Who would have thought that a beach in Nevada would leap into the top spot of my "All Time Favorite Beaches" List? It bypasses beaches in Hawaii and the Caribbean, even! Sand Harbor was about a half hour drive from where we stayed and provided us with our best day in Lake Tahoe this week!
I had read that this beach, being one of the most stunning in the world, filled up quickly! We got there early in the morning and were rewarded with a parking spot and views with virtually no people in them. And, oh THE VIEWS! The deep blue of Lake Tahoe gradually melted into this bright green of the Sand Harbor cove. The water was so clear that every boulder, pebble and fish in the water could be seen. Surrounding this scenic waterscape was blue skies, green forests and the peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Perhaps you can literally see why this is my new favorite beach!
A short walk from the beaches were all these secret swimming holes. We had to be brave and smart about scaling the giant boulders to enter the pools, but once we got in, the water was shallow, clear, warm, incredible.
We actually ended up spending a full 8 hours on the beach this day! Besides climbing the rocks and discovering hidden pools, the girls kept busy just playing on the beach. This beach was packed by mid-morning and mostly with families. The girls befriended two different groups of kids. One group of boys brought bait and nets and taught Ella and Delia how to catch crawdads. The shallow rocky pools made for great hunting grounds and soon a bucket of "little lobsters", as Ella called them, joined our camp in the sand. Right next to us were two men who built elaborate sand castles for a hobby. We spent all day watching them use a ton of fancy tools to make a grand castle take shape. The girls were inspired, but since we left the level and putty knives at home, they had to make do with the standard plastic molds for their design.
And then later in the day, three girls from the Bay Area became Ella and Delia's new Beach BFFs. Together the 5 girls covered every nearby boulder with "snowballs". Since this area of California/Nevada is covered by snow for the majority of the year, this was clever and attracted the attention and awe of lots of fellow beach goers.
Beautiful beach views, rock climbing, private swimming holes, new friends and fun beach activities made this the day that caused Lake Tahoe to win my heart. I now know we'll travel back to this area and I'd hope to spend at least one day on this amazing beach every summer from here on out!
No comments:
Post a Comment