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for any similarly minded warm-water wimps, getting in the 65-or-so-
degree water will be a true challenge. Getting on the water, however, is a
breeze.
There are sightseeing trips aboard the 312-passenger Tahoe Queen,
an iconic paddle wheeler, and private outings with Lake Tahoe Boat Rides
that are captained by knowledgeable guides. Self-propulsion kayaking
and stand-up paddleboarding are more popular than ever, family-friendly,
great exercise, and superb ways to explore some of the rocky inlets and
beaches carved into the shoreline.
During our visit, my husband and I booked a lunch cruise with
Lake Tahoe Bleu Wave. Their 70-foot Burger yacht proved to be an
ideal vessel from which to experience scenic Emerald Bay and its
oft-photographed Fannette Island, two of the area’s most popular
picturesque attractions.
LAKE TAHOE REDUX
Before our departure, we stopped by my grandparents’ former house.
The old sign that hung on Lake Boulevard and once read “Janrick” (for
my Aunt Jan and dad, Rick) was gone, and the home was obviously
occupied. I knocked, but no one answered, so I left a note, and went
around back.
The dock was still there, jutting out from the beach. I scooped up
water in my cupped hands and took a sip, then picked up a flat stone
and sidearmed it across the surface. Plop-plop-plunk. I still had it. Back
on the wooden deck, I looked upward and took a deep breath of pine
before walking to the car.
“The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and
delicious. And why shouldn’t it be? It is the same the angels breathe,”
Twain once said. I wondered if he was referring to Lake Tahoe.
Just a month before our trip, I’d been reminiscing with my dad and
had told him about how I wouldn’t sleep on that deck as a kid because
of the bats. “There were no bats,” my dad confessed. “In the forest,
sure, but not around the house. That was just Poppy having some fun
with you.”
Forty years later, Poppy had got me again. And from somewhere
above the deep blue of The Lake of the Sky, up there in those pure and
fine clouds, I think I heard his cackling laugh anew.
A native Californian with a wayfarer’s soul, Kimberley Lovato writes about
travel and lifestyle for magazines, newspapers, and websites around the
world. When she’s not planning her next adventure, she’s at home with her
family in the great city of San Francisco.
“
AREA RESORTS
Perfect for lovers of the great outdoors, Aston
Lakeland Village lies amid 19 acres of woods and
trails in South Lake Tahoe. Every unit has a
fireplace. On-site amenities include a beach, bicycle
paths, lake, tennis, multiple outdoor swimming
pools, a sauna, and dining.
Set within spectacular mountain scenery, The Ridge
Tahoe is a year-round recreational resort. Guests can
enjoy a wide range of on-site offerings, including
tennis courts, hiking and biking trails, a putting green,
minigolf, convenience store, eatery, day spa, theater,
kids’ clubs, and complimentary downtown shuttles.
Accommodations at LLD are available for purchase through the
Getaway program and generally will not be available for exchange.
To view all of the Lake Tahoe resorts in Interval’s
network,
‘THE AIR UP THERE IN THE CLOUDS IS VERY PURE AND
FINE, BRACING AND DELICIOUS. AND WHY SHOULDN’T IT
BE? IT IS THE SAME THE ANGELS BREATHE,’ TWAIN
ONCE SAID. I WONDERED IF HE WAS REFERRING TO
LAKE TAHOE.”
Take to the water on the Tahoe Queen, billed as the area’s only authentic
Mississippi paddle wheeler.
IntervalWorld.com INTERVAL WORLD Summer 2016 39