Size 16 Hiking Boots

Well Sorensen has certainly been put on the map - the map Rand McNally, that is. This is where Highway 88 meets Highway 89 so it's obviously more than just a resort.

We checked with Innkeeper John Brissenden and, yes, there are eight souls who call this place home. And every evening there was given another 33 cabins full of people who are from places like Los Angeles and San Francisco to put some distance between themselves and the steel, glass and asphalt of life daily in the big city.

Over here, where the mountains are high and low stress, Resort sells what Brissenden describes Sorensen as "the magic of the surrounding wilderness area." In fact, this wilderness is like staying in a national park without the RV park bumper to bumper. A network of trails and lakes are just a few minutes in any direction, with the mountain range Carson always at hand, ready to provide the perfect setting for your next family photo.

Just in case you guys big cities suffer from severe withdrawal, South Lake Tahoe is just a short scenic drive away - 16 miles to be exact. You can pop into the town, get a patch of glitter to one of the major casinos and be back just in time to watch deer feeding as you enjoy a glass of wine and quite a desert sunset.

We arrived at Sorensen around midnight after a too long drive up to Sequoia National Park. Our advice: arrive well before dark because the drive through the pass - whether Highway 50 or 88 - is at the heart of the mountains, winding two-lane and potentially dangerous at night with deer crossing the road. We spotted deer (thankfully beside the road, not on it) about every five minutes for about a 60 mile stretch of road.

If you do arrive late, Sorensen covered. Our cabin was already unlocked, the lights to greet us and incredibly comfortable, soft bed, beckoned to the weary travelers to a quiet, restful sleep in the woods. After all, it's really the card Sorensen: Cabin "in the woods" experience what happens just to get some extra amenities - such as gourmet cuisine.

At daybreak, we have a little better look Sorensen, and our great nature. The only resort in the Hope Valley, Sorensen was built next to Carson River, a favorite for fishermen. At the back of our cabin, boulders of all sizes were strewn along the mountainside with a slope tempting woodland to explore and climb inside our heart.

We stayed in a simple but modern chalet with a loft and bathroom area. The kitchen, with microwave, cooker with two rings and a small refrigerator, was along a wall of the main cabin area. Nearby, a queen bed was covered with homemade quilts charm. The main room included a sitting area and a dining room and a wood stove up with wood in hand, even if it was not needed this warm summer night.

The resort itself is actually a village of cabins, joined by meandering pathways, but separated by mature aspens, creeks, ponds and lots of natural vegetation. The cabins all have different names - we were in the cabin of the shepherd - and we learned later that the cabins differ in other ways as well. Brissenden explained that the cabins were purposely not built as copies punch another, but as an "eclectic" assortment of cabins in many styles and sizes. You have new cabins, more cabins, cabins, small cabins and the cabins of many issues such as cabins Christmas, Saint Nicolas and the Chapel.

When Brissenden took over the station 26 years ago, there were only two cabins, and even those who fell. Now, three million dollars and 31 cabins later, the property has substantially completed. A sauna and gift shop have also been added.