Weekend Window: Lake Tahoe

Feb. 11, 2007 — -- "Good Morning America Weekend Edition" anchor Ron Claiborne's favorite place in the world is Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe is a land of superlatives -- it's one of the world's deepest lakes with the clearest, purest water … and, for Claiborne, the most beautiful place he's ever been.

Capt. Chris Gallup knows all about the lake. For the past 17 years, he's been piloting the "Tahoe Queen," one of two old-fashioned paddleboats that cruise the crystalline waters year round.

"To me, it's all about the lake. It's the blue world here," Gallup said. "My office is pretty awesome. I love being on the water and I'm in port everyday."

Gallup gave "GMA" a private tour of one Claiborne's favorite places: the magnificent inlet called Emerald Bay.

Claiborne has been traveling to Lake Tahoe for the past 30 years to enjoy the outdoors and the indoors attractions.

But hundreds of years ago, there were no casinos or tourists. It was just the lake and the mountains and the Washoe Indians who lived here.

"The word Tahoe originally came from the Washoe word 'daw-aw-agh' and when white settlers heard it they thought they were saying Tahoe, but it was really ''aw aw agh,' which actually means edge of the lake," said Sara Larson of the Lake Tahoe Historical Society.

The first white people arrived in the mid-19th century. As odd as it sounds, some came for what must have been the thrilling spectator sports of watching loggers logging.

Even with legal gambling on the Nevada side, Tahoe remained quiet, sleepy and largely undiscovered until the 1960 winter Olympics at Squaw Valley put the area on the map.

The first time Claiborne came to Lake Tahoe was when his mother brought him to learn how to ski at the age of 12.

"It was pretty much a disaster, but I've kind of figured it out since then," he said.

For more information about Lake Tahoe, visit the following Web sites: