Lake Tahoe - Day 2

Today, we went on a two hour snowmobile ride in the North Lake Tahoe area. We each rented a snowmobile and were in a group of 10 riders. We rode through trails that took us on flat straightaways as well as trails that were narrow and hilly that took us right through the woods. There are more than 100 miles of trails at this location. We stopped at various points to group back up as well as to hear from our guide regarding the trails we would be approaching ahead. We got a chance to ride at a higher rate of speed when we visited a frozen lake. The highlight was an uphill climb on a trail that lead us to the top of Mount Watson at 8,200 feet. From here we could see out over Lake Tahoe and the surrounding mountain ranges. It was very beautiful. We returned to Squaw Valley and had lunch after the ride.

We are not looking forward to leaving tomorrow . . .

I have posted pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/SquawValleyDay2?feat=directlink

More later . . .

Lake Tahoe

Ellen and I spent today driving around Lake Tahoe. It took us 4 1/2 hours including a lunch at an Irish Pub. The weather was great with sunny blue skies and a temperature in the mid-40's. The lake is really pretty and is lined with beautiful homes. We make stops along the way to take in the views. We also stopped at a park and went for a one hour snowshoe walk. The trail took us right up to the lake's edge and we walked along the shoreline. It was a bit odd walking in the snow along the edge of a lake.

I have posted pictures of the Village at Squaw Valley where we are staying along with pictures of Lake Tahoe. You can find them at: http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/SquawValleyDay1?feat=directlink

More later . . .

Getting Settled

Since my last posting Ellen and I have been getting settled here in Los Altos. We have been here close to two weeks and have been staying at Jen and Dan’s house. This past Saturday, they took Elise and Thomas on a ski trip to Breckenridge, CO where they met up with Julie and Rich and Amy and Justin. The group of “cousins” are enjoying themselves in what is fast becoming an annual trip. Ellen and I are taking care of Julia while the rest of the family is away. We have been exploring the Los Altos area museums and parks. Ellen and I went up to SF last week and took a 13 mile bike ride along the waterfront. We rode across the Golden Gate Bridge and back which was a thrill. Getting up to the bridge from the shoreline was quite a difficult up hill ride. We then had lunch at Scoma’s which is on the water on Embarcadero Drive. Just as our very nice lunch was concluding it started to rain. So the 5 mile ride back to our car got a bit interesting (and wet). All in all it was a very enjoyable day. We have plans to visit Squaw Valley for 3 nights and 4 days next week. There has been a lot of snowfall and we plan on snowshoeing and maybe taking a snowmobile excursion.

I posted some pictures of our bike ride in SF and of the grandchildren at
http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/February2009?feat=directlink

More later . . .

Road Trip - Day Fifteen

WE MADE IT!

15 days and 4150 miles after leaving Concord, we arrived today at Jen and Dan’s. Our final day of driving started out in Monterey Bay. We had another wonderful weather day. This was our sixth day of blue skies, sunshine and no clouds. We discovered a bike path right outside our hotel which lead us to the beach, Fisherman’s Wharf, Cannery Row, and the Aquarium. I would like to say that staying at our hotel next to the bike path was planned, but it was just great luck. After our ride we got on the road to Santa Cruz for a quick tour. We just passed through as we were anxious to get to Jen and Dan’s. We arrived at their house and immediately jumped into our grandparent’s role. It was great to see Jen and the kids. Dan is away on business and we will get to see him in a couple of days.

Ellen and I really enjoyed our trip out to California. Each day was a new adventure in interesting and beautiful places. We did well with travel directions thanks to Jill (our GPS system).

This will be my last posting for a few weeks. Ellen and I will be getting settled in here in Los Altos. We look forward to bike rides, walks, and maybe a side trip or two.

I have posted pictures at
http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/MontereyBay?feat=directlink

More later . . .

Road Trip - Day Fourteen

We left San Luis Obispo this morning and got on CA Route 1 for a scenic ride up the coast. We stopped in Morro Bay and went kayaking for an hour. It was great fun being in the Bay with clear blue skies and no wind. We saw California Sea Lions and sea otters. I was glad they kept their distance from my kayak. We had chowder and fish tacos at an outdoor restaurant overlooking the Bay. After some shopping, we continued our drive up the coast. It was very beautiful and we make a number stops along the way at the scenic overlooks. After passing Big Sur we drove through Carmel and drove the 17 mile drive. We are spending the night in Monterey Bay and will leave in the morning for Santa Cruz and then Jen and Dan’s.
I have posted pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/PacificCoastHighwayRt1Day1?feat=directlink

More later . . .

Road Trip - Day Thirteen

This morning we did a very typical tourist thing. We went on a 4 hour LA/Hollywood group tour. It turned out to be a good idea. There were specific locations we wanted to see and trying to drive around LA would have been very difficult. So, the group tour took us to these places and we did not have to worry about traffic, parking and directions. The tour included Beverly Hills and Hollywood with stops at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Rodeo Drive and the Hollywood Bowl overlook. We did not see any movie stars, but we were able to view their homes. We left Santa Monica and drove up the coast past Malibu to Santa Barbara. We visited the Old Mission which was the tenth of the California missions to be founded by the Spanish Franciscans in 1786. We left Santa Barbara and headed up the coast to San Louis Obispo where we are spending the evening. We will leave in the morning for Monterey Bay and arrive at Jen and Dan’s in the next 2 or 3 days. Our road trip is fast coming to an end.

Like all the pictures I have been posting, each has a special meaning to us. I have not taken the time to try to explain what each picture represents. I hope you enjoy them.

I have posted pictures of Hollywood at http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/Hollywood?feat=directlink

I have posted pictures of the Old Mission at Santa Barbara at http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/SantaBarbara?feat=directlink

More later . . .

Road Trip - Day Twelve

We started our day in Palm Springs by swimming in the hotels heated pool and spending some time in the Jacuzzi. We then went up on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. This tram has the world’s largest rotating cars. The floor of the tram slowly revolves so that everyone gets a 360 degree view. As many as 80 individuals can ride up the mountain at one time. The trip takes 10 minutes and we went two and one half miles up to the top of Mt. San Jacinto State Park. We went from 2,643 feet at the base of the mountain to 8,516 feet at the top. San Jacinto is a 14,000 acre park with more than 54 miles of hiking trails. The temperature was quite different at the top (40 degrees) than the base (62 degrees). We took a walk in the woods which was quite beautiful. There was hard packed snow on the ground and the sky was blue with not a cloud to be seen. It was very enjoyable. We then watched a video on how the tram was constructed. It was quite an amazing engineering feat. After lunch at the restaurant which looked out over the valley and Palm Spring below, we drove around Palm Springs. We really enjoyed this city which has 350 days of sunshine a year. We left around 1:00 p.m. and arrived in Santa Monica around 3:30 p.m. The LA freeways were very busy. Again Jill (our GPS) was a great navigator. This was a short driving day. We checked into our hotel and then went down to the beach. We were able to ride our bikes along the boardwalk until after sunset. The boardwalk and pier area is quite a mix to individuals from all walks of life. You can see most anything. After our ride we walked to the Third Street Promenade. This is a several block long collection of stores and restaurants where the street traffic has been eliminated. There were multiple groups of street performers which made for quite an entertaining evening.

I have posted pictures of our trip on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway at http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/PalmSprings?feat=directlink

More later . . .