Ocean In The Sky... and the woulda shoulda coulda of why it never became a national park

 

After five months on the Pacific Coast we have begun journeying east to explore other sections of our wonderful country. One of our stops was the "Ocean in the Sky" or what is more commonly known as Lake Tahoe. Phyl had never visited this area... so Jer was delighted when he observed her awestruck expression as we rounded the northeast end of the lake - it was similar to Jer's expression when Phyl introduced him to the Grand Canyon - like opening a Christmas present that you never expected and being completely mesmerized!

Lake Tahoe is unique in many ways... it's the largest alpine lake in North America, sitting at over 6,000 feet, it's  and the second deepest at over 1,600 feet in places - that's deeper than the Empire State Building is tall! This water is of astunning aqua blue tint - and is so pure at 99.994% that it beats most commercially available bottled waters!

There are a variety of things to do surrounding the lake; public beaches, small towns, casinos, scenic vistas, mountain trails, and skiing.  Commerce at its best. What struck us however was how much of the beachfront is privately owned (over 50%). Given its astounding beauty, why didn't Lake Tahoe ever get National Park or Monument status to preserve it like so many of the areas we have visited along our travels?!  

Puzzled, we did some googling about the area's history... in 1859, the silver mining rush began in Nevada - and there was a great demand for lumber to reinforce the deep mines there that were being built.  The result was that nearly all of Lake Tahoe's basin was stripped of it's old growth trees.  What wasn't cut down, was bought up by the super wealthy from the west coast who were looking for cool places to get away and have private estates.  

Efforts were made from the late 1800's thru the 1930's to designate the area as a national park, but a combination of tourism, private estates, and deflowered landscapes dealt Lake Tahoe a bad hand as far as protecting the area from further development.  In a round about way, the only area that was saved from development was the 27 miles of shoreline on the northeast side of the lake because of a multimillionaire named George Whittell Jr. who bought up the land in order to insulate himself and the grand Thunderbird Lodge he build along it's shores in the 1930s. Through a series of new owners, the land was eventually donated to the state preserving the area's natural features. There is quite a dramatic difference from the wide open views on the east side of Lake Tahoe to the blocked and gated properties to the west. 

For us, the contrast is a poignant example of stewardship; comparing the pristine coastlines of Washington and Oregon to the commercial developments that have permanently altered this area's landscape. Even so, it's a great place for some stunning vistas, skiing and hiking - as long as you don't mind the rush hour traffic that lasts all day during tourist season!