Journeys›Photograph

A Fourth of July Week of Snow and Sun in Tahoe

·Placer County, California·#lake life#family trip#tahoe#fourth of july#summer-skiing
A vintage red and white Volkswagen pickup truck with kayaks and ladders drives on a road by a lake and trees.

We spent the week leading up to the Fourth of July in Tahoe back in 2017. The drive along the lake set the scene, with classic old Volkswagens cruising by with surfboards on top. The weather was pure summer, but the mountains told a different story. The snowpack that year was massive, and it was still deep at the higher elevations.

It created some strange and memorable scenes. We went for a swim at the resort pool, and right there in front of us were the ski lifts and slopes, completely covered in white. It felt like two seasons colliding. I couldn't resist getting a few runs in myself, taking some selfies under that perfect blue sky with snow all around.

Down by the lake, it was all summer. The water was a deep blue, with sailboats gliding across it. We found fields of wildflowers blooming just below the snow line. It was beautiful seeing our daughter standing there, with the snowy peaks right behind her.

The rest of the time was spent on the water. We got out on a boat with friends and spent a sunny afternoon kayaking and just floating around. But even out there, you'd look up and see the snow on the mountains, a constant reminder of what a unique trip it was.

A white vintage Volkswagen Beetle with a kayak on its roof drives on a road by a large blue lake.An outdoor swimming pool filled with people sits below a snow-covered mountain with ski lifts under a blue sky.A man in sunglasses reflecting other skiers takes a selfie on a snowy mountain with trees and distant peaks under blue sky.A man smiles in a snowy mountain selfie, with three smaller images on the right showing a snowboarder, trees, and a map.A person sailing an orange boat on a lake, with a dense forest covering the background hills.A smiling child stands in a field of yellow wildflowers with snow-covered mountains in the background.Three smiling women in sunglasses and swimsuits with the ocean and bright sky in the background.Four people are on a blue lake, two in a red kayak and two on inflatable rafts, with snowy mountains behind.

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