Just because I'm back I work, I refuse to stop enjoying these last few days of summer. So, this week was jam packed with fun:
Monday night was Ladies Night paddleboarding. It was a gorgeous night. The weather was beautiful and the sunset was awesome. There is a great group of ladies who paddle each week and I've had a blast getting to know them. I didn't take any pictures but there are some on Facebook.
Tuesday night was a Ladies Night mountain bike ride. The plan was to start around 6:30 or so I thought. Instead, we started riding after 7:00 when everyone finally arrived to the trailhead. There were 20 girls! It was AWESOME! Some had never ridden before. We got to the top after the sun had set. We spent only a couple of minutes, then turned around and headed down the mountain... in the dark. It was an adventure.
Approximately half of the girls.
The beautiful sunset over the lake (as seen from my bike).
Yep... that's the moon.
ABOUT TO HEAD BACK DOWN!
A LOVELY REWARD AFTER A RIDE IN THE DARK.
Wednesday was a "normal" night. I came home, worked out and showered. Then I picked Mike up in town after he completed a LONG bike ride (~30 miles). We ate some dinner, relaxed on the couch, etc.
Thursday afternoon, Mike suggested we go to the beach. It was a lovely day but pretty windy. The lake was rough but the sound of the waves + the warm sand put me right to sleep.
Friday night was just as awesome. We went out with some friends to hear our friend's band. They were awesome and we had a great time!
Saturday morning, fall arrived. It's still pretty warm during the day but the overnight low was in the 40's!!! It was a cool, crisp, morning and it was SUPER WINDY so we decided just to stay around the house (actually, that's not totally true... Mike went on a short bike ride). Anyway, it's been a nice, relaxing weekend and we are feeling rested and ready for another work week! Stay tuned for more adventures!
Two weeks ago I went back to work... last week, the kids came back. Whew. It was a LONG week. I'm so happy to have such a wonderful job and I love seeing those kiddos but the last 2 weeks have exhausted me.
So last weekend was very mellow and relaxing. I think I stayed in pjs all day on Saturday.
This weekend, I had slightly more energy so Saturday we headed up to Northstar, a ski resort in North Lake Tahoe. They have a huge mountain biking trail system and the best part is you don't have to ride uphill... they carry you and your bike up on the ski lifts and you get to ride down.
We had a great time despite not having the right equipment but it was INSANELY dusty.
I took this video of Mike riding down a small jump... it's not that impressive of a video but I thought I would post it so you can get an idea of the DUST!!! You can see it just floating through the air.
DUSTY PANTS
CHECK OUT THOSE SOCK LINES!
We stopped at the lodge for some amazing fish tacos for lunch... rode a few more laps, then headed home... but...
...on the way home Mike wanted to stop in Incline Village at this little ale house he had heard about. Alibi Ale House in Incline Village is an awesome little place. It will likely be a regular stop anytime we're in North Lake now. They had a great little back yard area with live music. They brew their own beer and they have several food trucks that regularly serve there. Cool spot.
VERY REFRESHING AFTER A DUSTY BIKE RIDE.
Today was relaxing. We went to church and did some things around the house. I went to a yoga class then met some friends at the park for some live music. Great end to the weekend.
LIVE MUSIC IN THE PARK.
I got home just in time to see the beautiful sky after the sunset.
PICTURE DOESN'T DO IT JUSTICE.
Sorry for no post last weekend but it wouldn't have been a very exciting read.
I'm feeling rejuvenated and ready for another week at work!
I blinked and my summer break disappeared! That's ok because we've made wonderful memories and feel TRULY blessed to have had such a long break. And, let's be honest... summer still isn't over! There's still plenty of daylight in the evenings that we can go and do fun summer activities after work each day. It's definitely my favorite time of the year.
We decided to stay home and have some local adventures this week. As much as I love traveling near and far to new places, I was glad we kept it "low-key" this week. I feel more rested and ready to begin my work week.
We began the week by spending Monday at the beach! We just spent a relaxing afternoon sitting lakeside and doing a little swimming. We opted to drive to Meek's Bay which is a BEAUTIFUL area of the lake. The water is insanely blue. We napped in the sand and took a few refreshing dips in the beautiful water. Unfortunately, I didn't take a single picture. I was too busy enjoying my day of relaxation. Monday night, I joined a friend for the ladies night paddle in South Lake. Luckily, it wasn't too terribly windy and the view of the sunset from the water is amazing!
