One (More) Last Day in Tahoe…Really

Jill's Journal: Apparently you can take the boy out of Tahoe, but you can’t take Tahoe out of the boy. Or something like that. We spent one (more) last day in Tahoe and even though I’ve said almost those exact same words before…I think this time we really did spent our last day in Tahoe, for this portion of the trip at least.

By the way, where does the name “Tahoe” come from? The lake had at least three other designations on maps between the time it was first sighted by Kit Carson and Captain John C. Fremont in 1844 and the time “Lake Tahoe” became the most commonly accepted name in the 1860s. Amazingly, the lake wasn’t officially named until 1945, only 15 years prior to hosting the Winter Olympics. The word “Tahoe” is derived from the English mispronunciation of “da ow a ga,” the Washoe Indian word for “edge of the lake.”

That high-rise far beneath us is the Cal Neva Resort, famous for a few reasons. First, the stateline of Nevada and California runs right through the middle of the property. The casino (of course, on the Nevada side) is the longest-running casino in all of Nevada. The pool is located directly on the stateline – it’s probably the only pool in the country where one can swim from one state to another and back again. Second, it was here that Judy Garland was “discovered” by talent scouts while performing with her sisters in 1935. Third, Frank Sinatra owned it in the 1960s and it became a haven for the Rat Pack. The hotel gives tours of Sinatra’s secret tunnels. It is also rumored to have been John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe’s favorite rendezvous spot. Whether that’s true or not, Monroe was a guest here the weekend prior to her death.

This bench with the beautiful view is a memorial for an old classmate of Rob’s who was lost in a plane crash.

A hike on the north shore, another trip down memory lane, and really beautiful autumn weather...yes, just another splendid day at the country’s largest alpine lake.