Day Five - Farewell to Tahoe

It's day five and our last day of our vacation. Nick, Kyla, and I started our morning with a planned early hike to Eagle Lake in southwest Lake Tahoe, near Emerald Bay. We were up early and on the trail by 7:30. There's something to be said about enjoying your time with nature that early in the morning.

The hike was considered "moderate" in our trusty, dusty trail guide book but it was more like a Mother Nature's granite stair-step machine. Kyla had a surprising amount of gusto as she proceeded to leap up granite boulders and charge up the trail as though she had fully rested from the day before. Our little dog showed no sign of fatigue. Quite the contrary. She was full of sass as she grabbed the leash and pulled us up the trail. The bugs were in out full force and the granite steps were plentiful.

After about 45 minutes, we had reached Eagle Lake and decided to turn around. The sights were amazing as the shear granite mountains were mirrored perfectly in the placid lake. During our descent, we passed several hikers on their way up the trail. Kyla strategically picked the hikers she wanted to growl at and we had to debunk the myth that she was a Bernese Mountain Dog. The hike was perfect to get the blood going and loosen our stiff bodies from the Squaw Valley hike the day before.

We returned to our perfect little hotel room, showered, and packed the car for the long ride home. We hit the road at 10:30 and had a long drive ahead of us. We pushed through to Bishop and stopped at the famous Mahogany Smokehouse to fill orders for the parents and great deli sandwiches for us.

During the summer months, Caltrans closes or limits access to parts of HWY 395 to repair sections of the road damaged during the winter months, thanks to snow and ice. Our Friday trip home was no exception. At one point, we were stuck on HWY 395 with the engine turned off for over 25 minutes in the heat of the July sun. It was WONDERFUL!

We finally returned home at about 8:00 PM. Kyla was extra excited to be home because she hadn't gone potty the entire trip home (about 10 hours). Now starts the unpacking, endless laundry, and getting back to normal life. Overall, our vacation was amazing and just what we all needed. Our little family had a great time and our puppy was a champion. But after everything we packed into the past 5 days, Kyla looks like how we all feel...wiped!

Day Four - Our Granite Hike with a Billy Goat

Day Four of our Tahoe trip started with plans to take a good hike through the Sierra Nevada mountains near Olympic Village in Squaw Valley. We woke, packed our bags while sipping coffee, and headed out for the north end of the lake. We arrived at Squaw Valley around 10:45 and started our hike at 11:00 with our goal being to end up at Shirley Lake.

Our trusty-dusty trail guide book described the Shirley Lake Trail as "Moderate" difficulty at about 4 miles with a +1,325 feet elevation climb. We decided to bring our lunch with us along with food for Kyla and plenty of water. Good thing because we had no idea what we were in for.

The trail started to wind through beautiful pine forests with thick fern foliage. We soon encountered our first "granite climb" as we came across several granite boulders that we needed to climb up. Kyla soon became "luggage" as we picked her up (all 18 lbs of her) and carried her up the boulders. The bugs were plentiful and the forest kept us cool from the heat. We wound along the trail, marked only by small spraypainted markers of blue and pink on passing boulders. Kyla was a trooper and proudly blazed the trail for us with gusto.

After a ways into the trail, we came to a sheer cliff of granite we needed to climb. Our jaws dropped as we realized what we had just gotten ourselves into. We figured we'd have to carry Kyla through much of this steep asent but soon saw that we didn't bring our dog, but brought our mountain billy goat with us. Kyla lept, jumped, and crawled her way up the steepest of steep granite boulders, rocks, and cliffs. Nick and I were stuggling to keep up with her as she charged at her own quick pace. The few times we were forced to pick her up and carry her, it was clear she was angry with us for not allowing her to do it herself.

After several water stops and breaks, and a few hours on the trail, we reached our goal: Shirley Lake. The lake is actually set back in the mountains of Squaw Valley with the Shirley Lake Express chair lift at the edge of the lake. There wasn't much time to rest as we ate a quick lunch with the lovely mosquitos and kept on trudging along the trail.

