Tales for Scout: Lake Tahoe: Squaw Valley to Sunnyside

Since San Francisco falls just short of becoming an Arctic Tundra in the summer months, I try to get up to Lake Tahoe as frequently as possible. Just a 3-3.5 (or 2.75 if it's really early in the morning and your boyfriend has no regard for traffic laws) drive from the city, it's the perfect weekend getaway, and I'm very lucky in that my parents have a cabin in Truckee, which is about a 15 minute drive from Lake Tahoe, and only a few minutes from the smaller, slightly warmer Donner Lake.

Cam and I headed up early Saturday morning, overlapping for a few hours with John and his girlfriend Rachel before they flew back to Houston. As a simultaneous welcome/farewell outing, we decided to do one of my family's favorite activity: ride bikes from Squaw Valley to Sunnyside Resort.
We always rent bikes at Factory Bike, located at the base of Squaw Valley Ski Resort, which is equidistant to Truckee and Tahoe City. The trailhead is just across Squaw Valley Road, literally a minute ride east of Factory Bike. The ride to Sunnyside is about six miles along the Truckee River, shaded by pine trees and paved for easy biking (although the path is slightly inclined on the way there, which led Madison to regret choosing a Cruiser road bike).

The low-difficulty path is well-marked and good for families, but the major perk is the scenery. It's always fun to watch people tubing or rafting down the river, especially once you come to "Party Island" (you'll know it when you see it...).

The reward at the end is eating lunch at Sunnyside Resort in Tahoe City. The deck is only open during the summer, and it is the absolute best place to eat lunch while enjoying a panoramic view of Lake Tahoe. While I can't lie and say that the food is spectacular, the zucchini sticks and Hula Pie are delicious, and you really can't beat a cold Sierra Nevada with a lakefront view after biking through the summer heat.