We made it to the most southern point on our longest RV trip to date. Lake Tahoe, California is the latest stop on the “Big Trip.”
For the next four nights we are staying at the Tahoe Valley Campground in our Entegra Vision XL motorhome amongst the trees and under the stars.

https://thousandtrails.com/california/tahoe-valley-campground/?utm_source=yext&utm_medium=directory&utm_campaign=Yext%20Directory%20Listing

Tahoe Valley Campground is located in South Lake Tahoe, right on the border with Stateline, Nevada. We’re only just minutes away from great restaurants, casinos, breweries, taphouses and retail shopping.

Also just less than 30 minutes from the campground is Emerald Bay State Park. Here we park and hike down to Vikingsholm built almost a 100 years ago on the shores of beautiful Emerald Bay.

http://vikingsholm.com/
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=506

After the hike we check out the South Lake Brewering Co. and the Sidellis Brewery and Restaurant.

https://www.southlakebeer.com/
http://www.sidellis.com/

Vikingsholm, located in Emerald Bay, California, is a historic mansion that holds a unique place in the state’s architectural and cultural history. Here’s a brief overview of its history:

Construction and Design: Vikingsholm was built in 1929 as a private residence for Lora Josephine Knight. Mrs. Knight was a wealthy widow who had a deep interest in Scandinavian culture and architecture. She hired the renowned architect Lennart Palme from Sweden to design the mansion, which was intended to resemble the traditional Scandinavian farmhouses and castles from the Viking Age.

Location: Emerald Bay, situated on the western shore of Lake Tahoe, is a picturesque and serene location in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The bay’s natural beauty and stunning vistas made it an ideal spot for building a grand mansion.

Building the Estate: Vikingsholm was constructed with a combination of traditional Scandinavian building techniques and local materials. Materials used in its construction included timbers brought from the Pacific Northwest and stones quarried in the Lake Tahoe area.

Inspiration and Architecture: Vikingsholm is primarily inspired by the architecture of ancient Norse buildings and medieval Norwegian stave churches. The building’s prominent features include massive wooden beams, intricate wood carvings, and sod-covered roofs, all of which are reminiscent of Viking-era structures.

Acquisition by the State of California: In 1953, the property, including Vikingsholm, was acquired by the State of California for the creation of Emerald Bay State Park. The park aimed to preserve the natural beauty of the area, and Vikingsholm became a part of its historical and cultural heritage.

Preservation and Tourism: Vikingsholm is now managed by the California State Park System. It is open to the public and serves as a popular tourist destination on Lake Tahoe. Visitors can explore the mansion’s interior, which contains an impressive collection of Scandinavian antiques, as well as the surrounding gardens and the beautiful shoreline of Emerald Bay.

Vikingsholm stands as a testament to the passion of Lora Josephine Knight for Scandinavian culture and her desire to create a unique architectural marvel in the serene landscape of Emerald Bay, California. It continues to be a cherished historical site and a significant attraction for tourists and history enthusiasts alike.

#travelvlog #rvcamping #laketahoe #emeraldbay

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****About****
We are Ron and Jodi. We have been together since 1992 and have been traveling and exploring around the Pacific Northwest and beyond the entire time. Please join us as we go rambling around our next 30 years while living our “work hard, play hard” philosophy. We will try to show as much of our adventures, tips and reviews as we can through our journey practicing for retirement.

This channel will be about adventures big and small, weekend getaways traveling in the motorhome exploring our region to flying away on extended vacations discovering new destinations. We hope to inspire others to make time to travel, explore and discover what our land has to offer.

We love to check out breweries, restaurants, local hikes in the area as well as traveling away to see what other destinations have to show us. We take our dogs as much as we can, but some areas aren’t made for our furry kiddos.

Not every video will be an award winner but all we need is someone to laugh and enjoy the ride along the way.

34 Comments

  1. Nice campsite, yes you need to research whats the best site for you. I watch other channels to see what it looks like and even Google maps satellite. Very nice state park, wow Viking house was nice. Were going to have to start working out to do that hike. Yay our favorite part beer flights😂. Horseshoe champion🏆 great video👍

  2. What a great campground! Go Jodi! (Girl power 😜💪🏻🧲) That home is amazing! I think I love the sod roof most! Those waterfalls are so beautiful!! Y’all deserve a cold one or two after that hike! 🍻 Great video, guys! (BTW this is Pam) 😊

  3. You guys are totally in our happy place, LOVE Lake Tahoe. Also, the segment on trying to get out the the RV park had us rolling!!! So been there before. Oh, and down hill hikes with uphill returns… We did one of this to a waterfall in Helen Georgia that was absolutely beautiful, it'll be in this weeks show. Safe travels kids, and lots of love your way from the east coast!

  4. Nice campground and nice win Jodi! Very beautiful footage of the snow covered mountains. Loved the tea house. Emerald Bay is beautiful. You two have some awesome adventures. My life is so boring compared to yours. Your living the American dream. Keep adventuring 🤗

  5. Tahoe looks beautiful. Everything looks amazing- the lake, the trees, the vikingsholm. Wow that home and it’s story was beautiful. Now about the two losing horseshoe games. 🤦‍♂️

  6. First, congratulations Jodi on being the Horse Shoe Champion for the day.
    Other than a wee bit of rain, looks like you had perfect weather for the hikes and sampling at the various breweries.
    It’s definitely a beautiful location other than a few not so nice road conditions along the way.
    See you for Part #2
    Regards,

  7. Awesome intro! Excellent choice of music!!! Lake Tahoe is massive! Great graphics on the locale of your adventures! That was a cool scenic hike.

  8. It's amazing to see how much Tahoe has changed over the decades. It always has that pristine beauty all around. Its been a couple decades since I did the hike down to the home, I have never done a tour through the home though. It's nice that you two did the tour, I love all the information you gave on the place in your video. The hike up to that view was beautiful 😊

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