Tuesday morning I went for a run and spent the rest of the day lounging around the house. Some of our neighbors were back in town and kindly invited us over for dinner. They've moved to SoCal and we miss them terribly. We always enjoy hanging out with them. They live just down the street from us which is fantastic because we can walk home (the only problem is that I usually eat and drink way too much and then have to walk uphill to get home). It was great to spend a little time with them and we are excited to see them again in September when they are back in Tahoe for a little while.
Wednesday we met up with some friends at the beach. We just spent a couple hours lounging by the lake again, but this time there were lots of babies around! It was so cute to see them playing in the sand and water.
Thursday morning we woke up early for a morning paddle. We decided to paddle from Baldwin beach to Emerald Bay. It was an absolutely beautiful morning! It was 48 degrees that morning but once we were paddling on the water it felt a little warmer. We weren't the only ones with this idea. There were lots of people out paddling, either on stand-up paddle boards or kayaks.
INSIDE THE BAY LOOKING OUT TOWARD THE REST OF LAKE TAHOE
VIKINGSHOLM CASTLE TUCKED IN THE TREES ON THE BEACH
We've paddled to Emerald Bay once before but we've never hiked to the top of Fannette Island, the little island in the middle of the bay with a tea house on top that is part of Vikingsholm. This time, we decided to do it. We found a great spot to secure the boards while we hiked up to the tea house.
DOWNED TREE = PADDLE BOARD STORAGE
THE TEA HOUSE
WHAT A VIEW!
WELCOME TO MY NEW HOME... I wish.
After the short hike to the tea house, we paddled over to a little beach to eat a quick snack before paddling back. I ate some peanuts and had a few TINY little peanut crumbs in my hands. I hadn't even dropped any of the crumbs but the ducks were swarming us... just in case... you never know when a crumb might fall! So, I finally gave in (I usually don't condone feeding wildlife).
NOTICE THE OTHER DUCK IS SPLASHING DOWN IN THE WATER AFTER BEING UP ON THE BOARD
It was a great paddle to the bay and it didn't take very long (less than an hour to get to the island in the middle of the bay... and that includes a short stop at one of the beaches). But, after a good total body workout, we headed home to relax, cook dinner, and enjoy a beautiful sunset.
THIS IS THE VIEW FROM MY SPOT ON THE COUCH. IT'S NOT TOO SHABBY.
YOU CAN SEE A TINY BIT OF THE LAKE FROM OUR COUCH
Friday was cold and cloudy. Mike worked most of the day and I spent all day cleaning the house. It was actually pretty refreshing to have a cool/cloudy day and I was able to get a lot done without feeling like I was missing out on awesome outdoor activities.
Saturday we opted for a long bike ride. So, we rode up Cold Creek Trail to Star Lake Trail... over Freel Pass at 9,700 feet above sea level... then down the other side which included some of our favorite mountain biking trails. We planned this out ahead of time so we drove two cars since we would be beginning and ending at different places.
The climb up cold creek trail is hard for me. There are a lot of "hike-a-bike" sections which require you to carry your bike up big rocks. But, once we were beyond that trail, the next trail was a much easier climb. We finally arrived to Star Lake again... yep, we were just there last week too.
WE MEET AGAIN STAR LAKE. I COULDN'T MANAGE A SMILE YET... I WAS STILL TOO TIRED AT THIS POINT.
We ate lunch at Star Lake, then continued up and over Freel Pass... again... 9,700 feet above sea level.
AT THIS POINT, I HAD EATEN LUNCH SO I WAS SMILING AGAIN!
At first, the trail over Freel pass doesn't seem to bad. It's flowy and fun. It was a little scary in sections because it's a very narrow singletrack with sticks and rocks in the way... and it's perched pretty high up on a very steep hillside. But, overall, it was fun.
The higher you climb... the less fun it is. There are still some "hike-a-bike" sections, but now you're significantly above 9,000 ft and therefore it becomes significantly harder to perform such power activities. My sweet patient husband was so kind to wait for me along the way.
We spent a few minutes resting at the top of the pass (but sadly I was too tired to even snap a picture), then headed down the other side... ~ 12 miles of downhill reward for all of our uphill work. It was a LONG downhill. So fun.
We finally reached the bottom of the trails and we are JUST about to head back to the car when I spot Mike talking to a guy. Apparently, he fell somewhere on the trail... pretty hard. He smashed his helmet and wasn't really sure where he was. It was pretty scary. We stayed with him for a long time, asking him questions to see if he was alert and oriented. He wouldn't let us call an ambulance or take him to the hospital, and he convinced us he lived nearby, so we rode away and watched him from a distance to make sure he was going to be able to walk or ride away. Well, he didn't. He just stayed there in the same spot for what seemed like eternity. Finally, Mike rode back up to him and he had just started riding down the trail a bit. We talked some more and he seemed to be clearing a little bit. His answers were making more sense and he told us he had a phone (which he previously denied having a phone) and would call for help if needed. Meanwhile, another rider had passed along that there was an injured rider on the trail and an EMT (?) who had been out riding showed up. Long story short, the guy was definitely more coherent and convinced everyone that he could safely ride his bike home. I sure hope he made it home ok. It was pretty scary talking to him initially. Moral of the story: ALWAYS WEAR YOUR HELMET KIDS. And after a hard fall like that... throw your helmet away and get a new one.
