Tahoe Getaway

You know how sometimes in life the stars just seem to align and you have to pinch yourself because you feel so lucky? Well, that happened to me and Dave when we found out we'd get to take a trip together to Lake Tahoe. Dave had to go to Reno for a week for work training, and as luck would have it, an incredibly generous friend of mine offered her vacation condo in Lake Tahoe to us! So, after Dave's week-long training, I flew out to meet him, and we spent an awesome long weekend together in Lake Tahoe. And by the way, it's just as beautiful as everyone says. These pictures don't do it justice, but you'll get the idea!

While it was a little hard for me to leave Andra at home (four nights was the longest I'd ever been away from her), I also knew it'd be really nice for Dave and I to reconnect before our lives are turned upside down again with the arrival of the baby. So Andra got to spend some special time with her grandparents, which is always a treat for her! She was spoiled rotten, of course, and I was even informed that one night she had ice cream and M&Ms for dinner. :) The girl knows how to play her cards right.

One of our favorite activities in Tahoe was a tour of the lake on board the Tahoe Queen. It took us to Emerald Bay, which was breathtaking! We went all the way back into the bay, and the mountains were just towering over us. It was incredible.

This next picture is from one of our favorite discoveries we made while in Tahoe...Memorial Point. It's a lookout just off the main drag, and a short hike leads you to this (and several) other incredible views. The water was an amazing turquoise in some spots, a rich blue in the deeper areas, and crystal clear! It made you just want to jump in! ...but oh man, was it COLD! The lake is all snow run-off from the mountains, so the temperature in most places is in the 60s. Brrrr! We did get in a few times, but usually not for very long! The locals call it "refreshing." :) um, okay.

At Memorial Point together... this spot both brought us back to our honeymoon. It reminded us of a picnic spot we discovered on the coast of Maui! (Crystal, GO THERE! It's in the Hawaii book I sent you!)

We also took a gondola ride to the top of a mountain for some incredible views. Dave is terrified of heights, so the ride up wasn't so pleasant for him, but he did it for me. What a guy. ;)

The view from the top. Dave admitted it was worth the terrifying gondola ride. :)

One night we had a casual picnic on the beach and watched the sunset. So relaxing and so beautiful!

As if the gondola ride wasn't enough, I also made Dave drive this hairpin-turn road to the top of a mountain to reach Donner Pass. I'm pretty sure he wanted to kill me with his bare hands (if he could have taken them off the wheel) on the way up, but we survived the trip and were rewarded with another incredible view! (In my defense, I offered to drive many times, but he refused) Again, he thought the view was pretty incredible once we made it to the top. :)

We had such an amazing time together and finished our trip with a romantic, relaxing sunset dinner lakeside with a great view of a marina (below) and the mountains in the distance. I had the best salmon I've probably ever eaten in my life (and I eat a lot of salmon!), and dessert was divine. It was called Hula Pie, and was a giant slice of Macadamia Nut ice cream pie about as big as your head. When it arrived on our table, we thought we'd never be able to eat it all. And then we did. :) Dave even accused me of licking the chocolate syrup off the plate. I blamed it on the baby. :) I should've taken a picture of the pie, darnit.

So we came back relaxed, rejuvenated and (hopefully!) a little bit more ready to embrace the chaos of a new baby arriving. It was an incredible getaway, and we're already wanting to take the "kids" back someday! There were some water sports I couldn't take part in (belly in the way) and lots of fun family activities we'd like to do too. So, until next time, Tahoe...