Lake Tahoe and Yosemite

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Trip start
May 28, 2022
Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Traveler
South Lake Tahoe
May 28, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 45 °F
Today, Trisha drove me from Alta, California where we had our week long retreat back to the Sacramento Airport. I rented a Nissan Altima and headed to downtown Sacramento.

I wanted to get a chiropractic adjustment before heading to Lake Tahoe. I like having this membership where I can go pretty much anywhere and get adjusted. I like experiencing new methods of adjustments. Today the doctor did some moves I've never seen before. I felt like I got a really good adjustment on my neck. I bought a green tea match and then headed to Lake Tahoe.

The drive to Lake Tahoe on 50 is overall beautiful. I drove through Eldorado National Forest. Quite a bit of the forest was burned in a fire last September, and it still smells like fire when you drive through. Many homes were destroyed and banners hang displaying thanks to the firefighters. The areas that were burned just reopened last month. I drove through the tiny little town of Strawberry, population 50. Coming over the pass to get the first glimpse down to Lake Tahoe is amazing. I tried to snap some pictures while driving, but they turn out too good.

I arrived into South Lake Tahoe and stopped at Freshies for breakfast lunch and dinner, my only meal today. I had a peanut sauce, noodle, tofu and cabbage slaw bowl. It was deliciously spicy and the noodles were thick like dumplings.

From there I went to get a pedicure. It's quite chilly here as temperatures have dropped quite a bit in the last 24 hrs. It's going to be a low of 30 and high of 57 for the next few days. So I won't be showing off my toes much, but I was just really feeling annoyed everytime I looked at my feet... I got the works, hot stones, extra massage and paraffin wax.

Since the weather is so cold, I decided to book an Airbnb. On my way to the house I'm staying in, I rode around town up to the casino area, stopped at a couple souvenir stores, and bought some groceries. I picked up some mochi, the Japanese rice buns filled with ice cream. I just looked them up to see what they were made out of only to discover that they are choking hazards and people have died from choking on them. Crazy.

I got into this Airbnb and I'm not really happy with this place. The pictures were much better than the actual place. It's a shared house and the people in the room next to me have dogs. Also I'm sharing a bathroom with them and it's not as clean as I would like. The floor squeaks everytime the person upstairs moves.... needless to say, I found another place to stay for Monday and Tuesday night and it has a hottub.

Tomorrow I'm planning a hike on the Rubicon trail. Oh, bears are a thing here. Everyone has locked metal garbage cans to keep the bears out. Don't miss the pic of the message that the Airbnb host sent me about the bears.Read more
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Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Traveler
Rubicon Trail
May 29, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F
Wow! I'm beat. It's only 8:30 pm and I am in bed.

Woke up at 9:30 this morning, made coffee and packed my backpack for my hiking trip. No one else woke up here until 10:30. I met the guy who is staying across the hall. He's from Mexico; she's from Costa Rica and they are living in Reno right now...

I headed out for my hiking adventure after stopping at the market to get a sandwich or wrap for my lunch. I headed up 89 to DL Bliss State Park. There I paid $10 to park. By the time I got there I had to pee so bad. Two cups of coffee had hit me. There were no bathrooms nearby, so I got to use my Go Girl for the first time! Unfortunately I was not standing up. I just couldn't get private enough to do that. In one of the pics toward the beginning you'll see a big rock. This is near why I decided to try to hide to pee; however the road, parking area, and trails surrounded it on 3 sides. I squatted next to a rock and I'm pretty sure at least 4 people saw me and knew what I was doing, but I didn't really care.

I started on the Rubicon Trail here at DL Bliss. My plan was to hike almost 4 miles down to Vikingsholm Castle and then hike back up. I forgot that I hadn't hiked in a month and was out of shape. In the beginning the trail was easy, but it became more difficult as I got further in...

In most places the trail is 2.5 to 3 feet wide, dirt or dust and rock. At one place the trail narrows to one foot wide. There are a lot of people out on the trail, so when passing, someone has to get over to the side. From the trail, there are were many beautiful photo opportunities and I took advantage of all of them. When I got tired I sat down on the rocks and rested.

