Our kids had the biggest hopes for Lake Tahoe and let’s just say it has been a big let down. We arrived in South Lake Tahoe in the evening to a very rustic Airbnb. We decided the house can’t be so bad if we can walk to the local beach. So that’s what we did.
We all feared for our lives trying to cross the busy road dodging the electric bikes and scooters and the loud cars all playing their music and I immediately feared Tahoe would not live up to our expectations. It wasn’t until I saw the panties in the parking lot when my heart really started to sink though. The kids hadn’t noticed and were still excited but you could see their excitement wane pretty quickly when they realized the local “beach” was the size of a postage stamp with people jam packed on it. There was a huge tiki bar and an actual DJ spinning tunes so loud you couldn’t even think. The kids then thought that maybe the clear water they had read about would be the saving grace but nope. The water was covered in pollen as their Spring season has just started and wasn’t clear at all.
We quickly jetted out of there to find somewhere to eat that wasn’t a sea of chaotic humanity. The Hyatt restaurant was a good distance from all the young party kids and we sat there googling and searching for new campsites, family beaches, and places to eat. We went to bed that night with a plan.
Monday morning we shoved off at 730am for one of the best state park beaches in Tahoe. It was a 20 minute drive away from our place but we figured at that time of the day we would get a parking spot. You can probably guess where this is going because we didn’t get a spot and the traffic was horrendous. Somehow we discovered a new public beach on the very northern tip of Lake Tahoe though. We found parking no problem and headed out. So far so good until the droves of teenagers showed up throughout the day. Let’s just say our kids got an education in curse words and bad behavior.
Eric coaxed Greg into heading back to the RV to blow up my paddle board and while there noticed that one of our tires was flat. The saving grace was that there was a tire place within walking distance that could take us immediately and patch it in 30 minutes. If we had gone to the other state park beach with a flat we would have been in big trouble as its a bit more remote. I managed the kiddos and watched Addy and Eric paddle board and fall in and do it all over again while Maggie and I had some good time practicing her reading from the beach.
Greg eventually went back to pick up the RV when it was ready but I was done with the beach and those teenagers. I had come back from the water at some point to find 10 teenagers all standing on our towels because their feet were burning. No respect. Then I saw someone light up a joint right next to me and the kids! That was it. I figured at that point none of us were having fun and I could just wait for Greg in the parking lot. Addy and Eric were in command of the paddle board, Maggie a small bag of stuff, and myself with two chairs, two life jackets, a paddle, five towels, and all the other little stuff that one takes to the beach. We were scooped up by Greg and the Glamper pretty quickly and I couldn’t have been more relieved.
Greg and I immediately got back to our house and started researching a new way to enjoy the next few days of our vacation. We did a complete pivot and decided to head out of Tahoe a day early to Idaho. There is a very neat looking hot springs outside of Twin Falls that is only 7 hours away. We were able to secure a campsite with full hookups and then added an extra day for an early arrival in Jackson, Wyoming. We couldn’t believe our luck at this. I think it’s partly because we have both been saying our daily Hail Mary’s but God is really looking out for us.
The RV is packed, groceries have been bought, and we are all headed to bed early for our new stop tomorrow. I am sure Tahoe might be nice in other parts of town and other times of the year but it’s just not right for us and that is ok. We are going to be missing the fireworks in Tahoe which is supposed to be a stunner show and Twin Falls did theirs tonight but it’s ok. Wherever we are together and having fun is certainly the right place to be.