Tahoe Adventures | California Photographer
Remember not long ago when you could just pick up and go wherever you like- plane, car, hike, whatever? During this pandemic we are currently experiencing, life has almost completely halted. Our reality now includes keeping away from our extended family and friends, wearing masks in public, and hoarding toilet paper. It’s funny how quickly humans adapt, isn’t it? Still, I think it’s important to remind ourselves that this reality isn’t altogether permanent, but simply a time in our lives where we have a moment to be together at home and figure out just how tolerant we really are.
If you work from home like my husband and myself, this may not feel like a huge change; if you’re on a plane every week to a new destination and often eat dinner in your office, this is a whole new world. My hope is that we will come out of this with a greater appreciation for our families, our health, our planet (if you haven’t seen all the news coverage of animals taking over empty public places, check it out. Just yesterday we walked alongside a turkey on a walk in our very suburban neighborhood), and how resourceful we can be when we try.
Yesterday, I posed a question on Instagram asking where you would go if you could go anywhere in the world. While I could name more places than I have fingers on my hand, one place that is especially important to my family is Lake Tahoe. We’ve gone there to celebrate, to grieve, and to grow as a family. We seriously considered moving there, but I was worried about feeling too isolated; who knows, maybe one day we’ll end up there! Either way, we keep finding ourselves going back for more. This past fall, after spending a week in Santa Cruz for all my photo shoots, we made a point of driving to Tahoe, before the girls and I flew back to Colorado via Reno, and stayed in the most gorgeous AirBnB in Carnelian Bay.
We typically stay in the North Lake, but once during a blizzard that closed down both I-80 and I-50, we ended up staying at Basecamp Hotel, which I had been eager to check out ever since reading about it Sunset Magazine. Luckily, this past fall was snow free and we found this amazing AirBnb house, full of toys and perfect for little kids. Traveling with small kids is quite a bit different than traveling with another adult- no more rafting down the Truckee River, no more late night bar crawls, no snowboarding all day at one of the many gorgeous resorts, etc. But what we CAN enjoy with littles is trips to playgrounds, good pizza, rock throwing on the lake shores, and generally just spending time together.
I actually blogged some more about one our Tahoe adventure in this post.
Here are some of the places we visit and ways we pass the time in Lake Tahoe:
The Lake- duh. Besides all the fun my kids have collecting beautiful rocks along the shores, the North Lake includes a walking/bike path with clean bathrooms, playgrounds, and beautiful scenery.
Epic drives- When it’s naptime for our girls, we like to pile into the car and drive around the lake. We often stop at Emerald Bay so I can snap some iconic photos of my own, but it’s a 90 min drive that perfectly times with our girls’ sleeping schedule.
Whitecaps Pizza- It’s hard to find good pizza in California for some reason. We were excited to find this pizza place which also has an amazing kale and brussell sprouts salad!
West Shore Market- They have a great selection of made-to-order breakfast and lunch sandwiches, a well stocked wine aisle, and plenty of other tasty treats to pick up on the go.
Truckee - When we want to do a little shopping or get a good beer, we head to Truckee and visit FiftyFifty Brewing Company and Trokay for some fried chicken and waffles. It’s fun just to walk around the tiny town because you feel like you’re transported back to a time when the west was the new frontier.
So I guess it’s safe to say that we mostly spend time eating or drinking. Hey, when you have little kids, there isn’t a TON to do, especially is it’s winter and snowing. South Lake has become way more popular over the past few years and a lot of families are opting to head down there. Perhaps we’ll spend our next trip down there!
Until we can all travel again, enjoy this “Great Pause” as an opportunity to hunker down and figure out what’s important to you in your life, and don’t forget that you will be able to see your loved ones and favorite places soon again.
What I’m reading: I actually JUST finished Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah and BAWLED MY EYES OUT towards the end. I need a recommendation for my next book!
What I’m listening to: “Buttercup” by Jack Stauber, a song I discovered via one of my favorite posts every on the Upworthy Instagram feed.
What I want to learn more about: How to make sourdough bread. I bought the book How to Make Sourdough and am eager to make a loaf. I’ll keep you updated.