6-29-15

Me: My Bear Run!

Yesterday morning I did a 4 mile jog with Harley. On the trail coming back to the cabin I saw this big brown bear. Yikes! :-/

A couple seconds later another bear! This one was bigger with a black coat. Both are California "Black Bears" but some have a brown coat. But those are minor details…I was concerned about getting around them safely. Luckily Bob was walking from the cabin to meet Harley & I and he spotted the bears too (on the other side of Harley & I). We tiptoed towards Bob & the 3 of us quietly got ourselves home. 

PS: This makes the 3rd bear I've seen in a week while running. Bob saw a Mama bear & 2 cubs the 1st week here. Hmmm…I think I'll change my run route.

6-28-15

Me: 6/27 continued…

After some beach time on the east side of Lake Tahoe; Kata, Bob & I drove around the north & west shores to tour.

We stopped at Garwoods for an appetizer & Wet Woody (a favorite lake drink).

Then we stopped here; Chambers Landing. It's a cute little cabin on the shore with dock seating for drinks. Most everyone had cleared out due to grey skies but that made it more fun for us!

We loved the view with rain coming down on the lake's east shore.

This group selfie cracks me up!! :-/

We hung out for a long time. Great laughs & conversation about solving the world's problems :-)

Besides…why be in a hurry to leave this view?!!!

Kata is always game for goofy poses. Thanks, Kata! 

And thanks for taking a nice pic of Bob & I. 

We ended our day with ice cream at Camp Richardson & then collapsed. We packed a lot of fun in from sunrise to sunset.

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The next morning (6/28) Kata felt under the weather & we only had a few hours before she needed to get to the airport. We kept things low key with yoga at Tallac Beach & breakfast at Sprouts.

Then while Bob & Harley waited on a bench, Kata & I did a little shopping at Heavenly.

I'm pretty happy with my new Alpaca hat! Haha. I skipped buying the hat but Kata found a couple souvenirs. Love that Kata flew out for a whirlwind 38 hours in Tahoe. Good times!!

6-27-15

Me: Our good friend, Kata flew in for the weekend! She got in late last night (6/26) & today we got up early to mountain bike.

Of course I took her on my favorite Tahoe ride!

It starts with a 2 hour climb that reaches Marlette Peak & Marlette Lake lookout. We ate snacks here, took in the view & felt thankful for strong legs to take us to places like this.

The climb was rewarded with a lot of downhill.

We eventually popped out on the famous Flume Trail & rode this single track along the mountain's edge. The Flume Trail has amazing lake views!

 Love this pic of Kata with Sand Harbor below.

We had a beautiful sunny day & the trails to ourselves (it pays to get up early)!

There are a couple tricky sections on The Flume. Nice riding, Kata!

One more pic of Sand Harbor…

One more pic of Kata...

One more pic of us & we were off to meet Bob for some swimming.

Total bike fun: 4 hours

Thanks to Bob for scouting out some cool swimming spots.

Here's Kata & Bob climbing rocks to get there. Yep, Bob has his sling on. :-/

Here we are!

Jump, Kata!

My turn!

The chilly water was refreshing! That is Bonzai Rock behind Kata. We've noticed it's featured on many Tahoe postcards & paintings.

We spent a few hours here & at another beach before doing some sightseeing by car. 

Those pics tomorrow :-)

6-26-15

Me: Bob's parents arrived on June 24th bringing a truck full of goodies…

brownies, fresh apricots off their apricot tree, dried apricots, apricot jam, fresh apple cider, fresh apple pie & ice cream! We ate supper at the cabin followed by a lot of dessert. :-) The next morning (June 25th) we hiked the Van Sickle trail.

We like this trail.

And so do the doggies! 

Harley with cousin, Tippy.

One of our favorite parts about this trail is seeing the Sugar Pine trees & picking up a few huge cones to take home.

We also like this flat rock vista. It's a lovely spot to enjoy bagels, OJ & the view.

Traditional chocolate milkshakes for the guys followed by shopping & cabin projects.

Back at the cabin Harley got a little R&R.

We did too!

On Friday, June 26th we did all kinds of cleaning & organizing around the cabin, found some garage sales & picked out carpet for the cabin. We soon have to say good-bye to the 70's green shag. :-( Luckily we're replacing it with new green shag carpet (they just don't make it quite as funky as they did back then though). :-/

To top off a great visit with Pat & Bob (& celebrate a belated Mother's & Father's Day) we ate at The Beacon. We sat on the patio just like we did 16 years ago for our wedding rehearsal dinner. Such a nice evening & a great 3 day visit with Pat & Bob!

6-25-15

Me: Michelle, Jenn, Me, Genevieve, & Karen at Star Lake (6/21). 

Yesterday I rode this route by myself & last Sunday I rode it with these gals. It was the first time on this route & it was tough (but fun)! 

It started with a 2 hour steep climb. Can you see Karen & Genevieve in this pic? What a pretty trail!

And taking a break at Star Lake wasn't too shabby either. Thankful that I've met some locals to tour me around by bike. These girls are all fast - racing Pro & Cat 1. I love that they push me & are fun to hang out with!!! :-)