Nostalgia endures in North Lake Tahoe
National Geographic Traveler
By Laura Read
When an old-timer talks about having visited Lake Tahoe’s North Shore four or five decades ago, memories often include nights spent in a lakefront cottage and days lazed away on a sandy beach. Ask this person’s grandchildren about their recent North Shore getaway, and the story might just be the same.
While some Lake Tahoe resorts have ballooned recently, many in Carnelian Bay, Kings Beach, and Tahoe Vista have not. A few are simply stuck in the past; others might just like things simple.
A classic day hereabouts begins before at first light on the water, where fishing charter captain Mickey Daniels meets customers in Carnelian Bay, as he has for almost 40 years. The motor surges, and Daniels’ 43-foot Big Mack II pushes out onto the mirrored lake. While Daniels has caught many an exciting fish over the years, his favorite moments have to do with people. “I enjoy watching my customers form new bonds out here,” he says.
The clarity of the water, “freakishly blue” according to one visiting teen, is what makes Tahoe so appealing – that and the lake’s 22-mile length. Formed by glacial scouring, earthquake faults, and volcanic flows, 1,645-foot-deep Lake Tahoe is the largest mountain lake in North America. Most people flock to its big beaches, but few are lucky enough to enjoy the hidden littlest arcs of sand. Moon Dunes Beach (one of the lake’s only intact sand dunes) and Buck’s Beach are two of the most inviting. Another way to enjoy the big blue is from the deck of “The Saga,” a 38-foot 1930 wooden boat available for tours through Sierra Boat Company.
The day winds up with your personal catch from the Big Mack prepared by Gar Woods Grill, or the down-home flavors of old family-recipe Italian dishes at Lanza’s Restaurant, where vintage photos on knotty-pine walls record a place happily stuck in yesterday.
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:06 am
Laura, I was planning to email you– I have longtime Tahoe ties and will be there most of June. Thought we could meet. But I really loved this post. My parents honeymooned at the Rustic Cottage Resort in (either Kings Beach or Carnelian Bay)– 70 years ago! I’m always amazed that the place is still standing. Flourishing, even.
Kris Ohlson (from Travel Classics)