a fun day in SLT

Day 68 ~ zero in South Lake Tahoe

We had planned to take a day off here, and hoped that everything would go our way today.  We finished our chores early, so we'd have the rest of the day to do whatever we pleased.  We purchased an all day bus pass for the city so we could minimize walking, an important aspect of a day off trail.  We headed down to the casino area again, hoping for better luck this time.  We started with lunch; we ate the best pizza we've had on the trail at Basecamp Pizza (we've had a lot of pizza, so that's saying something!). 

We then  headed to Harrah's for the whole casino experience.  Imagine living in the woods by the sun with no noise or light but that provided by mother nature, and then walking into a bustling casino.  Neither of us had ever been in a casino, but it was quite the sensory overload; flashing lights, loud noises, people everywhere.  We decided to try our luck, but stuck to only the penny slot machines.  We didn't win any money, but took full advantage of the free beverage service.  Before getting too sucked in, we called it quits and headed back to South Lake Tahoe.

We stopped by the public beach, where a standup paddleboard competition was in progress.  We watched the paddleboarders for awhile before returning to our room.  We hung around for awhile and realized we needed to eat, but most places closeby were already closed.  We walked to a bar across the street and ordered food to-go.  The friendly bartender there conversed with us about the trail and craft beers.  He gave us a free beer, and escorted us to another bar in search pf a highly sought after beer we had discussed, Pliny the Elder.  The bar didn't have the beer, but he bought us a drink and returned to his bartending post at the bar across the street.  Another local bought us a beer before we headed back to the motel.  Between the friendliness of locals and entertainment, I'd say this place has lived up to its reputation of an excellent trail town!