Having a Beer in Lake Tahoe

After two months of lockdown in 2020, California gradually started to reopen and loosen it's Shelter in Place (SIP) order. First, some parks and trails reopened. Restaurant dining rooms let people back in at a reduced capacity. Bars and barbers started to reopen in some counties.

Cases started to spike up so wearing of the masks was made mandatory again and further loosening has been put on pause.
   
For awhile, the Lake Tahoe region had added a one thousand dollar fine for non residents who were caught there on non-essential business. That was a tough one because the lake is only a two hour drive away from home for us, perfect for a day out.

Then, early in June with the state loosening restrictions and opening back up, El Dorado County let that restriction expire and Tahoe was open to visitors again.

Later in June, we had a local heat wave with five days of triple digit temperatures. I just wanted to have a cold beer on the edge of a cool Lake Tahoe so plans were made to see how I could make this happen.

While the lake is beautiful, with plenty of beaches to dip your toes, and the weather perfect, it's also a place with a lot of regulations and rules to keep that famous clarity of the lake intact. Consequently, there are not a lot of restaurants or bars right on the edge of the water.

There are, however, a few places that were there before the regulations got so tight and they have been grandfathered in...allowed to operate as before because specifically because they were already there.

Just west of the city of South Lake Tahoe lies Camp Richardson, a sprawling private campground that has been there for over a century. The camp restaurant, the Beacon Bar and Grill, sits right on the beach and has a patio literally a couple of steps from the water. 

In other words, the perfect spot for this adventure. 

Two hours from home, we're pulling into Camp Richardson. A $10 parking fee gets us inside and we find a handicapped parking spot next to the entrance to the restaurant. Masks in place, we're whisked to an outdoor table a few feet from the water.

A cold 805 beer is deposited in front of me. Mission accomplished.

While we're here, we might as well eat. I have a tasty French dip sandwich. Letty goes with a poke salad and Tim goes with his usual burger.

It's all good and very relaxing. It really hit the spot, getting out and taking our minds off of the pandemic restrictions swirling around us.

We still have full access to the grounds so it's off to do a little exploring. A couple hundred yards to the west is the entrance to Tallac Historic Site.

The grounds, open Memorial Day Weekend through mid September, have plenty of accessible trails to explore the three estates that make up the park. The Tevis, Baldwin, and Heller families all had estates here and their opulent, yet rustic, mansions still offer commanding views of Lake Tahoe.

The oldest of the estates is the Pope estate, originally built in 1894 by Lloyd Tevis who was the president of Wells Fargo, while the newest was built in 1921 by Elias "Lucky" Baldwin. Lucky Baldwin is very well know in the Los Angeles area where the city of Arcadia was established on his rancho and he started the racetrack that became Santa Anita Park. Many things carry the family name there like Baldwin Avenue and Baldwin Park.

While all the buildings were closed and locked up due to Covid restrictions, we could still amble up to the windows and look in. Of particular interest were the boathouse (with a ramp up to the viewing windows), the gardens, and the servants areas that were easy to roll around on.

After roaming the grounds of this trio of estates, which made us think of a rustic American version of Downton Abbey, it's time to head back over to Camp Richardson and head home.

Darryl Musick

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