While we were staying at Grandma’s cabin in Pioneer over the weekend, we found out that Lake Tahoe was just about one and a half hour away. So, on the following Tuesday, we decided to go and take a look. After an hour of driving in the high mountains on Hwy 88, we rolled into South Lake Tahoe, where lots of shops and motels are lining along the road. We kept going to the east side of the Lake towards EmeraldBayState Park, our destination.
EmeraldBay is a small bay curved into the southeast shore of Lake Tahoe, and as the name indicates, it is known for its turquoise-colored water. Today, we hiked to Vikingsholm on Rubicon Trail, about 1.7 miles one way. Since the trail goes mostly along the shore, you can see the beautiful water as you walk. It was a sunny day, but probably because of all the wildfires in California (It’s burning everywhere!!!), the air was rather hazy. It was also pretty hot, and the boys were determined to take a dip. We hurried down to the beach near Vikingsholm, but it turned out to be quite crowded with people and all kinds of boats. A bit disappointed, we backtracked the trail to scout for a quiet little beach. And we found one! It was a tiny but lovely beach right off the trail, and there were no people other than three of us and a few hikers sitting by the water. There I sat, watching the boys splash in the water. I wasn’t equipped to swim today. Well, neither were the boys, but they jumped in anyway. I was surprised that the water was so clear; maybe I’ll bring my swimsuit next time. We were there for a good hour, and we finally headed back on the trail.
