One of the least appetizing things about a summer sojourn in North Lake Tahoe is having to use a car to get to everything that lines the mostly two-lane highway that stretches from Tahoma to Kings Beach. The traffic sometimes can be brutal, and that's even without any road construction going on. Cycling is great... until you find yourself with an armload of bags on the return trip.

Enter the North Lake Tahoe Water Shuttle, a daily on-lake public transit service that just kicked off this past Friday.

The Water Shuttle, which utilizes a 30-foot Centurion boat to carry up to 12 passengers and eight bicycles, will make four stops along its roughly 15-mile  route from Homewood to Tahoe Vista (and vice versa): The West Shore Cafe and Inn, Tahoe City Marina, GarWoods Grill and Pier (Carnelian Bay) and Tahoe Vista Recreational Area.

Expect to drop between $10 and $20 if you're an adult, and $7 and $14 for children 10 and under. The Water Shuttle will extend service from 8 a.m. to 8:19 p.m. until Aug. 26; after that it will be from 8 a.m.-6:46 p.m. until the end of September.

For complete fare and schedule information, click here.