Lake Tahoe Nevada-California

Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is 1,645 ft (501 m), making it the second-deepest in the United States.

We entered the Lake at Incline Village on the North Eastern side.  The lake has many cities along it's 72-miles of shoreline.  Approximately two-thirds of the shoreline is in California.

The lake was formed about 2 million years ago and is a part of the Lake Tahoe Basin with the modern lake being shaped during the ice ages. It is known for the clarity of its water and the panorama of surrounding mountains on all sides.

This section of the lake is known as Crystal Bay.  You can see I managed to capture a photo of someone sailing.  The north shore boasts three peaks at 10,000+ feet: Mount Rose, Houghton and Relay peaks. Mt. Rose is a very popular hiking and back country skiing destination.

Kathy and I decided to take a closer look at Bliss State Park in the southern portion of the lake.  The scenery was terrific.  

We both thought the water would be cold and we were both right.  You can see the huge boulders that act as a platform for tourist walking along the edge of the lake.  

We were surprised at the many beaches along its coast.  Although the weather was a little chilly most of the beaches were occupied with local visitors.

Because of Lake Tahoe's striking beauty, it is a draw for year round activities and holds exciting opportunities for scuba divers along with unique challenges for scuba diving due to its elevation.  At this altitude, Lake Tahoe is considered a high altitude dive and requires special high altitude scuba diving procedures.  Here's a group of instructors with their students. 

The water temperature near the surface generally cools to 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit during February and March and warms to 65 to 70 degrees during August and September. Below a depth of 600 to 700 ft, the water temperature remains a constant 39 degree Fahrenheit.  

Historically, the clarity of Lake Tahoe has been decreasing, with the rate of decrease slowing. However, in the last two years the lake's clarity has increased by over 10 percent. Fine sediment, much of it resulting from land disturbance in the basin, accounts for about half of the loss in clarity. The year 2010 had a low average Secchi depth, with the depth of 64.4 feet being the second lowest ever recorded (the lowest was 64.1 feet in 1997). It represents a decrease of 3.7 feet from the previous year.

Emerald Bay State Park is a state park of California, USA, preserving Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay, a National Natural Landmark. Park features include Eagle Falls and Vikingsholm, a 38-room mansion that is considered one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in the United States. The park also contains the only island in Lake Tahoe, Fannette Island.

Here's a photo of some of the mountain peaks along the west side of Lake Tahoe.  Kathy and I drove the entire 72 miles of shoreline.  We were thoroughly impressed with the beauty of Lake Tahoe and its surroundings. 

On a sad note, Kathy and I thought we would stop by the famous Ponderosa Ranch  (picture obtained via the web), of the TV series Bonanza which was formerly located on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. When we got near the ranch we were saddened that the Ponderosa Ranch had closed its doors in September 2004, after being sold to developer David Duffield for an undisclosed price. The Ranch had been demolished when we reached the site. 

North Dome Hike - Yosemite National Park

The hike begins at Porcupine Creek Trailhead on Tioga Pass Road.  Although the elevation change is only 580-foot, the hike is considered strenuous due to the step descents and accents along the path.

The path winds through mixed conifer forest for about 0.7 miles on a paved path, and crosses Porcupine creek several times.  I can tell you the paved path is almost gone.  We did see a hiker note in the path they had seen a bear and cub on the evening prior to our hike.  We did not see any bears during our hike and that was just fine with us!

We hiked several areas that were snow covered some about 2-3 feet deep.  

We reach the trail marker which interchanges with other hikes along the route.  We still have 2.7 miles to go.

Here's Kathy proceeding down one of the many slopes we encountered.  The entire hike is 10.4 miles round trip.   We hiked the route in just under 6-hours with breaks. 

The ridge you see in the foreground is near the end of the hike.  It looks fairly close but we have a lot of down hill and up hill hiking to get there.  The path was not easy to follow once you reach the rocky section.  We actually did a little off-path climbing to try and find an access route.  We eventually got back on the trail and continued our hike.

Near the end of the hike, you descend steep rocks steps to the base of the North Dome.  You then climb the domes summit to take in magnificent views of Half Dome and Yosemite Valley.  Kathy normally stays away from steep edges but did a fantastic job walking along the ridge. 

You walk 1/4 mile along a ridge to get to the overlook, but it's well worth the effort.  This is a picture of the famous Half Dome one of the most pictured cliffs in Yosemite Valley.  The Rangers install metal hand rails so that hikers can make the accent to the top of the dome.  

This is a photo of Illilouette Falls which Kathy and I crossed when we hiked down from Glacier Point in 2011. The Panorama Trail provides a close-up view of Illilouette Fall and panoramic views of eastern Yosemite Valley before joining the Mist or John Muir Trails down past Vernal and Nevada Falls to the valley floor.  Here's a link to our hike Glacier Point Hike

Here's a photo of the eastern side of the Yosemite Valley.  Not many people get to see this portion of the park.  You have to climb up to see an aerial view of this section.

We met another couple and agreed to take pictures of each other.   On our return hike, we again, damn GPS, lost track of the path for a moment and had to climb a very steep hill to access the trail again.  We would highly recommend this hike to anyone visiting the Tioga Pass section of the park.

