happy new year

The last few months of 2012 were a bit of a whirlwind, with celebrations in various locations from Florida to Singapore. The most recent – New Year’s Eve – took place for us in Breckenridge, and I was so happy to be there, even though it meant skiing with a broken toe (not fun, but I pushed through the pain).

We stayed at the family home of a good friend with a beautiful setting in a valley across from the ski resort. When the lift lines were too long to deal with, we avoided the crowds with sledding and snowshoeing. Winter fun all around. 

lake shasta

Two weekends ago, a group of 10 of us packed up our cars (and four dogs) and headed north on Interstate 5 for a weekend of camping at Lake Shasta, part of Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Just south of Mt. Shasta in the very southern end of the Cascades, Lake Shasta is one of my new favorite California destinations, if only for the fact that I can rent a boat, actually swim in the water (basically impossible in the Pacific or in Lake Tahoe, unless I want freeze to death) and feel like I’m back home at Table Rock.

We camped at Hirz Bay campground and rented two pontoon boats, loaded down with ice-cold drinks and slightly freaked-out canines, for a day of fun in the sun.

where is the snow?

We have been snowless all month in Lake Tahoe. The skiing is not great, but that hasn’t stopped us from going up every weekend anyway. In lieu of doing laps on the single open run, over and over, we spent one afternoon hiking. The landscape changed from dry, desert-like conditions to a snow-covered path leading to a frozen lake. Winter is not in full swing, but we are hopeful, and until then, we will enjoy the mountains any way we can.

a happy 4th of july

With the exception of a few international trips, I have spent every 4th of July of my life at Table Rock Lake in southwest Missouri. Those who know me know it’s pretty much my favorite place to be on any given day from about March to October, and when I don’t get to spend a 4th of July there (a lot rarer than you may think considering I don’t usually live anywhere near Missouri), I can get achingly sad. Luckily, I have deep, crystal-clear, fabulous Lake Tahoe a few hours from my doorstep. When we first considered going to Tahoe for the 4th of July, I naturally assumed it’d be a weekend of summery lake activities. I was wrong. Part of the weekend was spent that way, but on the 4th itself, I went skiing. Water-skiing, you presume? No. Snow-skiing. Snow-skiing on the 4th of July. It was odd, but tons of fun and certainly the most unlikely 4th of July I’ve ever spent (this includes three occasions of not actually being in the USA). Squaw Valley does summertime skiing right, with a sparkling swimming pool at the top of the mountain.

We had the good fortune of friends with access to a secluded cabin on Lake Mary (a much smaller lake near Tahoe, adjacent to Sugar Bowl Ski Resort), to which we had to hike through snow, still on the ground months after ski season should have ended. The hike was worth it, though, for the perfect woodsy spot.

 

brotherly love

Apologies for my lack of posting! So far, summer has kept me away from the computer... a nice change. After a lovely 11 days at home in Missouri in late May, my little brother came to visit me in San Francisco, and we had a great time both in the city and at Lake Tahoe. I am happy to report that Lake Tahoe is just as glorious in the summer as it is in winter (as I knew it would be). We enjoyed a beautiful hike along Emerald Bay and some lakeside music on Commons Beach in Tahoe City.

Back in the city, a bike ride through Golden Gate Park was a nice ending to Lucas’s trip.


In San Francisco: a turtle swimming at the Palace of Fine Arts, next to the Exploratorium (above left); Lucas at the Exploratorium – an interactive science museum (above right)

In Lake Tahoe: Lower Eagle Falls (above left, middle and right); continuing the hike to Upper Eagle Falls (below left); Lucas and I at Upper Eagle Falls (below right); Upper Eagle Falls (further below)


Emerald Bay from the highway (above left); Lake Tahoe from Commons Beach (above right); Seb and Lucas jumping in freezing water (below left); beautiful, beautiful Lake Tahoe (below right)

Music on Commons Beach, Tahoe City (above left); clear blue water (above right)
Biking through Golden Gate Park: the Chinese pagoda in Stow Lake (below left); the plaza between the de Young Museum and the Academy of Sciences (below right)