I got all the way down to a beach area and climbed up on a large rock to eat lunch. I pulled out my chicken wrap I'd purchased and took one bite. It was the kind of wrap that is supposed to be cooked before eating. The grain inside the wrap was uncooked and the flour wrap was doughy. I took one bite and wrapped it back up.Read more
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Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Traveler
Emerald Bay State Park
May 29, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F
There's a great campground here right on Lake Tahoe at Emerald Bay State Park. I would love to go camping here sometime. It seemed that the campground is not open yet, but in one area I did see a couple of campers.

I continued my hike south down the west side of Lake Tahoe through Emerald Lake State Park.Read more
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Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Traveler
Vikingsholm Castle
May 29, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F
I was thinking about turning around because my pubic bone was starting to hurt. The 25 pound backpack was affecting my torso and stance. But I really wanted to see the Castle, so I continued on.

Here's a little history on the castle:
The Vikingsholm foundation was laid in 1928; the building was constructed in 1929 by 200 workers.[2] Vikingsholm was built by Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight as a summer home. Before starting construction, Mrs. Knight and her architect traveled to Scandinavia to gather ideas for the house. Some parts of the structure contain no nails or spikes, as a result of old-fashioned construction methods. Most of the building was made from local materials.

While Mrs. Knight is known for building Vikingsholm, she and her businessman husband Harry were also primary backers of Charles Lindbergh's non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927.

After seeing the castle, it was time to turn around and walk back. I was looking for a shuttle or something but it was not there. So I headed back up the mountain. There was an 800 for elevation change in my hike and I hiked a total of 8.1 miles.Read more
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Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Traveler
Evening
May 29, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F
The last 2 miles were brutal. I stopped and rested in the hammock for a bit and ate a protein bar. I like these a lot, see pic. Going to order more. The last part of the treck was slow. I turtled my way back up the mountain using my walking sticks more like crutches. I did finally make it back to my car at 6 pm. 8.1 miles completed. The trail and scenery were amazing. So glad I did this. It might take me a day or two to recover. Wishing I had the hottub tonight.

I came home and grilled steak and Brussel sprouts. I had some red wine with it. This is the first alcohol I've had since Cinco de Mayo. Took a hot shower and curled up in bed with my heating pad and a few mango mochi's. 'NightRead more
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Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Traveler
North Side of Lake Tahoe, Truckee
May 30, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 37 °F
Today, I drove up the the west side of the lake again on 89 to Truckee. I went to the health food store there and ate lunch and walked around downtown Truckee.

You know, Lake Tahoe seems behind in many ways. People here are progressive I've noticed.... very health conscious; they eat salads... like middle-aged men eat salads for dinner and go to the grocery store and just buy salad. And of course they are very eco friendly here. If you don't bring your own bags to the grocery stores in California, they charge you for the bags you use. At the same time, remodeling updates, decor and other things seem behind the times. The closest Home Depots are Carson City and Reno... I've noticed several times now that credit card processing takes forever and the waitresses are using old school paper for orders. I've seen several venues staple receipts together. It's baffling.

After Truckee, I drove and walked Tahoe City, Kings Beach and Tahoe Vista today. Lots of cute shops and such in these little towns that surround Lake Tahoe.

I'm staying in Tahoe Vista for a couple of days. I've got a whole house to myself and a hottub too. Got in the hottub, cooked dinner, watched a movie, reviewed one weeks worth of emails and processed payroll tonight.

There's a trail that connects right here behind the house, and I'm very close to the Lake where I'm staying so planning on checking that out tomorrow... walk down to the lake on the trail. I also plan to take a road trip up to Incline Village.Read more
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Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Traveler
Plans Change
May 31, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F
My heart is broken after getting devastating news this morning. My brother called me at 10:30 pacific time as I was getting my coffee to tell me that our sister Donna and her husband Bart were in a car accident and Bart was instantly killed. My sister did CPR on him to no avail. Everyone is still in shock.

They were simply rear ended at a construction road stop on 33 north of Lakeland. How? Why? No! It can't be so.

My sister was taken to the hospital and John our brother spent the day with her. She is physically in pain and limping but no major injuries. She was released home this evening.

