We heard about a good restaurant on the 18th floor of a casino on the border with CA so stopped to play blackjack where I quickly turned $50 into $65, some how. Then on to the restaurant where we sat at the bar to eat and enjoy spectacular views. We took a rest day as an excuse to visit Truckee, CA and that was worthwhile before driving to Reno to meet a friend for dinner and then circled back to Lake Tahoe. One of the hikes I researched prior to our arrival was starting close to the Desolation Wilderness at around 7500'. We thought maybe the snow wouldn't be so bad at that elevation and off we went. Beautiful view of Echo Lake and our start point. Much different and welcome scenery. Rather than endless miles of trees, there was an abundance of granite with sporadic trees. There were a few patches of snow to cross as we paralleled the lake. Beautiful! There are many cabins on the shore of the lake. They are reachable by boat or hiking in with supplies. No electricity and use of generators in not allowed other than if one is needed to assist with repairs. Strictly summer use. We talked to a couple who were visiting their cabin for the first time this year. Exactly 100 years ago, a grandmother had a cabin built and it's been in the family ever since. We saw examples of what we thought was vandalism but no. Ever since a large fire forced the bear population to seek new grounds, they've discovered these homes are like packages, waiting to be unwrapped. It's become a big problem for homeowners. We passed Echo Lake and just above it, Upper Echo Lake. Even though our elevation had not changed much, the snow was much more widespread. We wanted to reach the border of Desolation Wilderness but had to turn back just before reaching. We had lost the trail beneath the snow and with the snow becoming mushy, I broke through it twice. Not wanting to risk screwing up a knee was also a motivating factor. Looking back from where we came. We reached a signed junction and took the short walk for this view. Then we headed to the car but first.... ....tried to visit the gift shop but alas, they still had not opened for the season. The snow that fell during the winter covered this two story structure. Incredible. Typically, they open on Memorial Day but not this year.
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