Stay away from Lake Tahoe on the Fourth of July weekend…we’re all full up.

Yeah, leave it to me, a visitor myself, to tell everyone to just stay away from Lake Tahoe on the Fourth of July weekend.

            

They call it the Drawbridge Dogma. I’m here—you, just stay away. 

The alternate axiom is, I got mine: too bad for you.

 

 

     

 

The problem is that I’m about two million people too late.

They’re already here.

 

Having inside knowledge does help to figure out which back roads are mostly undiscovered by the non-natives.

And which beach has more awe-inspiring Ospreys than people.

 

Once you paddle past the portly, beach-dwelling, sunblock-greased masses, you get to appreciate the native scenery with spectacular granite mountains and shades of green vegetation.

 

      

 

Areas with private property are a little less au naturel with evidence of the accoutrements of both old money and nouveau riche with scatterings of both understated, simple cabins along side four story, multi-thousand square-foot “lodges” : calling them homes would be non-descriptive of both their use and enormity—these are often second (third, fourth, fifth???) houses that are under-utilized and overly wasteful of space and resources.

Not only do these people have speed boats more expensive than my car, they get to park them right on their private docks. (Note, I said “on” the docks…not next to them.)

 

Or maybe I’m just jealous that my dad’s last name wasn’t Hilton or Harrah.

 

   

     

 

Yes, the roads can turn into worse gridlock than a Los Angeles commute nightmare (remember, most of the roads are only one lane going each way and the passing lanes make convenient speed traps), but the beauty of Lake Tahoe is pretty much as I remember it from my visits with my parents, some 50+ years ago.

(Yes, we came up in cars back then, not in horse-drawn stage coaches.)

 

The clarity is still pretty amazing to experience, especially when you are sitting right on the crystal clear, ice-cold water.

 

 

     

 

So, feel free to express your independence of this July 4th weekend by staying home.

 

Just tell the kids that there is too much pollen everywhere (as seen in the puddle, below).

 

It’s almost difficult to even breathe…hack, hack, cough, cough…

 

 

     

 

 

Now, if I could just convince a few tens-of-thousands to head home early…