LAKE TAHOE 2

FRIDAY, 1st JULY.

As suggested by a ticket seller yesterday afternoon, we arrived at the cable car ticket office early this morning to avoid the crowds....but there were no crowds.  We were the first ones there so sat on a bench in the morning sunshine and waited for the ticket office to open.  This was late in happening, apparently there was a glitch with the computers but although others had arrived by opening time, there weren't the hordes we were led to expect and so our gondola ride was free from hassles.  There is one stop on the way up, at the observation deck which affords magnificent views of Lake Tahoe....we bought coffee from the cafe/kiosk there and enjoyed the vista while sipping the brew.  We then completed the gondola ride and transferred to a chair lift which took us further up the mountain where we had a walk around, admiring the view, before returning to the gondola top.  There are all sorts of summer and winter activities to participate in here, such as zip-lining, hiking, rock climbing, skiing, tobagonning, karting etc. but we were content to just ride on the gondola and chair lift.  We do love cable cars/gondolas, chair lifts, funiculars, etc., and this one is fantastic!
It had warmed up quite considerably by the time the gondola returned us to Heavenly Village and as it was nearly midday we went back to the motel to have lunch before going for a scenic drive along the western shoreline of the lake as far as Tahoe City.  With heavy traffic most of the way it was a bit like being in the city and there were not many places along the way where the lake was accessible to the general public which was a disappointment, it is such a beautiful lake.
This weekend is Independence Day long weekend and not really the best time to visit popular tourist destinations as they are all crowded but being tourists, we have to be somewhere.  Lake Tahoe is truly lovely....just the wrong time for us to be here.  We have enjoyed it but because of the crowds, we're not unhappy about moving on tomorrow.