July 21, 2013
This year we thought we'd camp at Donner Lake, hike the Rubicon Trail by Lake Tahoe, and do random exploring.
We hooked up the Little Guy teardrop trailer and headed east. An old friend met us at a brew-pub in Auburn for lunch, and then just a short few miles later we crested Donner Summit, dropped down to the lake, checked into the state park, and set up camp.
Camp  | Dining And Sports  | Home  |
Cuppa Joe  | Coffee Ready  | Donner Pioneers  |
Cloud  | Donner Lake  | Donner Lake2  |
The campground didn't have electricity, but there was water, showers, and bathrooms that were cleaned daily; kind of like car-camping when I was a kid, without the grunge. There is a canoe/kayak/stand-up-paddle board (SUP) concession, and swimming in the shallower parts of the lake is tolerable.
We made a trip south to hike the Rubicon Trail, which overlooks the west shore of Lake Tahoe (elevation 6,225 feet); it's a beautiful route. This isn't a flat trail, so it is good exercise. There is a remnant of the highest light house in the world (looks more like an out-house), and pranksters have chucked small rocks onto the roof to see if they can get the rocks to land without bouncing off.
Tahoe Lester Beach  | Tahoe Rubicon Bay  | Tahoe Rubicon Bay 1  |
Tahoe Rubicon Bay 2  | Tahoe South  | Tahoe Tree And Cloud  |
Tahoe Towards Emerald Bay 2  | Tahoe Boat And Dogs  | Tahoe Boat And Dogs 2  |
Tahoe Kayaker From Rubicon Trail 2  | Tahoe Kayaker From Rubicon Trail 1  | Rubicon Trail Tower  |
Rubicon Trail Tower 2  | Tahoe Tree  | Tahoe Towards Emerald Bay  |
Pine Cone  | Pine Cone 2  | Pine Cone Closeup  |
Rubicon Point Light House  | Rubicon Point Light House 2  | Rubicon Point Light House 3  |
Rubicon Point Light House Toss Rocks  | Rubicon Point Light House Sign  | Rubicon Point Light House Graffiti  |
On the way back from the Rubicon Trail, we stopped at Sugar Pine Point State Park to visit a grand old masion (Pine Lodge) built by the first president of Well Fargo Bank: Isaias W. Hellman. A grand place, people would dress for dinner back in the day.
Tahoe Hellman Mansion Entrance  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Porch  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion North  |
Tahoe Hellman Mansion Woodshed  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion East  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion East Wing  |
Tahoe Hellman Mansion Living Room  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Fire Place  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion East Stairway  |
Tahoe Hellman Mansion Stairway 2  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Entry Chandelier  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Phone Room  |
Tahoe Hellman Mansion Phone  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Woven Redwood  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Dining Room  |
Tahoe Hellman Mansion Guest Bedroom  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Bedroom Radio  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Guest Bedroom 2  |
Tahoe Hellman Mansion Master Bedroom  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Guest Bedroom More  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Master Bedroom 2  |
Tahoe Hellman Mansion Upstairs Hall  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Elevator  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Larder  |
Tahoe Hellman Mansion Stove  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Fridge  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Boathouse  |
Tahoe Hellman Mansion Two Shell  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Motor Boat  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion Dory  |
Tahoe Hellman Mansion East 2  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion East Porch  | Tahoe Hellman Mansion North East  |
Tahoe Hellman Mansion Dock  |  | |
Back at camp Joanna tried out recipes for a Dutch oven. Our camp host, Chris, had books and suggestions for iron ware cooking. He had an iron tripod, and I knew that we had to have one. He said that Cabela's, down the road, had them. We mounted an expedition to the hunting mega-store and sure enough, among the trophy animal heads on the wall and the hunting and fishing gear, they sold tripods.
Joanna had a cobbler recipe, but our Dutch oven really needs a flat lid with a flange to hold coals on top to provide heat from all sides. Our lid is domed; inverting it to make a platform for coals put the handle down into the cobbler and burned it. Getting the lid off was a bit tricky, too.
Dutch Oven  | Dutch Oven Inverted Lid For Cobbler  |
Critter  | Dutch Oven Tripod  |