Tioga Pass - Yosemite National Park

The only way to enter Yosemite National Park from the east is to use Tioga Pass Road.  Also know as Highway 120, it is a beautiful drive, but be prepared.   We parked the motorhome in nearby Lee Vining, CA and drove the minivan into Yosemite each day during our visit.  When we last visited Yosemite National Park in 2011, Tioga Pass Road was not opened due to winter snow falls.  This year the pass was opened early in May and we hurried to see what we missed. Here's a link to our previous visit Yosemite 2011

For some eastbound drivers, the worst bit can be the final descent as you exit the park and travel the pass down to Lee Vining.  Driving close to an edge that drops off sharply around 2000 feet isn't what most drivers are used to, so it can be challenging. 

This scenic drive demands concentration due to the tight bends and drop offs, but it has stunning scenery if you can hold your nerve.

Tioga Pass is typically closed from November through May, but we got lucky as the pass opened on May 11, 2013.  You can still see plenty of snow piles along the route.

Someone even had time to make a snowman.  Tioga Pass Road is 62 miles in length from Lee Vining on the East side of the park to Big Oaks Flat Road on the West side of Yosemite National Park.

The snow melt provided rapid water in the streams as well as spectacular waterfalls. 

You can see here that Mammoth Lake is still frozen.  

Medlicott Dome is one of the biggest domes in Tuolumne area, if not the biggest in sheer size and volume. It has a huge number of climbing routes, most of which are bolted faces with occasional cracks and offwidths.  

We were very lucky to see two climbers coming down the mountain.  In this photo, one of the climbers is resting about halfway down the peak.  

We drove the entire length of Toga Pass Road and we were about 3-miles down Big Oaks Flat road when I took this picture of the center of Yosemite Valley.

If you click on this photo, and look in the center, you can see water running down the mountain from snow melt off the Tioga Pass Road area. 

This is a close up photo of the Merced River running directly through the park.  It is most well known for its swift and steep course through the southern part of Yosemite National Park, and the world-famous Yosemite Valley.

Tioga Pass at 9945 feet is the highest automobile pass in California. The road to the pass was constructed in two parts. The first part was a wagon road, 56 miles long, going frrom Crane Flat on the west side to a silver mine on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada. It was constructed in 1883 at a cost of $61,000. This part terminated a short distance east of Tioga Pass. The mine was closed the following year as it was not profitable.

Construction of the second part from Lee Vining on the east side to Tioga Pass was begun in 1902 and was completed in 1910 at a cost of $63,000. Considered a monument to the skill of the state engineers, it was routed up Lee Vining  Canyon and had a maximum grade of 7%. It was a narrow, exciting road with a steep drop off to Lee Vining Creek below.

Lower Antelope Canyon - Page AZ

Click on any photo to enlarge. 

We would like to thank our friends Barbara & Andy for recommending the Lower Antelope Canyon.  We met Barbara & Andy (who are from England) back in 2007 at Yellowstone while we were waiting for geysers to erupt.  Lower Antelope Canyon, called Hazdistazí, or "spiral rock arches" by the Navajo, is located in Page AZ. The road to Antelope Canyon is gated by the Navajo Nation. 

From above, Lower Antelope Canyon is just a crack in the ground. The excitement and joy started to take over on the first sight of what is below the ground.

Even following the installation of stairways, it is a more difficult hike than Upper Antelope—it is longer, narrower in spots, and even footing is not available in all areas.

Despite these limitations, Lower Antelope Canyon draws a considerable number of photographers, though casual sightseers are much less common there than in Upper.

The lower canyon is in the shape of a "V" and shallower than the Upper Antelope. Lighting is better in the early hours and late afternoon.

 To show only a few of the exquisite photos of the canyon would not do it justice.

On a bright sunny day the colors of the canyon are incredible. 

 Today, ladder systems have been bolted in place, and deployable cargo nets are installed at the top of the canyon.

Antelope Canyon is visited exclusively through guided tours, in part because rains during monsoon season can quickly flood the canyon. Rain does not have to fall on or near the Antelope Canyon slots for flash floods to whip through, as rain falling dozens of miles away 'upstream' of the canyons can funnel into them with little prior notice.

August 12, 1997, eleven tourists, including seven from France, one from the United Kingdom, one from Sweden and two from the United States, were killed in Lower Antelope Canyon by a flash flood.

Very little rain fell at the site that day, but an earlier thunderstorm had dumped a large amount of water into the canyon basin, seven miles upstream.

At that time, the ladder system consisted of amateur-built wood ladders that were swept away by the flash flood. 

They say that the right center section looks like the face of an Eagle coming out of the rock.

Our guide takes a picture of Kathy and me.  The floor of the canyon is sand which is easily removed during a severe storm.  The guides then have to haul in sand to reinstall a new floor. 

Look at the contrast of colors in the following photos. 

The walk at Lower Antelope Canyon is long, narrow, and there were a few spots where there was hardly any footing.

Grains of sand fall from the funnel rock formation. 

  

For the most part when we were inside Lower Antelope Canyon, we felt like we had the canyon all to ourselves. There were other tourists of course, but the canyon is long enough for us to spread apart and have our small private spaces. Occasionally, we bumped into each other, or we had to stop because someone was taking a picture or was composing a picture, but for the most part, our time at the canyon was fantastic. 

At the end, the climb out requires several flights of stairs.

We had about a 1/4 mile walk back to our staging area.  We would highly recommend this canyon to anyone passing by Page AZ.  It was truly a great experience!  Kathy & I agree that the Lower Antelope Canyon tour is in our top 5 of places that we have visited in our travels.