Lake Tahoe

 Saturday, July 22, 2023

Jay, Laura and Anton picked me up at 9:00 a.m. instead of the original 10, because Jay wanted to check out what delay occurred that he was informed about. We will be on time in spite of a car being hit, but no delay resulted. We headed for the Amtrak station by the airport and had about a two-hour wait.

It is a glorious summer day as we boarded the train to Chicago.  We arrived at Union station and I was able to walk to the lounge where we waited to be called and had hamburgers to ease our hunger.  Jay arranged a cart to take me to Car 531 on the California Zephyr. Laura and I will be sharing Roomette 6 across the aisle from Jay and Anton. Our roomette is very tiny, not much room to stretch out.  Laura and I are sitting across from each other and enjoying the ride.  Jay and Laura obviously have done this before and came prepared -  Laura, with two bottles of wine in her luggage (correction, 3!), and Jay managed to get a bucket of ice. We had goldfish crackers and spiced cashews with our wine before dinner.

Dinner was very nice in the dining car, with fresh roses on each table.  We had our dinner at 6:00 p.m.; I had flatiron  steak with cheesecake for dessert.

Derrick prepared our beds before 9:00 p.m. and now it gets interesting. We have upper and lower beds. Laura would not sleep on the upper, so Jay slept on my upper bed and Laura used the lower bed in the room across the aisle and Anton slept in her upper bed 

Sunday, July 23, 2023

I had a miserable night, hardly slept.  The space is very confining, the ride was extremely rough (I felt that I might be thrown off the bed; Jay was buckled in) and it was quite stuffy.  Laura asked for ibuprofen to ease her sore shoulder, and did not sleep at all. 

A beautiful sunny day. I had French toast for breakfast.  Now I'm parked in the Observation car for the day with my knitting/tablet/phone to take in the sights.

We spotted antelope and horses, but not much of any other wildlife.  The mountain vistas and crags are magnificent. We passed under the Continental Divide through a 10-minute tunnel.

I finished a cap before it was just about time for lunch.

Through the day we traveled at a much slower speed. We were told that would be the case for safety reasons, because the intense heat causes the tracks to expand and contract.  Going at this slower speed we seem to be just floating on the track. Jay is working on some project for his airline work. Anton pops up now and then and takes advantage of brief station stops to vape.  When Laura and I went back to our room to read we did not miss out on any scenery which transformed from mountains to spectacular rock formations. We let our imaginations turn these formations to artistic sculptures: soldiers, pyramids, caves, all carved by the ages of nature. 

I had delicious salmon for dinner. To be on the safe side I asked Laura for some Melatonin to get a better night's sleep.

Monday July 24, 2023

I had a very restful night. The ride was smoother and I had no problem getting back to sleep after I got up to use the restroom.   Jay thought I was dead when he tried waking me for breakfast. I had oatmeal with raisins, delicious strawberries, yogurt and a croissant for breakfast.  I'm sitting in the Observation car with the sun behind the clouds passing flat hills of  Nevada with high hills in the background. We will be 1 1/2 hours late into Reno, most likely because of the slower travel time yesterday.

We arrived in Reno at 10:45 a.m. and waited only a short while for a Uber driver with a bright red SUV to arrive and take us to our rental SUV, a shiny, black roomy vehicle. 

Aleksei was at a dental appointment when we arrived at the Station House Inn that he manages.  We had lunch at Applebee's and then drove some distance to our lodging while we are here. Fabulous!  My bedroom is on the first floor, two are upstairs. 

With a gorgeous view from our balcony.

We tried unsuccessfully to connect to the Internet; a man said he'd be over in an hour, that never happened. It's promised for tomorrow. Aleksei and Annika arrived with lots of hugs.  Jay and Laura did the grocery shopping.

Jay added more toppings to a cheese pizza that took longer to bake because the oven temperature did not seem to be accurate. It was delicious with a Caesar salad.

Everyone was ready to turn in early after a long day.  Jay took Anton and Annika to Aleksei's to spend the night. 

Tuesday, July 25.

I slept very well.  I had the window open and the bed was very comfortable. A shower never felt so good.  I'm having coffee on the balcony on a clear, cool day.

We drove to Aleksei's home where Anton and Annika spent the night.  He has a cozy place, just right for him.

Our objective was to explore the Lake Tahoe area and have a picnic lunch. The beaches were very crowded with a $10.00 parking charge. Jay found a perfect picnic area with some venders nearby. Annika and I each bought some Pakistani chips and dips to accompany the apple slices, grapes, cheese, nuts and crackers that Jay spread out.

We did a lot of driving and followed Aleksei's suggestion to head to Emerald Bay.  That was the highlight of the day, with a fabulous view of the lake and mountains.  

Fannette Island is the only island in Lake Tahoe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fannette_Island

We stopped for gas and more groceries before getting to our place.  We sat on the balcony while Jay prepared pasta with meat and sauce with a Caesar salad.  Anton and Aleksei are in charge of clean-up.

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Jay picked up Anton and Annika at Aleksei's. Aleksei had a meeting and then dropped off his car for repair.  Jay's breakfast today was scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit and English muffins.  After breakfast we picked up Aleksei from the car repair and started our adventure for the day.

