Lake Tahoe : Part I

In an effort to take advantage of a few mutual days off work during Thanksgiving weekend, Weston and I road tripped up to Lake Tahoe. We both went into it with no real ideas about what to expect since Weston had never been there and my only previous visit occurred when I was 4 years old, but the town was even more beautiful and refreshing than I had imagined it would be.

We stayed at a cute little hotel in South Lake called Basecamp. Our first night in town was spent exploring the little shops and restaurants in Heavenly Village. Pizza, wine, and chocolate truffles in our bellies, we watched people circling an outdoor ice rink, admired the christmas decorations, and visited every firepit we came across for at least a moment or two.

The next morning, after breakfast, we took the Heavenly Gondola up to the top of the mountain. We had no idea how high this thing was actually going to take us until we were at the top… and then realized we were only halfway to our destination, haha. This was something that got recommended to us several times when we were planning our trip and afterward, we agreed it was worth the hype. After a scenic stop halfway up the mountain for a breathtaking view of the lake, we got back on the lift and continued all the way up to the ski lodge. We sat inside drinking hot chocolate and watching skiers and snowboarders make their way up and down the slopes for a while before heading back down to the snowless foot of the mountain.

Afterwards, we headed to lunch at Sonney's BBQ. I mention the name because it was seriously delicious and if you go to South Lake Tahoe, you should try it out. Weston said that if he could only eat one meal for the rest of his life it would probably be their pulled pork sandwich.

As we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, little snowflakes slowly started to fall. I was really trying to contain my excitement until one of the guys who works at the restaurant came out and exclaimed, "Yes, awesome! Snow! Woohoo! Nice!" If the locals can geek out about it, SO CAN I.

They seated us inside, next to a cozy fireplace and a nice big window so I could stare longingly outside in between starting at Weston, silently willing him to please-eat-faster-because-in-case-you-didn't-know-it's-snowing! This is probably a funny thing for you non-SoCal friends to read about, but I have only seen snow fall maybe once in my life and before this day, Weston never had! So we were thrilled to our cores.

After lunch, we crossed the street to venture into a forest of trees and explore in the snow. Trying to keep my camera dry was a funny process, but by the end of it, we were such pros that we even threw together a contraption that held my umbrella over the tripod so we could get a few pictures of ourselves via self timer - just like the locals do! Right? ;) 

I also got my first pair of rain boots for my birthday and this was my first chance to use them 

so there may have been a significant amount of puddle-jumping while in Tahoe.

^ This picture was right after Weston slipped off of a branch he had been standing on. Outtakes are usually my favorites and this is not an exception. :)

It was pretty magical. I wish I could have put some of that snow in my pocket and saved it forever, but these pictures do a really good job of taking me right back to the happiest moment of our trip. 

More of Tahoe to come.