my wife and i are spending two weeks at the embassy suites south lake tahoe.i will be driving from sa francisco on the i80 to sacramento then the i50 to tahoe.i am a bit concerned about a junction known as the"y" near tahoe,i haveto keep my eyes open for this junction,how is it hard to recognize.2 years ago we came on a west coast coach tour and called at a place called homestead point,i would like to make my own way there by car but cannot find it on any map.is it near tahoe,is ithard to get there from tahoe.part off the coach tour was south lake tahoe and we had a cruise on the ms dixie2,this time i would like to go on the hornblower,what would be the best time,do they have an e-mail contact address.thanking anybody for any feedback,especially suzie who lives close by.

Don't be too concerned about the Y. It's quite obvious as it is the only large intersection coming into South Lake Tahoe. Actually the Y is loosing its legitimacy due to recent development on the west side of the Y. You'll be able to tell you're at the Y due to gas stations and lots of shopping available there. Turn right and stay the course till you arrive at the Embassy Suites. Have a great time. When going through Sacramento, 80 switches to 50 with no fanfare. Just stay in some of the left lanes and you'll be fine there too. I'm not familier with the place called Homestead Point, sorry. Is there more info on this?

The website address for Hornblower is www.hornblower.com. As we have access to a boat I've never taken these cruises. I always find that the best time to be on the lake for boating or sailing is later in the afternoon. I don't know why but I think the lake looks so pretty that time of day. If your visit is in the summer there is more boat traffic on the weekends so you might want to schedule your trip midweek. Also if you drive around the lake or any time you need to go through Tahoe City make sure it is NOT on the weekend. Tahoe City gets crowded and very congested during the weekends. Sometimes you can find yourself backed up to Sunnyside (2 miles south of Tahoe City) in bumper to bumper traffic. This is only good if your vacation is over and you don't want to leave the lake, otherwise it's incredibly annoying. Coming into Tahoe City from the north is just as bad. Tahoe City is the junction for drives around the lake as well as access to Squaw Valley and Truckee and on out to I80.

Here's a website with a map:

http://www.tahoe.com/South.Tahoe/map1.html

Here's the Embassy Suites at South Lake Tahoe website:

http://www.hoteltraveltahoe.com/emba...ites_tahoe.htm

thanks suzie
our vacation is for two weeks at the embassy suites so we can work our way around giving the driving a miss at the weekends.

I usually spend 2 weeks in the summer at Tahoe and it's so sad when it's time to leave. I'm grateful I live close and can go for the day or weekend. When you get there and decide you want to do any activities make sure you look up those Tahoe newspapers that have discount coupons. You should find some for rafting down the Truckee, taking the tram to High Camp in Squaw Valley and maybe even those cruises on the lake. Since you're in Southshore make sure you stop by the Tallac Historic site in Camp Richardson. It's pretty interesting. For a really great afternoon check out the catamaran at the Hyatt in Incline. We took the 4:00 pm sail one weekday afternoon and had it pratically to ourselves. It holds 49 people and there were only 10 of us and the crew on a perfectly breezy afternoon so we sailed while those who go early in the day use the engine. They serve beer and wine, cheese crackers and fruit. For a change of pace we were actually staying at the Hyatt during the renovations last year so it was included with the room. I don't know the cost but it could be $40 or more.

once again thanks suzie
my wife and are wondering what the weather is like in the evenings at tahoe.we like it hot so we can walk about in shorts and tee shirts,will there be any chance off that,two years ago we where in mammoth lakes onour coach tour in august and where freezing(we had been in vegas the day before.thanks

Peter, In all your posts I've never been able to determine month you will be visiting, though I have assumed it will be in summer. Be advised that in June it is still rather cool there. At any rate it is high altitude and the weather changes alot. Night time usually requires more than a tshirt and shorts. It will be similar to Mammoth Lakes. If our evenings are casual we might wear shorts and a sweatshirt but this is after the sun goes down. We usually stay at the lake until about 7:00 or so. The lake is very calm then. Because the lake is ringed by a mountain range the sun "sets" on some parts of the lake early. It won't be hot like Las Vegas. High 80s would feel quite warm in Tahoe because of the elevation. Hope this helps. Have a great vacation.

once again thanks suzie
the month we will be visiting "will" be june,we will obviously have to wrap up warm.i am thinking of visiting virginia city,is it worth visiting,have you been.being so close to nevada(where it will be warm)is there anywhere really nice worth visiting

Since you're there for 2 weeks I'd fit this visit in. Choose a day with soso weather or when staying at the lake is not as desirable. We have gone there when the weather is stormy and there's not much else to do. I think you'd find this interesting.

to suzie
it,s frightening me now,we are actually from the uk(sheffield yorkshire)we get our fair share of storms,looks like a bad move on our part to be staying here for two weeks when we are wanting hot weather.looks like we will be driving around trying to find the sun.

Peter, you should be fine. It's the mountains, weather changes there all the time. I've never had bad weather for days in a row. Just occasional afternoon thundershowers. If you're really worried check out www.weather underground.com for reassurance. If you really want hot hot hot drop down to Sacramento for the afternoon, you'll run back to Tahoe. Oh but it's a 'dry' heat. LOL.

i stayed at the embassy suites 2 yrs. ago. it was fairly new. very clean. we found that the casinos were not the best paying. thet were better in reno. there was more to do there too. you are staying at the foot of the heavenly ski resort. have fun!