My mom took a cross-country road trip when she was 21, from Albany, NY to San Francisco, CA. In her frequent recollections of the trip, she always told me that Lake Tahoe was one of the most stunning places she saw along the route, and all of the beauty made the long drive worthwhile.
Earlier this year, when we moved to the West Coast, I thought "Gee, we're so close to Lake Tahoe now. {my oldest friend} Zanne moved there last winter. We should totally drive down and visit one weekend". Little did I know that it was a 13 hour drive in good weather with no traffic.
Disclaimer: I am from New England...where you can drive from Mid-coast Maine to Southern Connecticut in 6 hours. 5 states in 6 hours. So I totally thought that Seattle to Tahoe would be a 7 hour drive. Maximum. Yet again,I was reminded that the West Coast is HUGE.
Regardless of the long haul, my husband LOVES Lake Tahoe, and is never one to shy away from an epic road trip. Especially one that allows him to put his 4motion Passat and new snow tires to the test.
Last Thursday, we hopped in the car with the dog and our ski gear and we hit the road. The first leg was simple enough, Seattle to Eugene, OR- where we spent the night at a LaQuinta (FYI, they are pet friendly hotels).
Friday, we awoke before sunrise, like eager children on Christmas morning. The drive was lovely, with big views of Mt Shasta, long snow-dusted climbs through the Siskiyous and vast open valleys that brought us into Nevada. Reno, heavily sprinkled with casinos and commerce, was a stark contrast. From Reno we climbed Mt Rose, the final mountain before descending upon the lake, was a maze of switchback turns each one revealing impressive vast views of the Nevada desert below.
And then, suddenly around an unassuming bend, was this....Lake Tahoe - a deep deep blue lake, surrounded by jagged mountains, snuggled into a fresh blanket of snow. It was indeed, a stunner.
My girlfriend lives on the Nevada California state line, just off the lake (and around the corner from what used to be Frank Sinatra's mountain home!). After stretching our legs we geared up and headed for Boreal, where we enjoyed some night skiing. I hadn't been skiing in over 8 years, and was nervous that I would be a total disaster. But, I rather impressed myself. I made it off the lift without making a scene, and took some careful turns to get my bearings. I was pleasantly surprised and had a BLAST!
Saturday, we took an awesome sight seeing tour around the lake, stopping along the way for photos, shopping, and warming cocktails. Catching up with friends was so wonderful, and in such an amazing spot. Unfortunately, given the winter storm pushing in Sunday, we left earlier than expected.
The drive back to Washington was a wild adventure to say the least. To avoid road closures on our incoming route, we decided to go East to avoid the snow, on smaller rural roads. But the snow found us. We drove through blustery storms and roads buried in compact snow for close to 400 miles. On various occasions, we were stopped for over an hour on a 2 lane road, 50 miles from any intersecting roads, due to accidents. Being delayed was a total bummer, but man, I have NEVER been stuck in traffic in such a picturesque place. As we crossed into Washington late on Sunday night, we began to see shooting stars. It was the Geminids meteor shower, and it was terrific!
All in all, it was a LOT of driving, 30 hours in total. But, spending quality adventure time with my husband, catching up with a dear friend, exploring a stunning place...well, it's just like my mom said it was - totally worth it.
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| Sunrise outside Eugene |
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| Captain at the helm |
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| Road trip selfie with Mae |
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| Driving through the Siskiyous |
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| Crossing into Nevada |
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| Descending Mt Rose into Lake Tahoe...HEAVEN |
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| Night skiing at Boreal |
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| Happy Christmas puppy by the fire |
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| Drink Tahoe Brew |
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| Around the lake tour |
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| I slipped so many times on the snow...as if I'd never walked on snow before |
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| Rainbows in Reno |
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| Oregon roads |
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| Breath-taking sunset |
Happy road trippin'!
xoxo,
Bee
