Exciting explorations -- The way to Sierraville
foliage
It's another perfect fall day in the Sierra. Fall foliage is dazzling. You've been to Tahoe and ingested its incomparable beauty. Did you ever wonder where route 89 North takes you? We live off of 89 south. The sign to Sierraville intrigued us.
I looked it up on the interent. Exactly 3 sites came up. Was it that small? Was it worth the trip, the gas, the being stopped by road work if it had no activities, nothing to see, to do, or even places to eat? We went anyway.
On the way off to Sierraville, we were stopped by roadwork. Since the guy stopping us had nothing to do, we chatted. What's there to do in Sierraville? Nothing, we were on a road to nothing.
Where was the Lake Region? I had heard about it. 45 more miles would take us there. We stopped at the Sierra Hot Springs Hotel. A small airport borders the property. We knew it was an airport since that's what the sign said. The Hotel was old world charming. Yes, we could partake of the springs for a fee of $12.00 per person. Clothing is optional. Um, we did bring bathing suits but hey, we're not prudes and will go with the flow. We didn't. Our dog was the determining factor. She wasn't allowed on the property, not even in our car. We left.
Our stomachs were growling. A passerby informed us there were not eats on the way to the Lakes. A sign said “Dead Man's Curses” ahead. Although pretty, the curves kept coming. For 15 miles, the road lived up to its title. Don't try this during the winter! Dazzy was not pleased. Finally, a sign pointed to Lakes Road. An old rest stop complete with a general store and a diner like restaurant looked inviting. Wow, the food was fantastic. The ice cream sundaes, and malteds looked even better. The place had one waitress, one cook and one register person for the general store. The waitress gave us info on the lakes and the best ones to stop at. We vowed to stop again on the return trip.
After sharing the fries with our dog, we headed for our first lake. There are 15 so the waitress's friendly advice was most helpful. Salmon Lake is probably the most beautiful in terms of scenery. Islands dot the center. Gold Lake is the largest in the chain. Boating is restricted to small boats. Ha, there would be no way to trail our 26' boat up this way. Boaters were out fishing. Trout are supposed to be the premier fish. Hiking trails are everywhere.
The Sierra County Visitors Guide lists all the hikes and lakes and yes, all the interesting stuff to do. We picked it up at the restaurant, not before. It also lists historic buildings and just about anything you need to know about the area. It maps it all out. Contact the Sierra Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-200-4949 for the booklet.
Continuing on the Lakes road links you up with Route 89. We took that back since there are no dead man's curses on it though we missed our return date to the diner. Out in the middle of nowhere, on our way back to Sierraville, we passed a large estate development complete with golf course. We hope it had a shopping center inside since there were none on Route 89. Don't these people have to eat? One cannot live by golf alone or maybe they can. We surmise they must be 2nd homes. What would they do during the winter? Ski areas are not in abundance up there.
A town called Sattley whizzed by. It had 350 inhabitants. I wonder if that included the horses.
We didn't stop in Sierraville and continued south on Route 89. We met the same work crews. We reached Truckee. It is a bustling city in comparison to anything we saw today. It was a nice trip. The Sierra is so diverse. We appreciate the magnitude of this vast mountain area. It's worth the trip. Be sure and have lunch at that place in Bassetts, just before turning onto Lake Road. Say hello for us.
We've been to this one before and you probably have also. It is the hike up to Eagle Lake above Emerald Bay. Surprisingly, it was fairly crowded. It was a perfect choice on another gorgeous fall day in Tahoe. The last time we did the hike was in early July. The falls were gushing. This time, it was pretty quiet. The water looked calm enough to swim in. We kept climbing the 1_ miles to Eagle Lake. Dazzy does it 3 miles. She runs up and back.
Wow, another picture postcard stared us in the face. The lake mirrored the reflection of fall colors. If you go, do it soon. Hiking down in snow is not for us. We are at that stage of life when we don't want to break anything. It takes too long to heal. But we plan to ski again this winter and yes, the shovels are waiting!
