Feeling grateful after a month of family and friend time in Truckee, CA. We shared our space with close friends from home, nestled away at the very top of the Tahoe Donner neighborhood, tucked between massive ponderosa pines that dropped their needles on our trucks and driveway. Our home for the month was a cabin-style getaway on a street full of other cabin-style getaways you would find when renting a place at a ski mountain. Brown cabin after brown cabin lined the streets, each with giant windows that let the sun in and brown, metal trash bins fitted with special locks so the bears couldn’t get into them. The houses looked so similiar, that even on the last day we were there, I still had to look at the number on the house to confirm it was ours. It was cozy inside, though. Matt kept the woodstove going most nights, as the temperatures really cooled down once the sun set at night. Gus shared the space with a new friend, Cooper. We were hoping they would be besties by the end of the month, but it turns out Gus is not the biggest fan of dogs. Cooper is the biggest fan of everything though, so Matt and I made a new friend at least.
Our first weekend in Tahoe, I got to welcome one of my favorite people on Earth for a visit, Miss Sally Ann Hoops. We had a slow-motion Hallmark moment when I picked her up at the airport. We locked eyes from far away and ran into each other’s arms. It was a fitting reunion after not seeing your best friend for six months. We took the big blue truck on a weekend adventure to South Lake— the vibrant, bustling side of Tahoe packed with casinos, shopping, great food, and plenty to explore. On Saturday, we made our way up the Eagle Lake and Bayview trail, with epic views of Eagle Lake framed with beautiful granite rock and sweeping views of Emerald Bay as we made our descent. We also just so happened to notice some locals in leiderhosen headed to an Oktoberfest on the way to our hike, so we made a pit stop on our way back for a liter of beer and a salty pretzel. We watched some accordian-heavy live music, picked up a few treasures from some artisan vendor tents, and enjoyed some sunshine on a gorgeous fall day. After a shower at our hotel, we scooted on down the lake (literally--there were electric scooters you could ride along a beautiful lakeside path) to an outdoor bar with lake views for dinner and drinks. We had perhaps a little too much fun, so the next day was a bit slower paced. We wrapped up in winter jackets, hats and blankets and soaked up the tiny bit of sun Pope Beach was offering and then drove up to Tahoe City where we had rented a tiny cabin with a hot tub. After a good night's sleep and a latte from a local coffee shop, we walked to the top of Eagle Rock for stunning views of Lake Tahoe and then explored the East Shore Trail-- a paved path along the lake with more beautiful views. The water really was the clearest I've ever seen, but somehow had a unique turquoise color when viewing it from above. The path had a few 'secret' beaches that you could walk down to and enjoy. We even saw a few brave folks in the water, mostly happy dogs. The California sun was warm, but not that warm. The visit wasn’t nearly long enough, but somehow it always is—because time with good friends always brings you back to yourself.
Sally and Ashley at Eagle Lake
Eagle Lake from above
View of Lake Tahoe from Eagle Rock
View of Lake Tahoe from East Shore Trail
View of Lake Tahoe from Hidden Beach
We enjoyed a cozy long weekend in with some rainy weather over Indigenous People's day. On Saturday morning, the sun was still out, so we went for a beautiful long run along the Truckee River. Its tree-covered paved path hugged the river’s serpentine shoreline and was perfect for a morning jog. The water was that iconic turquoise Tahoe blue and so clear you could count the stones at the bottom if you wanted. We popped into Truckee Brewing for one and then decided to make a tasty family dinner at home. We played games and tossed some steaks on the grill. Sunday we explored Truckee a bit, Matthew caught the Patriots win with the girls, while I finished up last month's blog. We grabbed lunch at a nice spot in town and walked around a bit. Truckee is an interesting mix of local haunts and touristy shops. The outdoorsy vibe is apparent, stemming from the epic skiing and mountain biking in the area. Every drive up the main street felt like stepping into a movie, the mountains perfectly framed between the rows of shops and restaurants. On Monday, the rain kept us mostly indoors. We did a puzzle, read books and cozied up by the wood stove for the day. We made delicious soup with crusty bread for dinner. It was a perfect fall inside day.
Truckee River
Can you spot Matthew ahead in the trees?
The stars were out and impossibly bright as we tossed our backpacks into the big blue truck the next Saturday morning. We had driven in in the dark the night before, so the awe of the scenery around us was still a mystery. As we pulled through the entrance to Yosemite National Park, the sky turned periwinkle and a fingernail moon hung above the black trees. We weren’t the only group that decided to take in the famous Tunnel View at sunrise, but the cooler October temperatures allowed us to snag one of the last parking spots. We dropped the tailgate down and watched the sun’s light slowly illuminate the sky and the massive rock features all around us. From Tunnel View, you can see the famous features Half Dome, El Capitan, and Bridal Veil Falls. I couldn’t have been more content with a warm cup of coffee in my hands and the softly lit golden sky as our backdrop. We watched the sun creep its way down the face of El Capitan and then slowly made our way through Yosemite Valley, stopping to get out and look up at the massive rock features from the base. There was even a misty morning fog that added a touch of magic to the scenery. Our plan for the day was to head to the top of Nevada Falls and see Vernal Falls along the way. Each had an incredible stopping point where you could rest at the top of the falls and peek down over the edge and watch them fall, all while surrounded by ginormous domed rock features that take your breath away. Speaking of taking your breath away…there were stairs, so many stone steps to get to the top. The amount of time it must have taken to put all of those rocks in place. That alone was beautiful. The path alternated between those steps and ponderosa pine filled forests with stunning views of falls sneaking in along the way. After making our way back down, we found some tasty food, beers and three very adorable brown bears before calling it a night.