An hour drive took us to historic Placerville, CA.  We just happened to park in front of a needlework store, where I hoped to find a knitting row counter. This store sold mostly needlework supplies for embroidery and cross stitch; it was very well stocked. The lady in charge said that I'd find what I was looking for at the yarn shop.  

We stopped into the oldest hardware store west of the Mississippi with typical hardware items neatly arranged before  heading in the direction of the yarn shop; however, the only row counter was one that stood upright, not much different than my paper and pencil.  I was looking for one that fit on my finger.  The lady told me about a knitting companion app that would do the trick, also Ravelry where one can find almost any pattern printed.  

The Main Street was lined with many unique shops; Laura found three P. D. James books that she'd never read, and Annika couldn't separate herself from the cat in the book store. Small restaurants, clothing stores and various gift shops invited inspection. The Bell Tower has an interesting history, and served an important role summoning volunteer firefighters. 

 https://www.cityofplacerville.org/the-story-of-the-belltower

My GPS found a park in the Fair  Grounds with tables under a shelter covered with grape vines.  We had our usual luncheon that was just right.

We drove to the El Dorado County Museum where a docent gave a wonderful tour of the items on display: Native American basketry, gold mining methods, logging, home décor, the pony express, plus much more. She also pointed out a wheel barrow made by John M. Studebaker in his shop on Mail Street  Her presentation enriched our experience.

Malted milks at  the Shoestring were just about right at this time.

We picked up groceries before going home, enough for Jay's dinner of stir-fried shrimp and vegetables, rice and garlic pita bread.

Laura and I stayed on the balcony until we could see the stars; the big dipper was right above us.  I don't know when I saw the sky so dark with stars so visible.

Thursday,  July 27, 2023

We had cinnamon buns and fruit for breakfast with the whole family; we're trying to use up our food.  We dropped off the boys and Annika at Aleksei's; they were going to explore while we were going to visit an historic mansion.

We took about an hour-long uphill and curvy drive to Sugar Pine State Park. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Z%27berg_Sugar_Pine_Point_State_Park

and a walk to the Hellman-Ehrman Mansion.  https://sierranevadageotourism.org/entries/ehrman-mansion-sugar-pine-point-state-park/b3f058b4-3930-48c8-879d-3b974f578d70

We had reservations for a 1:30 p.m. tour.  Our docent gave us a history of the property which was used only in the summer.  

The most impressive was the dining room, set with fine china and a formal setting.  The paneling was thin redwood woven to cover the walls around cabinets and woodwork. 

We were free to explore the massive second floor with eight bedrooms and a number of bathrooms.  We finished our tour in the lower level with the kitchen and utility areas.

We found a picnic table among the stately trees and had a satisfying light lunch.

We drove to the Station House Hotel to meet the boys and Annika. It was too busy to take a tour, but we were in time for the Happy Hour and had some wine.

Laura was in charge of dinner tonight.  Medium rare filets, baked potatoes with the fixings and a crunchy salad made a splendid meal.

Friday, July 28, 2023

Every morning Jay brings me fresh brewed coffee as I breathe in this fresh air and gorgeous scenery on the balcony. The mornings have been clear and cool, hardly any breeze.

The boys and Annika arrived for breakfast, and we cleaned and packed ready for our departure. A cleaning lady was at our door at 10:00 a.m. as we were leaving. 

We drove to the Station House Inn for a tour of the 96-unit property that includes a spacious dining room and large swimming pool.

Our destination is Virginia City before our final destination of Reno.  Jay could not drive into the Main Street that was blocked off and lined with all models and ages of cars for a car show.  Jay dropped us off while he parked the SUV down a very steep hill. It looked like a fair, people milling about on the road and wooden sidewalks, admiring the cars and poking into shops. 

I walked on the shady side of the road for a while, and then found a bench while the others explored on their own.  I enjoyed live music and people watching.

A sheriff told Jay where he could find a park.

I never dreamed we'd find a shady spot in this town of blazing sunshine and 90+ degree heat to have lunch.  It was perfect.  The tall trees provided a coolness that we never expected.

We had warm goodbyes for Aleksei as we were separating.  It was a wonderful time to be all together.

We contemplated visiting another historic mansion, but there wasn't enough enthusiasm, so we headed to the Comfort Inn in Reno, where we'll spend the night before our morning flight.

Jay made reservations for 6:30 p.m. at Arari, a Korean restaurant in downtown Reno. We had a variety of small plates that we devoured, and no one was uncomfortably full.  What a meal, with excellent service.

Saturday, July 29

We had our complimentary breakfast early and were shuttled a short distance to the airport. Something did not agree with me from last night (I think the edemame beans), but a few Imodium settled things.

We had a smooth flight from Reno to Denver; Jay pushed me in a wheelchair. An attendant pushed me to the lounge area for our 3-hour layover.  We had snacks and read/played phone games to pass the time.  Laura and I will be flying first class.

First class meant only more leg room.  There was a delay, but eventually took off at about 7:30 p.m. We had wine and popcorn, but no meal; It was a short flight.

I got wheeled to the shuttle that took us to the Amtrak station for Jay's SUV.  After dropping Annika off at her apartment, I got home at 11:30 p.m.