be. Over coffees, we finally decided on D.L. Bliss State Park because we knew it would give us a chance to hike and glimpse some great views of the lake. 

as in really great views of the lake 

a beautiful blue mountainjay

such an intent hiker

see what I mean about those mountainjays...they were everywhere

the best part of hiking in Bliss State Park is that when we got overheated, we had that amazing lake to cool down in. 

husband decided to dive right in...

while I decided to take a more relaxed approach 

oh hey there...some impromptu yoga on the lakeshore

yea I'll join in 

but in all seriousness, the water was perfectly clear...like what you would expect to see in the caribbean. it was unreal.
even after our morning mishap, lake tahoe offered us the perfect day and was the only real time we relaxed during our trip

roasted marshmallows + cold beer = 

the BEST way to end our day in tahoe

as we snuggled in our tent, we could hear coyotes howling in the distance and black bears traipsing through our campground....in this way the perfect day faded into a peaceful night