It's another perfect fall day in the Sierra. Fall foliage is dazzling. You've been to Tahoe and ingested its incomparable beauty. Did you ever wonder where route 89 North takes you? We live off of 89 south. The sign to Sierraville intrigued us.
I looked it up on the interent. Exactly 3 sites came up. Was it that small? Was it worth the trip, the gas, the being stopped by road work if it had no activities, nothing to see, to do, or even places to eat? We went anyway.
On the way off to Sierraville, we were stopped by roadwork. Since the guy stopping us had nothing to do, we chatted. What's there to do in Sierraville? Nothing, we were on a road to nothing.
Where was the Lake Region? I had heard about it. 45 more miles would take us there. We stopped at the Sierra Hot Springs Hotel. A small airport borders the property. We knew it was an airport since that's what the sign said. The Hotel was old world charming. Yes, we could partake of the springs for a fee of $12.00 per person. Clothing is optional. Um, we did bring bathing suits but hey, we're not prudes and will go with the flow. We didn't. Our dog was the determining factor. She wasn't allowed on the property, not even in our car. We left.
Our stomachs were growling. A passerby informed us there were not eats on the way to the Lakes. A sign said “Dead Man's Curses” ahead. Although pretty, the curves kept coming. For 15 miles, the road lived up to its title. Don't try this during the winter! Dazzy was not pleased. Finally, a sign pointed to Lakes Road. An old rest stop complete with a general store and a diner like restaurant looked inviting. Wow, the food was fantastic. The ice cream sundaes, and malteds looked even better. The place had one waitress, one cook and one register person for the general store. The waitress gave us info on the lakes and the best ones to stop at. We vowed to stop again on the return trip.
After sharing the fries with our dog, we headed for our first lake. There are 15 so the waitress's friendly advice was most helpful. Salmon Lake is probably the most beautiful in terms of scenery. Islands dot the center. Gold Lake is the largest in the chain. Boating is restricted to small boats. Ha, there would be no way to trail our 26' boat up this way. Boaters were out fishing. Trout are supposed to be the premier fish. Hiking trails are everywhere.
The Sierra County Visitors Guide lists all the hikes and lakes and yes, all the interesting stuff to do. We picked it up at the restaurant, not before. It also lists historic buildings and just about anything you need to know about the area. It maps it all out. Contact the Sierra Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-200-4949 for the booklet.
Continuing on the Lakes road links you up with Route 89. We took that back since there are no dead man's curses on it though we missed our return date to the diner. Out in the middle of nowhere, on our way back to Sierraville, we passed a large estate development complete with golf course. We hope it had a shopping center inside since there were none on Route 89. Don't these people have to eat? One cannot live by golf alone or maybe they can. We surmise they must be 2nd homes. What would they do during the winter? Ski areas are not in abundance up there.
A town called Sattley whizzed by. It had 350 inhabitants. I wonder if that included the horses.
We didn't stop in Sierraville and continued south on Route 89. We met the same work crews. We reached Truckee. It is a bustling city in comparison to anything we saw today. It was a nice trip. The Sierra is so diverse. We appreciate the magnitude of this vast mountain area. It's worth the trip. Be sure and have lunch at that place in Bassetts, just before turning onto Lake Road. Say hello for us.
We've been to this one before and you probably have also. It is the hike up to Eagle Lake above Emerald Bay. Surprisingly, it was fairly crowded. It was a perfect choice on another gorgeous fall day in Tahoe. The last time we did the hike was in early July. The falls were gushing. This time, it was pretty quiet. The water looked calm enough to swim in. We kept climbing the 1_ miles to Eagle Lake. Dazzy does it 3 miles. She runs up and back.
Wow, another picture postcard stared us in the face. The lake mirrored the reflection of fall colors. If you go, do it soon. Hiking down in snow is not for us. We are at that stage of life when we don't want to break anything. It takes too long to heal. But we plan to ski again this winter and yes, the shovels are waiting!
posted by Kristin Larsen at
5:23 PM
2 Comments:
Edyie Scher really gives a lot of good information in an interesting way. I will keep reading.
Great story. Thanks for sharing. I too will keep reading.
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