Saturday night was take out Greek food... a long hot tub soak... and bedtime before 10:00 pm. It was fantastic!!!
I am so incredibly blessed to have a job that I enjoy doing, and that gives me a month off during the summer. I also feel so blessed to have a husband with a flexible job who can join me on awesome adventures. I'm not sure how we got so fortunate, but we are definitely trying to make the most of it.
Well, for our third week of summer vacation we decided to stay close to Tahoe. For some reason, time seemed to go especially fast this week. I am so fortunate to have a month off from work, but I can't believe I only have 1 week left! Time flies when you're having fun I guess.
So, here's a rundown of our week:
Monday, I can't even remember what we did. I'm pretty sure we spent the day recovering from last week/weekend.
Tuesday we went for a sunset mountain bike ride near our house. We are fortunate to be able to ride our bikes right from our house, just a few miles up the road, hop on a trail, and then it's miles of fun downhill riding. We end up right at the bus station, where we pay $2 to get back home. This particular trail offers beautiful views of the lake and since it faces northwest: we also were treated to a beautiful sunset.
Wednesday we opted for a longer mountain bike ride. We left right from our house again. This time, we rode the Tahoe Rim Trail to Star Lake. I love going to Star Lake but it's not very easy to get to. Luckily, it's all downhill from the lake. Unfortunately, I took a wrong turn at a fork in the road so Mike and I ended up on different trails (well, mine was less of a trail and more of a dirt road). Oops. We weren't too far from each other so I rode a connecting trail over to where he was. When we finally met up again, it was 6:15 which gave us 2 options: 1) ride as fast as we can and try to make the 6:30 bus back up the hill, or 2) take our time and just settle for taking the 7:30 bus. We were both hungry, and tired, and we smelled HORRIBLE so we agreed we wanted to push through and try to make the 6:30 bus.
BEAUTIFUL STAR LAKE
So, we finished riding the trail and pedaled across town as fast as we could. I was behind Mike but I couldn't pedal any faster. As I turned the corner, the bus passed by me, but I still had 1/4 mile or so (of uphill) until the bus stop. So, I gave up and started walking. Luckily, Mike made it on the bus. It took him a little while to load up his bike and pay the fare and I was steadily getting closer to the bus. So, I hopped on and started pedaling my heart out again. I was super close when the bus pulled away. Oh well. I was so exhausted that I just stopped and LAID DOWN in a parking lot on the side of the road... where I waited until my sweet husband came back down to pick me up.
The whole ride was 25 miles and I was exhausted. We went straight to the hot tub for a nice long soak, followed by a delicious taco dinner. Soooo good.
Thursday was recovery day. We spent the afternoon on the beach soaking up the sun and swimming in the lake.
Friday we went grocery shopping. BORING. But, we are trying a new budget so it was still an adventure (a trip to Wal-Mart is always an adventure) and we came home to dog poop in the house (sweet little Zater had a tummy ache)... so what do you know? Life is an adventure, even when you don't expect it to be!
Friday night was a BLUE MOON. We loaded up the paddle boards around 9:30 and headed to the lake. We paddled under the beautiful full moon and stars, and even saw a shooting star. The moon was so bright you could see everything around you, even the rocks in the bottom of the lake. So beautiful and peaceful.
Saturday we were ready to ride again so we did a 17 mile ride on one of the trails we ride frequently. It was another great workout followed by a delicious lunch and another hot tub soak. We cooked a new recipe and sat outside on the deck to enjoy the sunset with a glass of wine. It was lovely. We didn't take any pictures though because we were racing against a thunderstorm for most of the ride. Luckily, we didn't get caught in the storm.
EVERY NIGHT IS A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET!
Sunday morning, Mike woke up early to go skiing with some friends. Yep, snow skiing. There is still a patch of snow (believe it or not) in the higher elevations and they hike up to ski it during the summer months so that they can say they've skied every month of the year. I'm not that dedicated. But, I'm sure Mike will have some pictures on facebook.
Well folks, that's all from Tahoe for now. We have ONE more week of freedom before I head back to work and allow Mike some peace and quiet at home so he can work. So stay tuned!
