"Hit the Road Jack"

Today is the day we start the trip proper, we get up and pack and pop out for some breakfast to fortify us for the first leg. The less said about breakfast the better, it wasn't Pergamino's, it was OK, once I got the right order and the coffee was adequate.
We checked out and was on the road by 10:00 (only 200 + miles today), using the iPad for navigation. We were using a App which has a lot of potential (Road Tripper, works with Google maps), but like most things needs getting used too, only a couple of unscheduled diversion but nothing that caused any problems. Most of the time we were looking for names on directional signs (one's which were for a fair few miles off).
The weather was warm and sunny again, and we settled into one of the US's finest driving machines.

A Chevy Traverse LT, our transport for the next 15 days till Washington DC, not the Mustang soft top we should being doing the trip with but need to be practical, that's why I have a Ali, though she was tempted...

Our route today, 210 miles to Lake Tahoe, a gentle easing in....

We left the and headed for Hyde street

At the junction of Hyde and Lombard, we take a right (left would take you down the famous crooked street) which joins Route 101 and across that bridge (Ali's in charge of the camera today).

The roads are busy and landscape brown due to lack of water, we head for the Napa Valley, and then on to the national protected water ways. See hundreds of birds, but only one I know, the White Heron, the others are wading birds of one species or another.
Lots of interstate driving, most of time it's six lanes across.

Ali likes this sign, one of her favourite tipples

The roads are wide till we get past Sacramento, where we start to see a little more green and before we know it we are on single lane road with long sweeping bends surrounded by pine forest.

The temp is falling from 22 C to 16 C, we have the windows down and smell of the pine is great. We are in Gold mining country, we pass through Placerville where prospectors once blew fortunes living it up, what we see now is lots of cabin's for weekend use. The traffic is busy going the other way, its Sunday so end of weekend and people are heading back to the city. We make a stop at Fresh Ponds Deli & Dinner for coffee and to pick a freshly made sandwich (safe it for later).

Another 50 mile we spot Lake Tahoe, we are at 7,000 ft (that what the sign says), if you look close at the picture you can see the lake in the distance just under the far ridge of mountains.

Lake Tahoe, we sit and breath in the view and tuck into that beef, cheese and pepper sandwich, first leg ticked off. Though the sun is warm on the face it's pretty nippy when out of it, in a few weeks this place will have snow and be full of skiers and snowboarders. We start to look for a place to stay, best done on foot here, and as we walk we come across a guy in his 50's sat on the beach playing his guitar and singing, and I must say it was very good.
We try a few places out near the beach, Best Western $78, a family run place again $78 but there was a women complaining (didn't catch what it was about). The one we went for is a newish place, 3 Peaks Resort & Beach club, $47 for a King, it has a communal hot tub.... We decide to do some laundry instead in the onside facility, all done for $3 (soap, washing & drying), first time I sit down and read a few chapters of the book I brought with me.
We also have a little chat with our son,Tim, on the iPad message App, the wonders of technology and free WiFi, it's just gone midnight in Hull and he is after recipes as he and his friends are doing a come dine with me.

The 3 Peaks resort

We nip out to get tea and find a Mexican dinner, can't tell what I had as I went for a taste of everything and good it was. Back to the resort and sleep. Tomorrow another easy trip Tahoe to Indepenence, 200+ mile trip through a number of National Parks.