Latest Stats from Tahoe

1). I have exactly 40 days until PERU!!!

2). The King Fire is now at 87,592 acres and only 18% contained. We aren't in any immediate danger.  The fire is West of us and moving North.  However, the smoke is filling the basin and ruining any outside plans we may have had.  Also, if you East coasters don't know... this fire was intentionally started by 1 lame guy who is now in jail with a 10 million dollar bail.  He's a big ol' loser!

3).  The HIGH on Friday is 54 degrees.  Brrrrr.

4).  There is a "slight chance" of snow in the higher elevations at the end of the week.

Well, that's all the numbers I know right now.  In other news, I'm ready to announce that I am leaving Barton Memorial Hospital where I have worked for the last 2 years.  I have taken a job with Douglas County School System and I'll be starting there when I return from Peru.   I will REALLY miss Barton.  It's been a fantastic job but I love pediatrics and I just don't get enough pediatric patients at the hospital.  So, I'm taking a risk... leaving my comfortable job that I am happy at... and following this new path put before me.

I will miss every. single. person. that I work with at Barton.  They are the BEST group of people and I have made lifelong friendships while being there.  I can't even thank them enough for being supportive of me in this new adventure.

And... tomorrow is the first official day of FALL and that makes me VERY HAPPY!!!! Missin' all you east coasters!

Scenic Sunday Drive

Mike recently had the opportunity to go skiing (yes, snow skiing) on some leftover patches of snow.  A friend of is has skied every month for 130 consecutive months (or something like that).  Anyway, snow is pretty scarce these days and there are a few small patches left at higher elevations (above 10,000 ft).  

Anyway, when Mike got home he just raved about how beautiful the area was so, yesterday we drove down so I could check it out.  It's a little over an hour south of our home.  The further south you go, the bigger the mountains seem to get.  

We stopped along the way to let the doggie swim in the river.  Our first official stop was at Twin Lakes.  

Fall colors are starting in the higher elevations. 

1 of the twin lakes.. and one cute doggy nose! 

Our next stop was at a local hot springs.  They are all natural and the temp of the water is near perfect.  Unfortunately, we didn't really come prepared with bathing suits etc.  And although other people in the springs had clearly made the same mistake (or they opted out of using a bathing suit), we decided we didn't want to sit in pool with a bunch of other naked people.  So, we will come back another time.   

One of the hot springs. 

The lower springs...
there was a whole lot of naked down there. 

 The coolest thing about the hot springs was that one of the pools actually has a waterfall of warm water feeding it.  It trickles down over this large rock and falls into the pool of warm water.  It was beautiful.  I would've taken a picture but I feared the naked people would get concerned that they were in it.  We'll just have to come back one day. 

After the hot springs adventure, we drove south to Kavanaugh Ridge (where Mike went skiing a few weeks ago).  It's way up high ~11,000 ft and it's a LONG four wheel drive road to get up there.  There is a lake with free camping along the way although the lake is more of a small pond right now. 

Yep, we are definitely in a drought. 

Where is this road going??? 

The view from the top of the ridge is unbelievable.   

We shared an icy cold Sierra Nevada while enjoying the view. 

It was 50 degrees and VERY windy! 

Mono Lake in the distance. 

We also stopped by Virginia Lakes.  There are 2 lakes but we only stopped at one.  It was another beautiful alpine lake with amazing water but this lake was slightly more green in color than the others we've seen. 

We stopped at the Mobil gas station on Tioga Pass (just outside Yosemite) for lunch.  Yep, you read that right.  We ate at a gas station.  But not just any gas station... they had a LOT of people eating there and a LONG line when we arrived at 3:00  in the afternoon.  It's called the "Whoa Nelly Deli" and they have excellent food.  There is a restaurant near Mammoth called Toomey's and Mike loves their lobster taquitos.  This gas station is the original location of those lobster taquitos.  Also, they claim to have "world famous fish tacos," so naturally we had to try them.  They were ok.  

When we got home, we didn't want dinner but DID want dessert.  I made a homemade peach crisp which was insanely easy!  I found a simple recipe on Pinterest and gave it a whirl.  Mike doesn't even like peaches and he liked this:  

YUM! 

Plus whipped cream!!!  YUM!  

Next week... I'm making a pumpkin pie to take to a party at a friends house. 

Happy Fall Y'all!!!  