We didn't want to slide back down the granite boulders on the way back down the trail so we continued onward and upward to High Camp at Squaw Valley. High Camp is where the cable car drops off those "outdoor enthusiasts" that want to wander the mountains without breaking a sweat or taking off their flipflops (all while paying the $20 fee to ride the cable car to the top). The three of us zigzagged up the blue and black runs to finally reach the High Camp Loop. The last leg of our trek felt like the last mile of a marathon. It was painful to take each step as we made the steep asent up the mountain with our puppy still charging ahead.

When our trail leveled out at the High Camp Loop, we were ecstatic! By the time we reached the top, we had hiked over 2,000 vertical feet. All we could think about was cold water and the glorious ride down the face of the granite cliff in the cable car. Kyla was a little too popular at the High Camp area and Nick and I were quickly fending off kids from our kid-shy puppy. Apparently when you tell kids "She's afraid of little kids," that little kid interprets it as "Let me stick my face in your dog's nose and see what she does." And where are their parents?!

We loaded the cable car and started our decent. Now I should mention that the past few days have been filled with thunder and lightning storms in the afternoon. I officially experienced an all new fear when we were hanging precariously hundreds of feet above granite cliffs as lightning strikes between us and the nearest mountain peak (which was very close)! Mind you, Kyla, now passed out at our feet, attracted the comments of several passengers on what a good dog she is. When we finally stepped foot on solid ground, we were all elated.

Nick, Kyla, and I headed back to South Lake Tahoe for a few beers at the Brewery at Lake Tahoe. Cold beer never tasted so deserved! We enjoyed some reheated homecooked meals and glorious showers back at the hotel. We even cruised Heavenly Village with our energetic puppy to splurge on cookies from Nestle.

As our last full day comes to a close, I am sad to see our vacation wrapping up. Life has slowed down while we were here but our time here has also flown by. Tomorrow, we will get in one more hike and then pack up to make the long drive home. This has certainly turned out to be an amazing vacation!

Day Three - A Blog from the Dog

I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Kyla and I'm the 7-month-old puppy that belongs to my mom and dad, Lindsay and Nick. Mom's in the shower and dad's watching TV so I thought I'd take over the blog entry today and tell you my side of the story for today's happenings. Even without opposable thumbs, I'm very talented at writing a great story about our adventures.

Today started around 6:00 when mom and dad woke me up to sleep on the bed with them. I LOVE sleeping on the bed instead of my cramped crate. When mom and dad woke up at 6:30, I was still wanting to sleep. They seemed busy getting lunches and "things" together for our day. I slept and didn't feel like eating. I've been frustrating mom and dad a lot lately because of my shy bladder. I didn't feel like going potty this morning even though my mom was worried I'd pee in her car on the ride. They loaded me up and off we went to who knows were.

After a long drive, they took me out and fitted me for my lifejacket. I knew this couldn't be good. In no time, mom had me by the handle of my lifejacket and plopped me in the middle of an inflatable raft on a river mom and dad kept referring to as Truckee River. Soon we were off and floating down the river. I'll be honest. I thought it was fun hanging over the side of the raft and checking out the sites. Then, out of the blue, dad grabbed my handle and dunked me in the water! Soon I was swimming along the raft and the water was COLD! They didn't make me swim too long before pulling me back into the raft but it was a little scary (and fun).

We continued on, floating lazily down the river. Mom and dad even pulled the boat ashore and let me play in the shallow water. I enjoyed myself but didn't want them to catch on that I was actually having fun in the water. After all, I'm not a water dog! Now if I could only herd the ducklings floating down the river!

To tell you the truth, I was pretty scared at the end of the rafting trip. Mom and dad hit a major rapid and seriously got us stuck on a HUGE rock. They really weren't good at steering the raft. They finally got us unstuck but I was a little shaken up. Let's just say I was happy to be on solid ground when it was all over.

