The Old
For the third year in a row we had a great vacation in Lake Tahoe. We stayed at the Franciscan Lodge again and upgraded by choosing a one bedroom cabin, allowing Cathy and I to have our own room while the kids slept out in the living room area. Like last year, we rafted on the Truckee river, paddled kayaks on the lake, played miniature golf, and road our bikes on the trail.
The New
However, we did add a new activity this year by riding the gondolas at the Heavenly Village, and then taking the chair lifts to the hiking trails that lead all the way to the top of the mountain. This was just over a mile hike up and got us to the 10,040 feet of elevation — the kids nearly gave up but I coaxed, cajoled, and harrassed them into persevering and making it to the top. The trip to Heavenly is definitely a worthwhile experience. And, if you’re into it, you can take the longest zip line in the United States down the mountain — a 3,300-foot journey that zips you along at up to a 50 mph. Luke is definitely into doing this, but he is a along way aways from the weight minimum of 75 lbs.. Lilah has no such interest in zipping down the mountain yet, but she did get over her fear of heights, managing to enjoy both the gondola ride and chair lift.
It’s wonderful taking the kids up each year and blending the familiar with the new. After all, even when things are familiar, your relationship with those things can change dramatically. For instance, last year I showed the kids crayfish by picking them up with my own hands while the kids watched. This year, the kids actually picked up the crayfish themselves and relished doing it (after more coaxing from dad, of course). Luke said picking up the crayfish feels like lifting up a squirmy rock — not a bad description.
The Weather
Our relationship with the weather was also a nice surprise. Similar to last year we experienced 80-degree weather for most of the trip, but this year mother nature mixed it up on us by sending a few isolated thunderstorms our way. During the first one, we were actually swimming around and having fun in the pool. It started to rain a bit, but we didn’t get out of the pool because it wasn’t raining really hard. But then the rain turned to hail, which had the kids screaming with fright and delight. We laughed as we ran to the cabin, but withing 40 minutes or so it was all over and the nice warm weather returned.
Next year, the kids want to get into some of the motorized activities, which may mean renting a boat for a half a day or a jet ski or two for an hour. Can’t wait. Enjoy the pictures!