When Justin and I first thought about going to Tahoe to visit Grandma and Grandpa, we started looking at airfare. I couldn't believe how expensive it was! I pulled up MapQuest, and came to the realization that in my little commuter car, we could drive for a lot cheaper then we could fly. Yes, it was 15 hours each way-- a total of 30 hours in the car in just over a week. But hey-- Justin and I had never been on a road trip, and there is a first time for everything! As the trip drew closer, I started to question our sanity-- did we really want to spend 30 hours in the car?? But as with each experience, I try to make it positive... so we packed our bags, loaded down the car, and hit the road.
We left Tuesday after work, and figured that we could drive at least as far as Portland, Oregon... to get the part of the drive that we knew the best out of the way. Portland came and went, and we found ourselves finally stopping for the night in Medford, Oregon-- which is almost in California! We did 8 hours of the drive AFTER I got off work-- meaning that we didn't stop until almost 3am. I can't remember the last time I was so happy to see a bed-- and the alarm clock went off all too soon, so we turned it off and didn't get back on the road again until almost 1pm-- hey, its our vacation, right? Whats the rush?? :)
As we crossed into California (and got stopped at a checkpoint like we were entering Canada or Mexico... only to be asked if we were carrying and fruits and vegetables... I guess any state with a town called "Weed" should be concerned about such things..) we started to hear reports that there was a lot of snow in the pass on the way to Tahoe, and we started to fear that we might not make it that night. As we got closer, we discovered that the road to Tahoe was closed to any vehicle without chains-- and while we could have bought them and drove on, Justin and I made the choice to get as far as we could without chains and ride out the storm. We didn't really want to be driving on an icy snow covered dark road in territory that we didn't know... not worth risking our lives to get there.
Turns out, "as far as we could go" brought us to Placerville, California. A town that, if you ever get the change to visit, I would go ahead and pass on. There really is NO place to visit, and even all the restaurants closed by 9pm. We had to order pizza to be delivered to our hotel, because it was the only place left open! We spent the night just being lazy and stretching out in the hotel... and woke up to a warm California morning with nothing but sunshine and clear roads!
The drive in to Tahoe was spectacular. Its been a long time since I have been blessed to see such beauty, and I am so thankful that we made the drive, just for that sight-- even if there were treacherous cliffs along the way! We found Grandma and Grandpa at the grocery store, and have been having so much fun catching up and exploring. I even won $200 at the casino last night! Thank you, Mont Bleu!
As I type this, I am enjoying looking out onto the lake from the living room at Grandma and Grandpas. The boys just left to go skiing, and Grandma and I are getting ready to hit the town for some serious shopping! Beautiful sights, wonderful company, and great shopping. Does life get any better?
While we may not road trip every time we want to go somewhere... this has been the experience of a lifetime, and I wouldn't change the experience for anything!
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