We had a little time off over the Thanksgiving weekend so we took a trip to Reno and Lake Tahoe. From Bodega Bay it’s an easy drive over I-80. Our room at the El Dorado was nice and very reasonable, and we availed ourselves of their incredible buffet…more than once!  We also tried the buffet at the Atlantis and it was great, but my favorite is still the El Dorado. Ok, enough talk about food; a diet is now the first item on the menu.
Although it’s a far cry from the granddaddy of sin cities, Reno has its share of lights and colorful flamboyance. The Fountain of Fortune, the focal point in the El Dorado, is a mythological collection of dolphins, cherubs, fish, seahorses, and tritons with Poseidon at the helm, and is made of bronze, marble and gold leaf. Over at the Peppermill, the ostentatious use of neon is the main attraction. I don’t know how much time I could spend there, especially since it seemed smokier than some of the other hotels, but I will admit, all that glitz from one end of the resort to the other is pretty impressive. On the other hand, I was glad to see folks out enjoying themselves at the local skating rink; it shows that normal, everyday life does exist in the midst of all that decadence.
At Lake Tahoe we found that there was just enough snow to give us the holiday feel, but not enough to affect travel. The mountains had small snow caps and the sandy beaches of the lake showed signs of the recent snowstorm. The aqua-colored shoreline with its smooth boulders is quite a contrast to the depths of the cool blue lake interior. At Zephyr Cove, the Ms. Dixie waited patiently at the dock for her next group of visitors. I find that Emerald Bay is one of the most picturesque spots along the scenic lake route and I would imagine it’s one of the most photographed areas. I did get a shot of Vikingsholm Castle at the head of the bay, although it’s pretty far away and somewhat secluded. Before winding up our day trip to Tahoe, we ventured off the main road to take a short hike through the woods to Spooner Lake, another beautiful alpine lake. It was another enjoyable getaway. View the images from this trip at "Reno-Tahoe 2009".