Mom and dad then took me to Virginia City, an old ghost silver mining town that mom used to visit as a kid. We wondered the old wood sidewalk and checked out the old saloons. Apparently I'm quite cute because I attracted quite a lot of attention. If I only had a cookie for every person that said I was cute! Mom and dad had a beer at the Bucket of Blood Saloon. Apparently mom used to drink "Shirley Temples" there at the bar when she was young (whatever those are) and just had to have a beer now that she is an adult.

Now, I'm still shy to go potty in public and away from my potty box at home. When mom put me in the car in Virginia City, I couldn't contain myself. After 18 hours of not going potty, I peed in mom's car. She was so mad and I felt bad but I couldn't contain myself. Oops! It's OK though because I know she still loves me.

Mom, dad, and I headed back to the hotel and then we ended up at Stateline Brewery by Heavenly Village. Apparently tonight there is some guy named "Kenny Chesney" performing a concert at Harvey's Casino. Well, this guy must bring out the wackos and goofies because we watched all kinds of people walk by, stumbling, falling, and talking really weird (all with drinks in their hands). And they all seemed to be wearing ugly cowboy boots and bad cowboy hats. I so don't understand humans sometimes!

So now I'm relaxin' back in the hotel with mom and dad. I've had a busy day but I'm still playing with my magic reindeer. Mom's getting out of the shower so I'd better get going. I'm having a great time on my vacation and loving the time with my parents. I think I'm the luckiest dog on earth!!!

Day Two - Our Opposite Island

Day Two of our Tahoe vacation started out with a well-deserved sleep-in to recharge from the early morning yesterday. After showers, coffee, and packed lunch for the 3 of us, we set out for Emerald Bay for a hike to the Vikingsholm Mansion. Our trail guide book said "Dogs on leashes OK" but every sign we passed read "NO DOGS" in bold print. We chose to ignore the signs and weren't questioned even once by the several forest rangers we passed on the trail. If you look like you belong, no one bothers you. Plus, everyone loves Kyla. We've lost count at the number of people that tell us how cute she looks. We're proud parents!

We decided to continue along the Rubicon Trail that led along the Emerald Bay and wound through the trees, waterfalls, and bushes. The sights were amazing! We laughed as enormous trees that fell across the trail were carved out to still allow access along the trail. Kyla was great and led the way as we walked about 5 or 6 miles through God's beautiful land. We even made the short trek up to Eagle Falls and saw the beautiful sights from all the snow run-off cascading down the mountain and into the lake.

We were all tired after our hike so after a great lunch, we continued along the highway to see what the towns on the west side of the lake had to offer. After we drove far enough, we just decided to drive all the way around the lake. It was during this drive that Nick said to me that Lake Tahoe is like an "opposite island." With each town we passed through, we kept comparing them to the small towns in Kauai. And just like Kauai, you drive along the highway with water on one side, mountains on the other, and not too many ways to get lost. It's all just opposite than Kauai but still the same concept.

Since we're in one area that you can be in the mountains one minute and the beach the next, we decided to end up at Kiva Beach in southwest Lake Tahoe since it allows dogs. Kyla had a great time venturing into the water and it wasn't too cold on the toes. Just sitting on the beach and watching the thunderstorm roll in over the mountains and across the lake was breathtaking.

Nick and I thought the only way to properly end the day would be with a few good beers. We stopped at The Brewery of South Lake Tahoe and had a few beers and shrimp on the patio with Kyla resting at our feet. It was perfect!

After our easy dinner, we thought we would crate Kyla in the hotel room, walk into the South Lake Tahoe Village around Heavenly Resort, and enjoy some window shopping. We were only gone about an hour and a half and returned to Kyla obsessively barking from our room, two shady looking guys trying to get into our door, and a man yelling at us because our dog has been "barking for four and a half hours." We were mortified as we had a message from the office about complaints about our lovely barking dog. Looks like Kyla is sticking with us the rest of the trip.

Tomorrow is river rafting down Truckee River and visiting Virginia City. I can't wait to see how Kyla does with her life jacket on in the raft.

