Lake Tahoe - A Wonderful Winter Wonderland Weekend

Hello everybody! As evident from the title, my most recent adventure took me to beautiful Lake Tahoe. This adventure was very special. Besides the obvious Wintery beauty that graces the expansive lake and the surrounding mountains, this adventure was extra special because my amazing, beautiful boyfriend Tucker was with me.

Just before noon on Thursday, I waited anxiously, leaned against the wall at the bottom of the escalator at the Sacramento Airport baggage claim. Goosebumps and butterflies, lots of them. Finally, he arrived! What a fantastic way to start our adventure.

We left from the airport, immediately headed for Lake Tahoe. We made excellent time. Knowing how dry and warm our winter has been, seeing no snow was not a surprise. We checked into our adorable A-Frame cabin on the Northwest shore of Lake Tahoe, in Tahoe Park, and began our weekend.

Friday took us to the South Shore of the lake. During the roughly 35 minute drive through the winding peaks, we stopped at Eagle Falls. An amazing vista it was. The lake, a frozen waterfall, towering peaks. Amazing.

Our day at South Shore was a blast. Though we did lose some money (just how much will remain a secret). We drove home the opposite way, following the lake all the way around it's eastern shore. Dinner, champagne, hot tubbing, a perfect night indeed. The fairly mild weather of the past two days flipped on it's side. Saturday morning, we awoke to about 6 inches of fresh snow, with much more in sight. A quick breakfast in town and a trip to the store was first on our list (just in case we got snowed in).

After a relaxing, snowy, dreamy Saturday, we took to the South Shore again. Sunday brought quite a bit more snow as well as another stop at Eagle Falls. This time, a fluffy, snowy view fell upon us. Winter, magic. We couldn't hike down quite as far as our first venture to the falls, but we got far enough.

South Shore took more of our money, but gave us an AMAZING dinner at Friday's Station for our 6 month anniversary. French Onion Soup, Filet Mignon, Alaskan King Crab Legs, Chocolate Molten Lava Cake and wine. WOW! I used to go to this restaurant when I was quite a bit younger for my birthday. It had probably been 18 years or so since I had been there, and it did not disappoint.

And then...oh and then...our drive back to the cabin. One word, SCARY. One of maybe 4 other cars we saw on the road as we drove through a blizzard. To make a long story short, we arrived at our cabin almost 2 hours later, having braved deep snow covered roads, high winds, limited visibility. Oh my...but we made it.

We woke up Monday to another near foot of fresh snow. Tucker had a 12:30pm flight back to Nashville, so we got up early! It was a good thing we did, the weather was CRAZY and the drive was at times, frightening. We made it though, safe and sound. Reflecting on our weekend adventure, and saddened deeply by the end of it. But our next adventure is very soon to come.

It truly was a wonderful weekend in a Wintery wonderland.

Point Reyes National Seashore - North Beach

Well hello there again! This morning I awoke rather early for a Sunday. It was a chilly and overcast morning, sunlight raining down through small openings in the clouds. Rather than spend my Sunday doing the usual...sit around, watch movies, eat all day...I decided to get up, take advantage of the sunlight and head out on another adventure.

Today's adventure took me to the Northern California Coastline...Point Reyes National Seashore to be exact. The drive from my home in Petaluma is relatively short, only about 45 minutes. Scenic, winding and deserted, the road was an adventure all of its own. Stopping in Point Reyes Station for a morning snack before heading off, I found myself in the Bovine Bakery. One of the most delicious muffins I've ever had found its way into my hands. A blueberry banana bran muffin. Yum! Muffin, and a large chai tea in hand, I was ready to go.

I drove as far as I could through the national seashore reserve. It was my intention to go all the way to the lighthouse, but the road was closed at North Beach, and the shuttle to the lighthouse was not running. Camera bag and muffin in hand, I set out on foot down the beach. I planned to go as far as I could, even walk to the lighthouse if it was possible...but it proved to be just a bit too far of a walk. The sandy beaches, the vibrant firey fauna that flooded the landscape proved to me more than enough to fill my day. Below are some photos I took from my day. Enjoy!

Mount Tamalpais - January 2nd, 2012

Well...it has been a while since my last post. I'm not one to make resolutions, however, I am making a few exceptions this year. With many wonderful adventures on my horizon, that will prove to be full of love, and beauty...I am vowing to journal them as much as I can.

Today's adventure took me a little South, to Mount Tamalpais in Marin County. Those of you on the West Coast, and many others know, that the weather this year is proving to be rather different from what we experienced last year. In taking advantage of a beautiful day, I took myself, and my camera on a hike up and around Mount Tamalpais and its Eastern Peak.

Driving on the 101, coming closer to my destination...Mount Tam revealed to be shrouded in low clouds. Unable to see the top, my excitement grew. I LOVE taking pictures with cloudy overcast skies, makes for some beautiful dramatic images.

I took my turn, wound through the narrow roads of Mill Valley, reached the cloud line and I slowed WAY down. Visibility at some points near the top were maybe 10 feet at best. I kept on, beams of sunlight filtered in periodically until suddenly, I broke through the clouds. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and I looked down on the clouds as if I was looking down on the sky itself.

The hike itself was great yet tiring. I haven't hiked for quite a while, and my legs aren't quite used to the terrain. The effort turned out to be well worth it.

Stay tuned for more tales of adventure. Lake Tahoe in two weeks will likely be the next post...though any snow on the ground is doubtful, the majesty of the lake I'm certain will never disappoint.