Lake Tahoe

Saying goodbye to the ocean did not mean we were saying goodbye to the water! Our next stop was Lake Tahoe. Chris and I spent our 5 year anniversary on the North side of Lake Tahoe, so it was time for us to explore the South side!


We arrived to a spacious and empty campground in the trees that seemed to be back in bear country, however the dumpsters were more of an invitation for these woodland animals than a deterrent. The super moon greeted us on our night of arrival and though we could not see the moon due to a thin layer of clouds, the sunset was unreal. It looked like they sky between the tree tops was on fire. "Tomorrow night we are going to the lake to watch that!" I said, not knowing we wouldn't see another sunset like that until the night before we left.

Two weeks spent in Tahoe let us enjoy some of the last weeks of camper life as though Tahoe seems to be a resort town, there are things for regular life as well. The new bike park that had opened two weeks before we arrived was a place we kept landing. The kids learned about BMX tracks and how to get both of their tires off the ground in a jump. They pedaled for hours and then came home and pedaled some more. The campground was huge and offered acres of play space. So many acres it turned out that I actually could not hear or see the boys as they ventured further and further from home. I let them have a pretty long "leash" as I knew life in suburbia with fences and HOA's was ahead, so they trampled all over creating bike jumps and pretending they were spies leaving little dirt holes and tire tracks behind them.

Plenty of space to roam!

Our "backyard" for two weeks

Our weekend was spent biking, getting a hair cut (I no longer resemble a shaggy beast!), and a hike to a beautiful lake. The hiking day dawned gray and rainy. Chris and I were a bit bummed but the kids had a blast as their favorite days were "camper" days that we were all just hanging around the abode. Finally around one in the afternoon the parents said it was time to zip on some sweatshirts and hit the trails. We drove to Angora Lake and the clouds literally parted as we got out of the truck, the last of the rain falling off the trees as we passed underneath. It was 45 degrees, but the fall colors were in their glory and it let us crunch some leaves beneath our feet and explore an empty hiking trail as the kids ran off energy and we chilled ourselves in the mountains. The trip home included stopping at a local coffee shop for some hot chocolate and cider topped with whipped cream.

Oliver at the water

Austin in the hills

Rainy days make for private hikes

 

We were there too!

 

Add caption

On our last Friday we decided to celebrate by going down to the lake for dessert. We sat right next to the beach and crossed our fingers for a brilliant sunset, I think our wish was granted!

From orange fire

to warm pink