Day 3: Placerville to Silver Lake
I am playing a bit of catch up due to ignorance of how to post.  Placerville was a great stop for the night.  We walked a little around town and ate at BRICKS.  I would recommend this place to anyone stopping there on the way up to Tahoe.  The calamare was great which usually means everything else is too. 
I had a bit of a scare right off the bat starting for Silver Lake.  I put my camera outside the bike bag for easy access and of course it flew out when I hit a bump.  Lucky I saw it disappear into the weeds at the bottom of a steep embankment.  I managed to find it after 20 minutes of rooting around in the brush and then climbing out of the ravine.  Glad I had it for some of the nice scenery going through the Sierras.
Lunch was at Cooks Station.  A small cafe that has been in business since the late 1800's as a stopping place for people heading through the mountains.  They have 75 items on the menu and are looking to add more.  Quite an effort for a place that can seat only 12 people.
Silver Lake was incredible and a real nice place to recover.  Nice and cool at 7,300 feet.