Lake Tahoe Circumnavigation
The rains and winds ceased so I decided to play hookee from work and go flying
There's the old stompin' ground, Discovery Bay, Brentwood, Antioch, Mt Diablo and Mt Tamalpias in the distance
Approaching from the East, the Sierra Nevada is not a particularly spectacular looking pile of granite as it gradually rises
But they do rise to some incredible hieghts
There are also a lot of recreational opportunities in these mountains
A lot more snow up here than there was last year
Lake Tahoe
Really pretty day
Smooth air
Emerald Bay
There's a stone teahouse on that island
Shoot, this beats the heck out of going to work
LikeI said, it's a a big pile of granite and it looks more impressive from this side (east)
I looked back and saw the sun glimmering on the water so had to do a 360 here to catch the moment
Lake Tahoe is D E E P, average is around 900 ft with a max around 1650 ft
The overcast and glassy water creates a multicolored sheen
I've got plenty of gas so my mission is to fly the entire shoreline all the way around
it's about 25 miles long and 12 miles wide
This was the only boat I saw out there
The California, Nevada state line bisects the lake north to south. That's the Nevada side
Lake elevation is 6225 ft and surface area is 191 square miles
Reno is on the other side of these ridges
Headed south along the eastern shore back towards SLT
Somewhere along here is the house where they filmed Godfather Part II
Maybe down there
You can see the runway for KTVL
South Lake Tahoe and Heavenly Valley ski resort. All the casinos are on the left on the Nevada side
Closer view of the airport
Another view of Emerald Bay
Heading back now. You can't really see it in this picture but just to left of that peak, way off I can already see Mt Diablo
It's almost impossible to get lost in this area on a clear day like this
What a way to spend a day off
Total flight time 2.4