I bought a new swimsuit before we arrived at Zephyr Cove Resort. I'd heard it was a Mecca for watersports and was not disaTake Catamaran around Lake Tahoeppointed. For mellowest of beach bunnies to those seeking adrenaline rushed thrills, Zephyr Cove Resort has it all, and in a spectacular setting on soft, sandy shores of Lake Tahoe.

We took our time getting to Zephyr Cove Resort, driving along Lake Tahoe East Shore Drive. It's a National Scenic Byway and there are so many scenic turnouts and short hiking trails from road that we spent all day dawdling 72 miles from North Lake Tahoe, where we'd camped night before, to Zephyr Cove. (If we'd known in advance how nice Zephyr Cove campground was, we might have done drive a day earlier.

The Castle at Emerald Cover on Lake TahoeThe Zephyr Cove beach is popular with day trippers who come to relax on mile of spotless golden sand. Folks also come from all around Lake Tahoe to cruise on Dixie II, stern-wheeled paddle boat that tours lake five times a day in high season.

Just a short hop up road from resort are casinos of Stateline where stout of heart - and of wallet - can test their luck. Harrah's, Harvey's, Caesars Tahoe, and Horizon are a few of big ones, but smaller ones will happily relieve you of your greenbacks - or add to it, if you're having a winning streak. Of course, you can catch a show too; we had a Beatles revival, a cabaret, and a first run movie theater to entertain us, to name just a few of options.

Zephyr Cove, located on Nevada side of Tahoe, is an old-fashioned resort with all comforts of modern living. Our tidy, two room cabin included a microwave in A Typical Cabin at Zephyr Cove Resortfully-stocked kitchen, cable TV, and even a data line for dial-up email service. (Sorry, you have to bring your own laptop.) The location lets you decide how you want to spend your vacation. You can run up road for groceries if you want to do your own cooking, or you can take advantage of restaurant that's just up from your cabin.

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Ah, there's nothing finer than an autumn day in California's Sierra Nevada range: warm sunshine, crisp nights, golden aspen leaves, and shockingly blue skies. Not that spring, summer, and winter are less than spectacular here.

If you're tired of Las Vegas heat, L.A. smog, or Bay Area dampness, folks at Rock Creek Lodge would like you to remember a number: 9,373. That's their elevation in feet above sea level.

If you're passing through beautiful Owens Valley on "scenic drive" portion of U.S 395, you might never guess lodge was there. At Tom's Place, a small collection of houses by highway between Bishop and popular Mammoth Lakes ski area, you turn toward mountains towering above you on west side. You wind your way up into Rock Creek Canyon as high desert gives way to an alpine environment. The trees get taller and you pass some very nice campgrounds as air grows thinner and cooler. Ahhhh!

If you're not too distracted by majestic old cedars and Jeffrey Pines on rocky slopes, you'll see Rock Creek Lodge's brown wooden sign on your left after about eight miles. If you arrive at a beautiful mountain lake, you've gone a little too far. The lodge is located a half mile below Rock Creek Lake. A wooden bridge over picturesque stream brings you to lodge's main building.

What's this - flowers in my dinner? The chalkboard in lodge's window announces bill of fare for evening's meal in cozy dining room. Now, any food served on a cool evening in mountains can be called "comfort food," but if you're expecting burgers & beans here, you're in for a pleasant surprise. My dinner featured pork chops with sage and gravy, braised lentils, spinach salad with walnuts, fantastic home-baked potato bread - and "four lily soup." Did you know that garlic, shallots, leeks, and scallions are all members of lily family? This creamy soup had a marvelous flavor.