2013/14 was probably one of the driest years for California. We tried to ski in January but the experience was far from perfect.
At the end of February it was finally raining in Bay Area so it was time to pack up the skis and drive to Tahoe.
After 3 hours of driving we finally got to see some snow.
Northstar had some snow on the slopes but not much snow around the slopes.
Nevertheless, snow trucks were doing their job.
Finally at Diamond Peak!
I love Diamond Peak for its stunning views of Lake Tahoe and for its modest price ($50 all day adult lift ticket)
Surprisingly, there was plenty of snow to ski and most of the slopes were open.
After all lifts were closed it was time to see the sunset at the lake. This amazing beach (39° 14' 46.8" N 119° 58' 11.43" W) is located only 10 minutes away from the Diamond Peak ski resort.
The sunset was so beautiful...
Diamond Peak is located 10 minutes from Incline Village but hotels are insanely expensive there so we decided to get a room at Reno.
Silver Legacy is a nice hotel located in the downtown.
Flavors buffet at the Silver Legacy was okay but nothing special.
An old church in the middle of the Sin City...
The Truckee river makes the downtown special.
We decided to stay away from the downtown and try Ascuagas Nugget Hotel located at Sparks.
With its swimming pool and jacuzzi.
We never regretted. Our 27th floor room had impressive views of the city.
We decided to skip on Nugget's buffet and try a pizza place.
Black Rock pizza was delicious and even had some vegan choices.
The best deserts at Reno can be found at Homage Bakery (39° 31' 49.548" N 119° 49' 17.898" W)
On Sunday the snow became rain so we decided to go to Sacramento instead of skiing for another day.
On the way to Tahoe, we have stopped at Sacramento many times and found the city somewhat boring. But this time we had a whole day to spend there.
So we had to rediscover Sacramento with its beautiful bridges and amazing downtowns.
Th Old Downtown had some really nice but overpriced shops.
And then we saw something that has completely changed our perception of Sacramento.
The museum explored the history of how California got connected to the rest of the world (i.e. the US). The museum features at least 20 full-sized locomotives!
Yes, special ice-conditioned railroad car to carry oranges from the West coast to the East coast.
Apparently, food cars were never profitable but were a good PR stint.
And a US mail railroad car.
A steam train.
We did not go inside of Sacramento History museum but outside it looked nice.
5 minutes from the old downtown is located Sacramento Downtown Plaza - a huge mall.
There we encountered a tiny guy from the Sacramento Kings who was guarded by at least 6 bodyguards.
California State Capitol is surrounded by a nice park open to public.
Just on time for the Sunday 5pm mass at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.
Happy folks coming back from a Sacramento Broadway show
Plum Cafe and Bakery (38° 34' 28.53" N 121° 28' 32.712" W) has the best vegan food in Sacramento.
The browny was so delicious that for a moment I forgot that it was vegan.
And the vegan burger looked real.
Back to Reno... Mt. Rose ski resort.
A g-spot
And anothe vegan place at Reno - Pnematic Diner (39° 31' 29.868" N 119° 49' 11.106" W)
Nice way to serve wine.
Their falafel was amazing
But the best dish was the BVA
Coconut soup was pretty decent too
Pyramid Lake park is probably the most underestimated park in Nevada.
It was pretty hard to find the road (39.9292279, -119.3882580) that takes you to the Pyramid but once you find it it is hard to get lost.
Luckily it has a huge red warning sign.
We did not know what to expect so we thought that this formation was the Pyramid.
But we were wrong! We had to drive a through a dirt road for couple of miles to see the real thing. And it was totally worth it. Unfortunately, the pictures cannot describe that near religious experience that you get standing there and looking at the Pyramid.
Only the local Indian tribe is allowed to get really close to the Pyramid
Tufa formation surrounding the Pyramid seem to be alive.
A bus from district number nine?
Nice cars on the streets.
Clear Lake is 50 minutes drive from Calistoga and the views are breathtaking.
Very Californian and green. A winery hired sheep to remove excessive grass and weeds.
7 hours after we left bay area we are finally at Clear Lake. It is really a good idea to drive around the lake. Not only for the views (the views are totally worth the gas) but also because it is almost impossible to find a beach access. It looks like 98% of the beaches there are private and behind huge fences.
A short walk from that beach (0.5 miles) ...
Lead us first to the Switzerland of America!
And then to an Ostrich farm.
And finally, to this gorgeous city park (39° 5' 40.692" N 122° 48' 4.632" W).
On the way back to bay area we stopped by at Russian River Brewery in Santa Rosa.
Supplication was so good (unfortunately not covered by Sunday's all-day happy hour).
But they also have the best food among all breweries I have visited so far.
