Gaining some clarity on Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is one of my personal Top 10 places to visit.  I've visited a handful of times now and each time I'm blown away.  The crisp mountain air.  The cool summer temps.  The mega-clear water.  The tempting shades of green and blue as the water transitions from shore to depth.  The whole mountain lake experience just makes it all a very special place.

At over 1600ft deep, Lake Tahoe is deeper than the world's 4th tallest building is tall.  While it's the 16th deepest lake on the planet, it is the 5th largest by volume.

When we were there most recently, I enjoyed a first of seeing it rain on the lake.  While it was great to watch, the clouds didn't help much for taking pictures! As we stood on this rock outcropping, a small break in the clouds allowed a sliver of sunlight to slowly make it's way toward our position.  There were only a couple minutes of light but it was enough to compose a few photographs to demonstrate this incredible water.  Even in this pic you can see the bottom 15-20 feet down.  Overall depth clarity runs to about 70ft.

I'm a self-confessed big baby when it comes to cold water and this would be a fantastic place to swim if the water wasn't so bone-chillingly cold!

Twelve years ago the bride and I even parasailed 800' over Lake Tahoe.  I can't say we enjoyed it though.  Those ratty straps connecting us to the parachute really freaked us out!