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2015 Vacation: Day trip/ Sacramento – Lake Tahoe – Carson City – and back..

April 24, 2015:  One of the best day-trips I’ve had!  It was a drive from Sacramento, through Sierra Nevada mountain ranges to Lake Tahoe, and further north-east to Carson City, Nevada.. and back to Sacramento.  One of those days when you see it all – sunshine, rain and even snow – in one day, in one road-trip, through one of the most scenic routes that I’ve seen! Hubby Shalav Kumar was driving, so my hands were free for lots of photography!

Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges of the United States. At a surface elevation of 6,225 ft, it straddles the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America.  Its depth is 1,645 ft, making it the second deepest in the United States after Crater Lake [1,945 ft ]. Additionally, Lake Tahoe is the sixth largest lake by volume in the United States, behind the five Great Lakes [Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie,  and Ontario].

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Lake Tahoe is 22 miles long, 12 miles wide and 1, 645 feet deep. It is the third deepest lake in North America. The bottom of the Lake is lower than the elevation of Carson City, Nevada.

Where doe the water go?
Common sense suggests that it flows to the Pacific Ocean. But it doesn’t. Over 60 streams flow into Lake Tahoe, and just one – the Truckee River – flows out. The Truckee flows past Reno and into Pyramid Lake. from there it just evaporates.

Why is the water blue?
The lake takes much of its color from the sky, reflecting it like a big, deep mirror. During storms, the lake looks gray or nearly black.

Does the lake freeze?
Never. It’s so deep and so big that the water is constantly moving. As surface water approaches freezing temperatures, it sinks. Warmer, lighter water then rises to the top, mixing with cooler sinking water.

How cold is the water?
The lake stays a constant 39 degree F near the bottom, and warm upto 68 degree F along the shore in the summer.

What kind of fish live in the lake?
A variety of native species and introduced game fish – mostly trout – live in Lake Tahoe, and surrounding waters. California and Nevada work together managing fisheries and fishing in the basin. Lake Tahoe is known for its lake trout.

How clean is the water?
In some places objects can be seen at the bottom in 75 feet of water. Much of the rainwater coming into the lake flows through marshes or meadows which filers out impurities.

Will the water stay this clear?
Probably not. Lake Tahoe is naturally filling with sediments. Sediments and pollutants coming from existing roadways, new construction and vehicle exhausts are all stimulating algae growth and clouding the water. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is working hard to reverse the process and keep impacts on water quality to the minimum.

 

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MORE IMAGES from the drive Sacramento-Lake Tahoe- Carson City- and back..

 

 

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Related Links:
Home.. click here..
2015 Vacation: Trip to Sacramento, San Francisco, Carson City & Lake Tahoe.. click here..

My Vacations.. click here..
Vacation: USA.. click here..
Vacation: UK.. click here..
Vacation: India.. click here..
UNESCO World Heritage Site.. click here..

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