Labor Day Weekend: Lake Tahoe Edition

Since I get every other Friday off, it makes for really nice four day weekend every once in a while. We decided to get a leg up on all the traffic/hustle and bustle, and leave Friday morning for Lake Tahoe. We headed up to Truckee, CA to visit a close friend's family (Indy Ray) who I haven't seen in a few years. It was great to catch up with them and see the changes they had made since I last came up. Since Truckee is on the north shore of Lake Tahoe, we got to drive along the lake to our eventual destination at south shore, where we had a hotel reservation for the night. It was a beautiful drive!

After checking into Harveys Hotel & Casino and letting Madie get a decent nap, we found a beach to visit and check out the lake. As far as sleep goes, Madie has been having a hard time adjusting to her new car seat. She's so used to the reclined and shaded infant car seat where she would sleep like an infant the whole time we used it. Now, her poor head bobbles around and she just can't find a comfortable position for it! She's adjusting and seems to enjoy facing forwards.

Ah, the lake. I have honestly never seen such a blue body of water.

Find a shovel at the beach? Score!

Madie really likes any type of water movement, whether it's waves, splashing, she's game for anything. These waves were her size.

There's that smile! She loves being outdoors.

And of course, tubby time. She looked so cute coming out of the tub.

I guess she has been doing this a lot lately to Mal. She takes her fingers and touches Mal's eye lashes, sometimes becoming violent haha.

The next morning we went on a walk to a little cafe called Red Hut. It has quite a history with South Lake Tahoe apparently, and has been in business for quite a while. It also has free wi-fi (which our hotel didn't!) so we decided to walk to it. I feel that I get to know unfamiliar areas better when we walk around them and get a good feel for them. So we walked...and walked...and walked. Happening upon this cafe in the car the day before on our way to the hotel made this place seem so close! We didn't even grab Madie's stroller! It was probably over a mile away, which just added to the baby carrying arm strain. We FINALLY made it and had a great breakfast. Everywhere we go and everyone we come across loves Madie the instant they see her.

On the way back, we stopped by the gondola that takes you to Heavenly Ski Resort. The ski village was very nice.

Have a scratched CD that causes a disc error? Make's for a great toy! She kept pressing it against her face.

Emerald Bay. Looked busy.

Madie was kind of up and down the whole trip. Lack of sleep, and having the remnants from a fever a few days before didn't help any.

We parked up top by the road and hiked down a mile to the lake shore to get a tour of an old Scandinavian home called Vikingsholm.

Big Tree.

That island in Emerald Bay has a "tea house" on it, even though it resembles a Scottish castle, turrets and all. The lady who owned the Vikingsholm owned the tea house as well.

Vikinsholm. It was an interesting tour. It was built with materials in the Lake Tahoe area, and only imported the stained glass windows from Europe.

On a trip with a baby, any chance you have to let her crawl around or stretch her legs is cherished by them. So many hotels and restaurants are so grungy that it's hard to find places on the road. Madie really took to this little fence.

And the dirt.

Traditionally, these dragons were kind of scattered throughout the home. They signified areas where men were allowed to gather, and women and children would serve them but could not participate in the conversation.

Vikingsholm courtyard. Madie didn't fare well for the tour, so we waited in the courtyard for the ranger to finish the explanations inside with the rest of the group. After Emerald Bay we met up with some friends in Sacramento. Not bad for two days.