Day One - A LONG Drive

Our morning started off by sleeping through our alarm clock by 30 minutes and not getting up until 3:30. And by the way, when 3:30 AM is "sleeping in," we have a problem! We were on the road by 4:20 and headed for the beautiful Lake Tahoe by way of 395. After a few stops along the way (especially at Mahogany Smokehouse for the best jerky on earth), we ended up in Mammoth Lakes for lunch with my Aunt Laura and her long-time boyfriend Michael. The weather was wonderful and the air was fresh. Ahh, the mountains! We had a nice visit and hit the road after I bought a new Coach purse at the outlet (My name is Lindsay and I have a Coach purse addiction!)

We trudged on to Carson City and stopped to see my grandparents. My grandfather turns 90 in August so we celebrated an early birthday with him and my grandmother. Nick and I gave him channel-lock pliers and my parents gave him birthday cash. I'm proud to say he seemed happier with the simple pliers than the cash. Gotta love a simple man! The weather was a toasty 102 and Kyla finally got to romp in their grass backyard. She's been a trooper so far on this road trip.

We continued on to our final destination, South Lake Tahoe. We actually totally scored with our hotel. Upon check-in with Kyla, they gave us a "doggy goody bag" with portable water bowl, leash, and dog treats. Our room is perfect with a mini kitchen and spacious living area. We had our home-cooked meal of pasta and a few drinks to work out the driving kinks. We're heading our now for a walk with Kyla along the main road crossing the boarder from California to Nevada.

As of now, our fun trip antics include:

Kyla smelled the cows of Norco through our car vent system well before we could smell them.

Driving through the desert is NOT very entertaining.

Gretta GPS is getting used to "Recalculating" when we drive.

Kyla is finally learning to go potty away from her potty box.

"Traffic" in South Lake Tahoe has nothing on Los Angeles or Orange County.

And "hot weather" is nothing compared to Temecula or even back home!

Tomorrow we plan on hiking and exploring the wonderful Lake Tahoe. The drive was long but we are finally here and going to enjoy every minute of our vacation.

One month...

...and Danny has been retired to pasture at Endar.

...and he has more and more bites from his pasture bully everyday.

...and he's lost more weight.

...and he still whinnies to his friends everytime I take him out of his pasture.

...and it keeps getting hotter in Temecula.

...and I still haven't ridden another horse.

...and he still has one damn shoe on.

...and I've visited him every weekend.

...and I seem to be finding things to fill my afternoons formerly spent at the barn.

...and I still miss him everyday.

One month...and he seems to be enjoying himself.

Gettin' Ready for Lake Tahoe

Nick and I took a while to decide on our summer vacation this year. We looked into camping at June Lake, relaxing in Las Vegas, or something completely different. We finally decided on a trip to Lake Tahoe. We're heading up 395 on Monday morning, stopping in Mammoth to see my Aunt Laura, stopping in Carson City, NV to see my grandparents, and ending up in South Lake Tahoe till Friday.

I searched high and low for a suitable hotel/condo/vacation home that wouldn't tap out our entire savings account, have bugs, and allow pets. We decided early on in our planning that we wanted to take our four-legged child, Kyla, with us on vacation. I found an awesome hotel right by Heavenly Resort that offers kitchenettes and allows dogs for a very small fee.

And so the planning has begun. If you know me, I'm a total "list person." I have lists for different stores we need to get supplies (Costco, Walmart, and the grocery store), items for Kyla, things for me, and odds and ends you just can't forget. Our goal is to take almost all our food to cut down on additional costs and help us be a bit more self sufficient. Imagine cooking all your meals on Sunday for the next 5 days of the week. It's a lot of work!

I've started searching the trail guide book I picked up and flagged different trails around Lake Tahoe for us to venture on. We're looking forward to becoming one with nature through hiking, canoeing, possibility some fishing, swimming in the lake, and enjoying each others company. I can't wait to show Kyla the sites of Lake Tahoe and possibly turn this into a Henry Family Tradition.

But first, I need to go make another list.......