Lake Tahoe Review

There is a legend. There is a lake-where people from all over the world come together during times of peace or war to experience gambling, hotels, shopping, snow skiing, water skiing, camping, and the spectacular scenic views that make up the Lake Tahoe experience.

My Camping And Training Trip

I came to camp out and train for the World's Toughest Triathlon--a race that challenges and tortures its participants with a freezing two mile swim in the lake, followed by a grueling 110 mile bike ride, and a choking high-altitude 18.5 mile run.

Am I totally insane?! Absolutely.

Lake Tahoe straddles the California and Nevada border. It keeps good company with the Sierra Mountains--with altitudes as high as 9000 feet.

It was August. I drove to the south side of the lake from San Francisco, in my clunker, which I slept in at night while I stayed in the middle of nowhere, out in the wilderness, denying myself the comforts of a soft bed and a hot shower offered by one of the many hotels or motels in the area. You won't believe how much money I saved!

If you're a tightwad like me, camping out is definitely the way to go.

My favorite spot is the Inspiration Point rest stop. It is on top of a mountain that overlooks the lake. The view is stunning! (Don't forget to bring your camera, film--and don't forget to take the cap off the lens.) It is about a 20 minute drive up the road from the Raileys Shopping Mall. (OK! I admit I broke down and bought groceries. I didn't live off the land.)

My race training schedule was a three day cycle: On the first day I would wake up around 7:00 A.M., drive to the beach, put on my wetsuit, then swim in the lake. (You see, years ago, someone told me to go jump in the lake. I took it literally.)

Lake Tahoe's water is so clear! I was swimming in water that was about 30 feet deep, and I could see the rocks lining the bottom. The beaches have GOLD sand. They are gorgeous! A park ranger explained to me that the gold color was caused by iron oxide (rust) mixed in with the sand. (You can amaze your friends at parties with that bit of trivia.)

I don't water ski, but there were a lot of motor boats and skiers on the water. They looked like they were having a good time getting drunk and wiping out on their skis. I tried to stay out of their way by swimming close to the shore. Maybe I'm paranoid but it seemed like one motor boat had a psycho driver who was out to get me!

After I was done swimming, I carbo-loaded (ate spaghetti, pizza, French fries, etc.) at the pizza parlor located at the Raileys Shopping Mall. They had a big-screen TV playing Star Wars movies and such. I also did my laundry at the laundry mat. The proprietor of the laundry mat was an old geezer who new everything about everything and everybody in the area.

While he mopped the laundry mat floor, he told me about some movies he saw at the local theater in South Lake Tahoe. This was, pardon the pun, "very helpful" information, since I was bored when I wasn't training. During my rest periods, I caught the latest flick at the theater. (Looking at scenic views gets [yawn] old I'm sorry to say.)

Once my carbohydrates were fully digested, I ran the 18.5 mile trail that circles around Fallen Leaf Lake which is adjacent to Lake Tahoe. I felt so wanted. I felt so loved. Hundreds of mosquitoes wanted to give me a kiss. Poison oak wanted to reach out and touch my glistening skin. I was sure glad that I used mosquito repellent.

The poison oak caught me by surprise! I managed to dodge it like a quarterback running for a touchdown--yessss! There is one part of the trail that involves a ten foot cliff that you have to climb down (but rock climbing wasn't in the brochure!). My arms were tired from swimming, my legs were tired from running. Now I had to engage in a rock-climbing experiment!

I slipped and fell on my butt! End of experiment!

On the second day of my training cycle, I got up jack early to do the 110 mile bike course. It only took me seven hours to complete it (LOL!). The first half of the ride is simply lovely-it's all up hill (uhg!). I had to cross the border into Nevada. The border guard asked me where I came from. I said I came from my mother. She chuckled. I then told her which city I was from. She then laughed uncontrollably.

The bike course goes up through Monitor Pass and reaches an altitude around 9000 feet. This is one bike course where you can't afford to hold your breath. I used sunscreen so the hot sun wouldn't turn me into lobster man. However, oddly enough, my own sweat caused a rash on my quads (upper thighs).

Once I got to the top, it was all down hill, baby! Yeeeeeehaaaaaw!!!! My bike's speedometer showed that I had reached speeds as high as 55 mph!

The scenery on this bike course is nothing to write home about. All I could see was miles of dry yellow weeds on both sides of the road. Someone who makes his living whacking weeds could make a fortune here.

The third day of the training cycle had to be my favorite. It was my day of rest. I went to the local theater and watched the movies the old geezer at the laundry mat told me about. I also discovered a bulletin board at the camp grounds. It advertised a campfire singing event.

One of my guitars was in the back seat of my car, so I brought it with me to the campfire shindig. I played guitar while everyone sang "This land is your land...This land is my land... " The event was led by a couple of really fine looking lady park rangeresses. OOOOHWEEEE!!

People would get up on the stage and tell jokes and lead the group with more sing-a-longs. It was a BLAST!

After the third day, I repeated the three day training cycle. I did this for about 11 days, but then something tragic happened. I became really ill. I saw signs posted at the camp grounds that said, "Beware of Ground Squirrels-They May Have Bubonic Plague."

One night I decided to sleep outside in my sleeping bag. When I woke up, a ground squirrel was near my sleeping bag. Then later that day I fell ill. My sinuses bled and my head felt like it was going to explode. "Oh my god! I've got the plague!" I thought.

I canceled my plans to race in the triathlon and drove straight home. I called my doctor and left him a message. He called me back and said, "I got your message. So you think you have contracted the plague, do you?" I told him about the scary warning signs and the squirrel. He then explained that the plague is very rare--even at Lake Tahoe.

My symptoms were a result of the barometric pressure at high altitudes. I contracted a really bad sinus infection which was cured by penicillin. From now on, when I visit any place at a high altitude, I never stay for more than 10 days. After 10 days my sinuses begin to suffer.

The Bear Facts

On one other trip, some friends and I went camping at Lake Tahoe. We had tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, the whole nine yards. My best friend and I shared a tent. We had turned in. We were dead tired from a long hike. I slept like a dead person, but my friend's bloody-murder scream managed to stir me awake.

Our tent was collapsed on top of us. It was no big deal. The tent was simply knocked down by a bear.......A BEAR?!!! Fortunately, the bear wasn't hungry for man meat. It just tore my backpack to shreds until it found what it came for: my package of Three Musketeers Bars.

That selfish critter didn't leave me one single candy bar. It also stepped on my can of mosquito repellent and squashed it-leaving a print of one of its toes. I must say that was the worst customer service I have ever experienced on any trip.

The Bottom Line

Lake Tahoe is a wonderful place to visit, but I would not want to live there.