I've not left the house today except for 30 minutes in the hottub and grilling my dinner on the deck. I worked some, caught up on email, did laundry, re packed, and changed my flight and car rental reservations.

Tomorrow I'll be heading to Yosemite for one day (instead of 3), staying in Groveland tomorrow night and flying home early on Thursday. I need to be with my family.

I don't know what to say except life is precious. Everyday is a gift. Bart Bryant was a PGA Golfer with 11 professional wins. Most importantly, he was one of the kindest and most genuine persons I've ever met... an amazing man. If you follow golf, look for mention and memorial of Bart and his career in the upcoming tournament. We will miss you, Bart.

Tomorrow is another day. We'll wake up in the morning and the reality will again hit us smack in the face. But I will say, "Thank You for this day. "

I plan to get up at 3 am to get to Yosemite early.Read more
Traveler💔 again so sorry for you, Donna and family. My deepest condolence and prayers for you all. As you know if you need anything, an ear to listen, shoulder to cry on, or anything else Kim just ask. Remember meeting Donna at the beach and she was such a sweet person just like her sister, I really feel fir her and family. As you said life is short and precious, none of us our promised tomorrow unfortunately. Try and enjoy your day at Yosemite.
6/1/22Reply
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Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Traveler
Yosemite National Park
June 1, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 41 °F
I got up early this morning, 5 am and headed to Yosemite. It's my first time visiting Yosemite and I have one day, so I wanted to get an early start.

I packed up, put the garbage in the bear can, and headed out. I decided to try out my 12 volt coffee maker. I slid in a Cafe Verona k pod and nothing happened besides slightly warm water. I searched online for user manuals, read through Amazon reviews for suggestions, stopped and got thet AAA batteries out of the suitcase in the trunk, but they were corroded...so that didn't work. One hour down the road I was starting to get grumpy so I stopped at Starbucks.

I drove down the east side of Lake Tahoe, cut over to Carson City and took 395 down the other side of the mountain pass. It was a beautiful drive. Drove past Mono Lake. The one and only east entrance to Yosemite near Lee Vining just opened this week. It's called the Tioga Pass. There is still snow on the ground especially in higher altitudes. This entrance is only open in the summer. I wanted to see as much as possible so going in on the east side and driving all the way through seemed like a good idea. It was.... very beautiful. Lots of construction. I stopped at construction stops no less than 8 times today, several of them inside of Yosemite and some around Lake Tahoe. Each time I thought about Bart. Some of these stops were around mountain curves and blind. Signage was good though. I watched behind me like a hawk and pumped my brake lights verociously when a truck came barreling up behind me. One construction stop was over 30 minutes. I turned the engine off; I was down 1/4 tank and nervous. I also had to pee really bad. Part of the road in the Tioga Pass had completely eroded and filled in with dirt over the winter and they were digging it out and getting ready to re pave the road.

CONTINUEDRead more
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Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Traveler
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Yosemite National Park
June 1, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F
The best word to describe Yosemite National Park is "Majestic." It is truly one of kind, take your breath away gorgeous. The sheer size and volume of the rock formations invoke awe and wonder.

The Visitor Center on the east side of the park was closed (if there is one, it's dubious), and the line for the bathrooms was very long because a tour bus had just pulled up. So I skipped the potty, but found gasoline. I was at least partially relieved, since the red light for the gas tank had already come on.

I drove through the park, stopping at every Vista to take photos. The main visitor center is about 1.5 hour drive from the east entrance down in Yosemite Valley.

I made my way to the Visitor Center and found a parking spot. Then I walked more than half a mile to the museum, store, and visitor center... and the bathroom. Some of the shops close for one hour from 12 to 1 for lunch, true government style. But I found the gift shop open and bought a magnet, 2 Tshirts, a hat and a black bear mug for my granddaughter, Addy.

I had warmed my leftovers in the windshield, so when I returned to the car I grabbed my hammock and the food and had lunch hammocking in the Yosemite trees. I have more food than I know what to do with, since I wasn't planning to go home until the 6th. I'm leaving expensive organic peanut butter and previously purchased frozen foods behind at Airbnbs.