Morning number two also started bright and early with a drive through starry skies. Glacier Point was a bit further into the park, about an hour drive, and somehow even more stunning. For me, the most magical part about Yosemite is how you can see so much from one viewpoint. It makes you feel so teeny tiny, partly because of the sheer size of everything and partly because of how many millions of years ago the earth must have shifted this valley and its impressive domes, cliff faces, waterfalls and snow capped mountains into place. It’s all there. And I got to quietly take it in with a fresh cup of coffee and a pumpkin muffin with two close friends. No notes. If I could do this every morning, I would.
After Matthew made us another round of coffees from our Jet Boil, we made our way over to the Sentinel Dome trail, which was somehow even better than day one as well. It boasted 360 views of all this incredible park had to offer from the top of one of its famous domes. We hung out up there for a while and just enjoyed. And then we made our way over to Taft Point by traveling through the snowy woods. The trees cleared every so often and gave us more and more incredible views of Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls and the massive cliff face that is El Capitan. A rainbow even put on a show for us, dancing in the droplets spraying from Upper Yosemite Falls. It was unreal. But honestly, nothing would prepare us for what we saw at Taft Point. It was stunning, yes, but as we got closer to the viewpoint, I noticed a long cable stretching across a wide valley with nothing but thin air below. And then we saw more and more of them stretching farther and farther at impressive lengths. Soon, we saw several brave souls make their way out onto the line, clipped on by a harness, but nothing but the ground and the cable below them. I couldn’t watch, but I also had to watch. It was absolutely wild. It was like the world’s most extreme balance beam —super thin and there is no floor beneath you if you fall. We stayed to take that in for a while because we had never seen anything like it. Photo credit for the absolutely gorgeous shots of Yosemite below go to Sean Packard. Having your own personal photographer join you on all your adventures is a pretty good deal. He's kind of fun to have around too. You can check out more of his photos if you are interested at
seanpackard.com.
Sunrise Coffee at Tunnel View from the Big Blue Truck
Tunnel View
Misty morning magic
Vernal Falls
Adorable brown bears
Half Dome from Glacier Point
Views from Sentinel Dome
Rainbow caught in Upper Yosemite Falls
Slack liner at Taft Point
The following weekend marked the first day of business for Big Blue Truck Tours Inc. Its first clients were the very lucky Jim and Sue Oliver who piled into the backseat for a wild and rainy ride around the shores of Lake Tahoe. Tour Guide Mashley had mapped out some epic viewpoints and hikes, but the weather had other plans for us. Views were a bit fogged in and the rainy, windy day was not the best for a hike. You can't say we didn't try, though. I dragged everyone up to the top of Cave Rock for a drizzly, foggy view and we strolled along the beach at Sand Harbor Park before warming up over some lunch and beers. The whitecapped waves made Lake Tahoe look more like the ocean and the picturesque snowcapped mountains were hidden by a mystical layer of fog. The sun did eventually come out for Sue and Jim and they got to experience the beauty of Lake Tahoe in all of its glory. Not that day, though. We spent the afternoon enjoying the warm indoors at our spot in South Lake, tucked right in the middle of the village at the base of Heavenly Mountain. You can take a gondola ride to the middle of the mountain right outside your door. Sadly, the gondola had just stopped running the weekend before. It would have been a ride up into the fog anyway. I'm also not sure everyone was sad we couldn't go *cough cough* Sue *cough cough*. The next morning, the weather had turned sunny with a consistent light mist falling from the sky. So strange. But, perfect rainbow weather! We saw an epic double rainbow over the lake on our way to and on our way back from breakfast. I think it was just out all day. We caught the second half of the Pats game at mom and dad's new favorite spot, Tipsy Putt, and enjoyed the afternoon exploring the shops in South Lake.
Mashley with Cave Rock in the Distance--cars drive through that!
Views from Sand Harbor Park
The fam at Sand Harbor State Park
Sand Harbor State Park
Double rainbow in South Lake Tahoe
I'm writing to you now from our outdoor patio in Santa Cruz, CA where an orange butterfly keeps dancing around the brightly colored flowers along the fence. The weather here is almost always sunny and the surfers are almost always surfing. Looking forward to embracing the slow California way of life this month. I think it will suit us. Good vibes and sunshine only over here. Wishing you the same!
Comments
Post a Comment