On the way to the X2011 West NMRA National Convention, we spent a week in Lake Tahoe.

Our route took us from the Phoenix area through Kingman AZ to Las Vegas. There we stayed the night in the newly remodeled Tropicana. They are definitely catering to the hard-body and bikini crowd with their new beach club. We just happened to be there the night that Brittany Spears was hosting the Grand (re) Opening gala after her evening concert across the street at the MGM. Well, the place was rockin' until 4 AM. Not a lot of sleep to be had!

The next day we drove through Death Valley to Tahoe. Got some interesting shots in Death Valley and along the way, even though we didn't stop much to take photos or drift off the course, as we had about 9 hours of driving without distractions.

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At Furnace Creek there is the steam driven tractor that was used in the early 1900s, called Old Dinah, to replace the 20-mule teams pulling borax wagons. For an original photo, CLICK HERE
	Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad used this 2-8-0 on its narrow gauge to move borax from the mines to Death Valley Junction where it transferred the mineral to the standard gauge Tonopah & Tidewater line to transfer to the Santa Fe near Barstow, CA. This loco resides at the Borax Museum in Furnace Creek CA
Endangered Mono Lake is making a comeback since the California Water Board ordered Los Angeles to stop tapping the inflow streams. It has gained back about half of the 50 feet of depth that it lost between the 1940s and 1994. Since it has no outlet, it is alkaline and more salty than the oceans, but supports a unique habitat with brine shrimp feeding birds and insects.

We rented a week from a neighbor in PebbleCreek at the Lake Tahoe Vacation Resort in South Lake Tahoe. It is an older time-share condo complex. We chose to have one of the units that hadn't be refurbished to have a lake view. We got in late after the drive and awoke to a lake view from our 4th floor balcony!

Monday we took it easy and got accommodated to the altitude - the lake level is almost at its highest possible value - 6230 feet above sea level - when it will top the dam on the Truckee River at Tahoe City. Meanwhile, 70 cubic feet per second are being released into the river. Several folks suggested a lake cruise, so we took the Safari Rose for the sundown cocktail cruise to Emerald Bay. Got a few good shots there.

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Sitting at the dock in Tahoe Keys Marina, the Safari Rose looks magnificent!
	Ready to board the Safari Rose.
Heavenly Ski resort through the rigging of the Safari Rose.
	Osprey nest in a dead pine tree on Eagle Point at the entrance to Emerald Bay South Lake Tahoe. The lake contains 30 trillion gallons of water that is 99.9% pure! This would cover the state of California to a depth of about 2 feet.
This is the only island in Lake Tahoe is in Emerald Bay. It provides a dramatic silhouette in the waning sunshine!

The weather changed with strong gusty winds on Tuesday and it was forecast to rain and snow down to 8000 feet on Tuesday night. So we took the day on Tuesday to drive around the lake. Got some unique photos due to the windy conditions.

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The boats moored at the Sunnyside resort near Tahoe City being tossed and truned in the swells created by 20 to 30 knot winds.
	While it looks calm in this photo looking back toward South Lake Tahoe, it is very windy. This photo was taken from the deck where we had lunch - yes, in the sun!
In the north east corner of Lake Tahoe there are some inlets which reminded us of the coast of Maine or Oregon. The wind-driven swells, whitecaps and shore break add to the illusion.
	Turning about 90 degrees from the prior photo, the mountains are visible across the lake and ruin the ocean coast illusion.

Wednesday morning - rained all night - temperature this morning was in the 40s. I think the 8000 foot snow line is accurate. Don't have a confirmation, as the clouds are hanging low on the mountains.