View out over Nevada from the top of the 7,600 foot mountain ridge that forms the divide between California and the Silver State at the southern end of Lake Tahoe. Although the valley in view is only 1,500 feet lower than the lake, the Sierra Nevada mountains block much of the rain and snow that comes from the west. The result is frequent heavy snow throughout the mountains on days that it’s dry and warmish only 5 miles away on the valley floor.