Yosemite is about the rock formations and waterfalls. You'll see pictures of several including Half Dome and El Capitan. It was beautiful and I took my time driving through. I only walked about 2 miles though, which was mostly just to the visitor center... but I wasn't feeling very adventurous today. A little more somber... and it was 82 degrees!

The videos are from outside the park... story continues.Read more
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6/1/22Reply
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Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Traveler
Wards Ferry
June 1, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F
I left Yosemite and headed to my Airbnb about one hour away in Groveland. The phone signal wasn't stellar; it was in and out, so directions and other important information was spotty. I made an adjustment to my directions to include a stop at the store. I followed Google Maps and suddenly my 10 min drive turned into one hour drive. WTH happened?

I found myself on this little mountain road called Wards Ferry. I thought somehow I had crossed to the other side of the pass and by the time I realized what was happening, felt like it was too late to turn around. There wasn't a place to turn around anyway. Wards Ferry is a single lane small mountain pass road that traffic technically goes both directions, but there's only enough space for one car. It was so scary going around the mountains not knowing if someone was coming around from the other direction.

I have to tell you... I literally thought Google maps was trying to kill me, and I was cursing Google outloud and praying to God for my life. I passed about a dozen cars over the hour. One of us would have to pull over close to the mountain to let the other pass and hopefully not fall off the ledge. I almost had a head on collision with an SUV. He was coming down the mountain curve way too fast. We came within a foot of hitting each other. He slammed on brakes and I curved quickly into the mountain just enough to avoid hitting him but not so much as to smash into the rock.

There was a graffiti bridge... very interesting. The bridge was completely covered in graffiti. In the end, I made a complete circle and came back the exact same way I'd come the last 30 minutes of narrow mountain driving. I think Google routed me that way because it couldn't find any turn around spots, idk, but I'm feeling pretty certain I'm on a hit list.

It was a one hour turn around essentially, that while adventurous, threatened my wellbeing.

I found this link about Wards Ferry. They call it Murderer's Gulch.
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/greed-murder…

And here's another story about a tour bus that GPS routed that way and the bus got stuck. The passengers decided to get off the bus and come down another way: https://www.uniondemocrat.com/news/article_f143…

Thanks to God Almighty, I did make it to the house safely... I heated the rest of my leftovers for dinner and hung in the hammock. Tomorrow is fly home day.Read more
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Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Traveler
Sacramento International Airport
June 2, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F
Today is travel day, and I mean the WHOLE day. Woke up at 7 and got my suitcases fight-ready. The drive to the airport was almost 3 hours, and I got to see much of California's diverse landscape. From the high mountains to the low mountain country all the way down to the valley, ranch areas, and fertile farm fields of fruit trees, vineyards, corn and wheat. Much of California is completely dried out straw grass by early June with a moderate fire hazard and No Burn laws in effect until November. The car is covered in dust because it is so dry here.

I turned in the rental car and have made it to the terminal. I decided to spend the couple hours waiting for my flight at the grill eating breakfast and lunch... a tasty angus burger and salad. I change planes in Denver and will arrive home at 1:40 am tomorrow if all goes well.

I just heard the waitress say that they JUST started using real plates here in this restaurant yesterday! i still have a plastic fork and knife.

This trip was a two part trip since May 20th. First my "health retreat " ... which was restful and insightful... life changing really, as it provided clarity and redirection for my life as well as a new way of thinking about life and myself. On the second part, I experienced the pinnacle of nature first hand; my soul was nourished and enriched. Lake Tahoe and Yosemite are some of the most beautiful places in the world, and I hope to return... with my van. How many times did I wish I had my van!

I didn't get the car camping experience due to the chilly weather and expedited return. But that's okay. Hopefully there is plenty of camping in my future. Actually, I'll be camping in my van mostly the next two weeks near my sister's place, taking care of her and her home ... until she throws me to the curb. Well, technically I'll already be at the curb in the van ...with my own coffee bar! I snapped a picture of the typical "California coffee bar". Four Airbnb's and no Keurigs! My French press coffee this morning was a disappointment. I see a delightful purchased gourmet coffee in my near future.

Goodbye, CaliforniaRead more
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Trip end
June 2, 2022