Life's Journey

Go… go… go… to the doctor, to get a shot, to labs, to the next work meeting, to the grocery, the list goes on. It's so easy for the days to be one big never ending task list. Well, I quit. I refuse to stay in this pattern of go, go, go! Ok, ok, what I quickly learned was that this is just life - there are things you gotta do. There are things that need to be done. But, I needed a break… and thanks to a few angels out there - I got a perfect break.

Roy and I spent last weekend in Tahoe. Neither of us had been there before and everyone that's been there goes on and on about how beautiful it is so we were really looking forward to it. My angels took care of our flights and hotel stay. We flew into Reno and had lunch with a dear friend (aka angel) before we drove to the lake. The drive was so pretty, we took a route up and over a mountain, through Incline Village and down to the lake. We decided to check in and get settled at our resort. I can't imagine a more perfect spot. We stayed at Mourelatos Resort which is literally right on the lake on the north shore. It's a small family owned resort and they (through my angels) gifted us our stay for the weekend. They gave us one of their suites that was right on the end of the building, we had our own wrap around porch that was on the beach. The lake is breathtaking. It's surrounded by beautiful snow capped mountains. We unpacked and took some time to just sit in the lounge chairs on our patio and take it all in.

Now, for those of you that know Roy and I well I know your questioning how we "just sat" - go, go, go is out usual travel schedule. And with my color coded itineraries we have every second booked. Well, this trip had no itinerary, no plans, no "go"! We came here to relax. The room had a little kitchenette so we decided to explore the area a little and find a store to stock up. I'm not sure why we felt the need to stock the place, we were only there for two nights but apparently we were hungry when we had the idea. LOL We ended up leaving quite a bit of untouched food behind.

We were told to check out the Ritz, it's a ski in/out resort not too far from the resort. The Ritz always has delicious restaurants so we thought we'd head that way for dinner. The hotel was beautiful, a huge stone fireplace, wood beam ceilings, snow everywhere. But, we thought it would be on the side of the mountain with a view of the lake, but from here you couldn't see the lake. We headed to the bar for a drink and to talk to the bartenders about the area. They were very helpful. We asked for a suggestion for dinner on the lake and ended up at Lone Eagle Grill. It's right on the lake, beautiful views, friendly staff, and yummy food! I would highly recommend this spot if you ever go to the area. We had a great night together - relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

The next morning we were up early to watch the sunrise - amazing! Once the sun was up went to a great local spot called the Log Cabin for breakfast - YUM is the best description. After breakfast I called my dad. He and his wife, Marjorie, live in San Francisco which is a quick drive away so when I told him we were headed out he jumped at the chance to come spend some time with us. There were on the road and arrive a short time later. It was great to see them and get a chance to spend some time together - last time I saw them was New Years in Vegas. We all loaded into the car and took a drive around the lake. This is a fairly short trip, a couple of hours, but the changes in scenery along the way were amazing! We started at the North Shore and traveled East all the way around. You start in a small town area which leads to a trail of million dollar homes, then you travel around a bend and like magic you are transported to pine trees, snow, and beautiful views of the lake. We stopped many times along our route to take some pictures - I'll add some to the photos section of the site soon. The South Shore is totally different from the North - there were ski lodges, lifts, shopping, shopping, shopping, and casinos. Way more touristy and less relaxing than the North Shore. But, it was cool to drive through and see it all. The West side of the lake is by far more scenic. The road is a sheer drop off on the lake side and mountain on the other. We took a detour to Squaw Village. My angels had given us tickets on the tram to go to the top of the mountain. They held the Olympics here in 1960 so there was a ton of Olympic memoribelia around the area. It was cold but not crazy cold, a jacket and a scarf did the trick. We enjoyed lunch here before heading back down. We were all pretty tired by then so we took time to rest (aka nap). We met up later for drinks and dinner - another great spot right on the lake called Garwoods - it's huge and apparently always full. Dinner was good and the company was even better! This was our last night at the lake - it had gotten a little colder and windy so no sitting on the patio tonight.

We all headed to the Log Cabin for another delicious breakfast before Dad hit the road. We went back to the resort to enjoy the scene a little longer before we headed back to Reno. I must admit that I was so relaxed at this point, I for sure was not ready to leave. But, leave we must. We got to Reno faster than expected and had an hour to waste before going to the airport so we went to downtown Reno. "The biggest little city in the world" is an interesting description at best. It's like a mini, old Vegas with casinos, bars, and toursity shops. We got a little swag, walked around, and then off to the airport to go back to the real world.

We didn't have a color coded itinerary but found it was easy to fill our days at the lake. I can't thank the angels enough for setting this all up for us. The resort was picture perfect and the staff was so nice. Roy and I were in need of time to relax and get away from the daily grind.

Sending hugs and smiles.