A Labor-some Labor Day

Happy Belated Labor Day!  Since Tahoe is a very popular tourist destination on Labor Day, Mike and I decided to keep things pretty low key and stay away from the lake that weekend.  The Thursday before the holiday weekend, we rode the Heavenly Gondola up to Tamarack Lodge.  They have lots of things to do up there: ziplining, ropes courses, a rock climbing wall, tubing for kiddos, etc.  We went with the intention of going ziplining (in order to check that off the bucket list) but, it's really expensive and it's a super short ride.  AND, technically I've been ziplining before, so I didn't feel like spending the money.  So, we changed our plans and chose to do a ropes course instead (mainly because it was free).

There was a 20 ft area, and a 40 ft area.  It was really fun BUT, I couldn't help but grip onto the ropes as tight as I possibly could and as I've mentioned before, I have very weak hands.  So, I didn't make it through the course because my hands were trembling with fatigue.  So, I won't be a ropes course guide when I grow up.  Oh well.  Mike rocked that course though and since I was on the ground, I could get some good shots of him in the course.

The view from the top just never gets old! 

The very expensive zipline in the background. 

The ropes course! 

Mike is WAY up there (in the black shirt). 

Makin' it look easy! 

 

 On Monday, I stayed home and cleaned house and worked on refinishing bedroom furniture. I got one more piece done!  Just gotta do the headboard/footboard of the bed and that will be one more thing off the bucket list!  It was nice to get a big piece done, but definitely is a BIG job!  

The only time we left the mountain all weekend, was to go down to Nevada Beach to watch the fireworks.  We have never watched the show from lake level until now.  It was pretty spectacular.  

It was windy.  And chilly.  

This weekend is also very mellow.  No big adventures.  We drove up to Northstar Resort today... rode the gondola  and ate some amazing fish tacos while watching all the downhill mountain bikers bomb down the hill.  Tomorrow (my day OFF), I have to go to a couple meetings at work followed by a hair appt, etc.  Just errands, etc.  Nothing too exciting and that makes me happy!  Work has been very exhausting lately and I feel like I don't have the energy to do anything outside of work. 

 I do have some exciting news.  Well, it's exciting for us (nope... not pregnant).  But, I'm not ready to share that news just yet.  So, you will just have to keep checking the blog!  

Busy... busy... busy...

I feel like ALL year long we've been anticipating this time of the year.  We knew we had a lot planned (trip to NC... friends visiting us in Tahoe... etc).  So, the past month and a half has been pretty busy.

After our friends left, we got back into a "somewhat normal" work routine for about a week.  Then, it was OFF to NC for my dear friend's wedding.  What a whirlwind trip.  I had 2 full days at home.  I spent Friday visiting with my "adopted grandmother" who I haven't seen in over 2 years.  Friday night, my parents and I enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL wedding of Katherine Phelps and Daniel Laymon.  I can't even explain how happy I was to be there.  The bride's family is like a second family to me.  After getting home late Friday night, I got up early (for me since I was still on West Coast time) Saturday morning to meet one of my closest friends for breakfast in Raleigh.  After catching up on life over bagels and coffee, I drove to my mother-in-laws house for a quick visit.  Then, headed back to my parents house to play with my adorable nephew and niece!!!  Just watching those kiddos play, and listening to their adorable conversations makes me SO happy!  I know I'm biased but I really think they're the cutest kids in the world.  After the kids went to bed, my brother and I sat on the floor all night building with Lego's.  Ahhhh...it brought back so many childhood memories in the beautiful home I grew up in.  

I flew back to Tahoe on Sunday, and rested up for the work week because I had a PT student starting an 8 week clinical internship with me on Tuesday.

NC will always be home!  But Tahoe is a pretty
awesome second home!  

Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake 

Yeah... I'd say we're in a drought.  

Finally, last weekend, we had no plans.  There was nothing we HAD to do.  That's a great feeling sometimes.  So, we decided to go camping out at Blue Lakes which is less than an hour from our house.  We packed up the paddleboards and all our camping gear Sunday morning and picked an awesome spot right by the lake.  We relaxed in the hammocks (lakeside of course) and paddled to the end of the lake where there are LOTS of big rock islands.  The rocks are especially exposed right now due to our severe drought.  We made turkey burgers and corn on the cob over the campfire and naturally we ate s'mores for dessert.  We discussed life as we sat by the campfire until the stars came out, then headed to bed (where our sweet old dog had put himself to bed hours before).

