I've lived in California for more than 7 years, and last weekend I went to Lake Tahoe for the first time.  I know.  Shame on me!  But honestly, most of what I heard about Lake Tahoe was less than appealing for me:  casinos, crowds, and traffic.  I've seen lakes (heck, I lived in Minnesota for 10 years).  I've seen mountains.  I've skied all over the Mountain West.  Why go to Lake Tahoe ?

However, when a friend offered us a free weekend at their timeshare -- well, clearly we snapped it up.  So, last weekend my husband and I packed our car and headed up Highway 50 from Sacramento to South Lake Tahoe .  When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised.  Yes, there are casinos.  But the crowds and the traffic were nowhere to be seen for we had inadvertently found the golden season at Lake Tahoe:  the in-between time.

It was chilly all weekend -- in the 30s and 40s.  But we love that kind of weather.  It was certainly too cold for swimming in the lake.  And there wasn't any snow on the ground when we arrived.  But there are some nice hiking trails, and sitting by the fire in our condo watching for deer made for a fantastic weekend.

And when we awoke on Sunday morning there it was:  SNOW!  I miss snow, so it was delightful to wake up to find the world frosted and white.  It certainly made for a gorgeous drive home.  And I know the ski areas are ready to get ski season started soon.  I certainly hope to hit the slopes sometime soon!

Thanks to Debbie of deliciousbaby.com for hosting Photo Friday.  Check out other great Photo Friday posts at deliciousbaby.com !