Lake Tahoe - You Have My Heart

When I knew we were taking a trip to Yosemite, the first thing I did was map out a trip to Lake Tahoe.  I soon learned that Lake Tahoe was about three hours away from Mammoth Lakes, so I made sure we spent a day there before going home.

You see, Lake Tahoe has a special place in our heart.  In 2005, Lew and I scheduled a trip there without knowing much about the place.  It cost us $500 for both of us round trip--this included plane tickets and lodging.  (I laugh about how much cheaper it was to travel back then.)  We were engaged to be married and thought this would be a fun, last-minute, August vacation before the summer ended.

Little did we know that we would soon fall in love with the place.  We kayaked, hiked, rented a jet ski, and even rented a Harley.  (It takes two full hours to travel around the entire lake.)  The water was so clear, we could see to the bottom of our toes, and the night sky was so dark and crisp that we could see so many stars--even shooting stars.  It's honestly one of those trips that I find myself reminiscing about the most.

While we hiked, we soon saw that Lake Tahoe was a family destination.  There were plenty of campgrounds with children and their parents.  Knowing Lew and I were soon to be married in 2006, I daydreamed about coming back when we had a family.  How cool would it be for our own children to experience this place!

Now, fast-forward thirteen years later, and we came back!  Granted, we didn't stay overnight, which is something I would like to do, but we did get to rent bicycles and ride to the historic Camp Richardson.  We put our feet in the water (the water is still cold there in June) and stopped for some ice cream before traveling back.  The beaches and the water were just as beautiful as I remembered, and I honestly cried when we left.  Maybe it was the memories of being a couple, maybe it was the joy of now being a family and bringing Lewie here, or maybe it was the spiritual connection I feel to this place.  I was sad to leave, but it was definitely an amazing way to end our trip.  I promised myself we will be back again.  Although, I am not going to wait another 13 years to do it!

Maybe I can make Lake Tahoe part of my five-year plan?  I'm not ready to say goodbye.