Hidden Beach and Cave Rock

Got another chance to get away for a day trip on the weekend.  Being busy with Family get togethers and reunions on both sides.  We decided to head back up to Lake Tahoe in search of another great beach.  We headed back out on highway 28 towards incline village but this time stopping earlier in search of a beach called secret harbor.  Nate had seen pictures of this place and wanted to investigate for himself.  Turns out what we got a was a nude beach -  No problem, we just side skirted that beach and found our own little private cove that provided cover from the wind.  Didn’t do a whole lot of swimming but climbing around on the boulders was great!

On our way back toward Placerville we stopped to climb to the top of cave rock near Kingsbury Grade in Tahoe. The trail to the top is a little steep but isn't too long and is worth it when you get there. We met a family with a bottle of wine at the top and watched the sun set over the lake before we walked back down.

 

Lovers Leap Sunrise August 11 2013

Sunrise Wakeup.  Or that was the plan anyway.  We jumped in the truck with late night excursion on the mind.  It was decided. We were heading to go Hike up Lovers Leap at night with an air mattress and blankets to sleep on the edge of the 600 foot cliff and wake up with the Sun.  It’s just a short 40 minute drive from Placerville to the leap with a little bit of dirt road driving to get back to the hiking trail.  Any car could make it back here on the Strawberry Canyon Road which does not have much in the way of signs besides the trailhead which is marked. Once we arrived, we blew up the air mattress and Nate donned it as a large hat as we started the 45minute to 1 hour hike up the trail.  It’s only about 1.5 miles, but it has a bit of an elevation rise. Hiking in the dark did not help matters and the trail seemed to continue on forever.  We hiked it late summer and the trail was nice and dry.  Sometimes it can be muddy in certain places.  Once we reached the top, the trees broke and the moonlight shone through.  Setting up our bedding was easy going without any neighbors around. It was fantastic. 

The next morning, the sun warmed us up at 6:15am and coaxed us up out of bed.  We enjoyed watching it come up over the mountain ridges by twin bridges as it illuminated the rest of the valley and horsetail falls.  It was spectacular as you can see in the pictures.

As the sun started getting higher in the sky tummies started rumbling and it was time to start heading back down and onto South Lake Tahoe.

The Hike back seemed a lot shorter than the heading up in the dark.  Maybe it was the lack of the large inflateable taco hat or perhaps that we could now see farther than a few feet in front of us.  Either way it was great being able to enjoy all the scenery on the way down the hill. 

We jumped back in the truck and continued up highway 50 up the hill in search of breakfast.

After having some excellent food at Sprouts in tahoe (highly recommended) we set off in search of a beach.  We found a great spot off of Highway 28 right before Sierra Nevada College.  You can find it  when you drive towards south Lake Tahoe; the parking is towards incline village right along the highway.  Just park and follow the roadside trail to the beach.

We brought some snacks and spent the day in the water. The beach has some really neat rocks that you can jump off of or swim under- there is a sort of cave/tunnel underneath the water. There were quite a few people on the beach so we met some new friends and had an awesome time!

 ♥♥

And so it begins.. Our first date – road tripping already? July 20, 2013

A week or so before our first adventure together we reintroduced ourselves at a fashion show party in Sacramento. Nate and I grew up in the same small town, went to the same school, and had mutual friends left and right. But that night we apparently realized we may be more interested in each other than we had previously thought.

That Saturday, Nate was on his way home from Yosemite and said we’d be going out late. He asked if I was afraid of caves, I told him no, and we decided to meet at 10:30. Wait, am I afraid of caves? I wouldn’t have told him if I was. We found some mines and a river, watch the stars for a bit and headed back to town. We sat and talked a while and it became apparent that we weren’t ready to go home yet. So we left for Santa Cruz, about a three hour trip from home.  Oh yeah, at this point it was already almost 2 a.m..

We drove and talked and drove and talked some more and didn’t get too tired or too tired of each other. When we got to Santa Cruz it was just before 5 a.m. and still dark out. We found a fire that was still smoldering from the night before on the beach and sat wrapped in a blanket beside it until we watched the sun rise. Beautiful. 

Mornings in Santa Cruz are chilly! We found a coffee house (for me) and ate some breakfast (for him) and walked around a bit. The little town was empty and dead silent because it was so early still. The early morning right before the world wakes up is my favorite time of day. It is so peaceful. We went back to the beach and played scrabble in the sand for hours.  

Around 9:00 or 10:00 it started to warm up and people started to come out to join us. We played in the sand and built a sand sea turtle. We got in the water, but not for long because it was so cold. We went to the boardwalk and played in the arcade, played some pirate mini golf and had lunch. I had never been to Santa Cruz, but it was a blast! 

We made it back home Sunday evening and went our separate ways. And that’s the story of our crazy first date. 

♥♥

Welcome to our blog!  We are from Placerville, Ca and this is journal for the places we've travelled together.  We try to get out and explore more of our backyard every weekend.  Sometimes it's close by and sometimes its further down the road.  All I know is that California has a lot to offer! If you ever want to know more about a location or adventure just post a comment.  Adventure on!


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