Corn on the cob over a campfire.  YUM! 

Even Z gets his own chair. 

Not a bad view from the campsite. 

Goodnight sun! 

Beautiful sunset over Lower Blue Lake. 

The temps are getting cooler.  Fall is arriving in Tahoe.
S'more by the campfire is an awesome end to summer. 

The next morning, I woke up feeling horrible.  Sore throat... kinda achy... just feeling crummy.  We decided to pack up and get breakfast in town instead of making oatmeal at the campsite.  After getting home, unpacking, cleaning, and showering, I was feeling a little better.  I drank 3 emergen-C packets (each with 1000mg of Vitamin C) and took some Zinc.  By the next morning, I was feeling alright!  Thanks goodness.  I don't have time for being sick.

On an unrelated note... in my last post, there was a video that was "private" and couldn't be viewed.  That video is now "published" and it's worth watching.

Well, that's the latest from Tahoe.  I've got about 8 more weeks of work before PERU!  Stay tuned! 

5 Day "Staycation" with Friends

Our dear friends Dacia and Nathan came to visit for a week.  It was so great to see them.  We had 5 full days of awesome adventures together.

Our first full day we did a little sightseeing and then hiked up to Angora Lakes to check off a bucket list item... JUMPING OFF A CLIFF!

It was an interesting hike over some pretty large boulders... 

Angora Lakes

The cliff was only 25 feet tall, but that was plenty high for me.  Any higher and I might not have jumped.

After the hike, we went home to shower and headed to the Chart House... a pretty nice restaurant near our house with amazing appetizer and drink specials during happy hour.  It was delicious.  After dinner entertainment was a concert by the beach... 

The second full day we hiked to the top of Mt. Tallac.  It was a long but rewarding hike with awesome views from the top. 

Views of Aloha Lake (hard to see but it's in the middle/center)...
and Susie Lake (where we camped a few weeks ago).
You can also see Gilmore Lake at the bottom right. 

On the hike down we stopped at Gilmore Lake for a swim. 

The hike was awesome but it's always tiring.  We rewarded ourselves with Base Camp Pizza in Heavenly Village for dinner.  It's one of our favorite restaurants in town.  

Day 3 was all about relaxation.  We drove to Truckee to walk around the cute downtown area.  We ate tacos at an awesome little taco bar before heading to the Truckee river for a long, slow float in the beautiful blue water.  

The sky was awesome.  There were small, wispy clouds overhead which were actually very beautiful. 

The float was a LOT of fun... but this happened a few times too... 

Obviously, we had a float for the cooler.  Even without "adult beverages" it would have been a fun float.  The water level is pretty low right now so that made for some adventurous floating.

We had dinner in Tahoe City at a local brewery before heading back down to South Lake.  

Day 4 was overcast with a chance of rain.  Rain in Tahoe makes for great mountain biking.  So, we borrowed a couple extra bikes and headed to the trails.  Our main adventure for the day was riding the flume trail which offers more beautiful views of Lake Tahoe. 

Looking out over Marlette Lake...
one of the stops along the ride. 

Someone likes mountain biking! 

After a long bike ride, we hit up the "all you can eat" Sushi Pier. 

The 5th and final day was a total washout by Tahoe standards.  It rarely rains here but it rained ALL day.  Did that stop us?  NOPE!  What do you do when it's raining but the lake is calm?  GO PADDLEBOARDING! 

It was chilly.  And generally very "blah."  But, we have awesome friends who don't slow down for "a little rain."  We paddled in a couple different spots around the lake.  We also stopped in North Lake for breakfast at a little coffeehouse (one of the best southern style biscuits I've had since moving to Tahoe).  

After spending a sufficient amount of time in the rain, we rode the Gondola at Heavenly which put us up above the clouds.  

We chose to do dinner at home that night since I had to work and they were leaving EARLY in the morning... but it might have been the best dinner all week.  We grilled filet mignon and shared some wine that our friends brought from their travels through Napa.  

We had such an amazing time. I hated to see my 5 day vacation come to an end.  I'm so proud of all the adventures that our friends were willing to embark on.  And although we are 3,000 miles apart, I'm so glad that we have kept in touch.  We can count on them be adventurous with us!  

Thanks for visiting Dacia and Nathan!  And thanks for being SO much fun to hang out with! Come back anytime (maybe in the winter for some skiing/snowboarding adventures).  Miss you guys!