Deserts and Dick's

We said our goodbyes to Tahoe and hit the road for Kyle's birthday weekend celebration: Phish at Dick's Sporting Goods Park!! We took our sweet time getting there, leaving about a week in advance so we could explore Utah on our way. There are so many national parks and monuments clustered together in Utah, it's hard to decide where to visit! Of course I would say them all, if you have the time! We fit in Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and Arches National Park.

Photos don't do it justice!

We weren't even planning on going to Bryce Canyon, but we passed right by it and couldn't resist. I am really glad we went! In my opinion Bryce Canyon is more spectacular than the Grand Canyon. What's nice about Bryce is that the trail into the canyon is short enough to do in a day, unlike the Grand Canyon, which is better made into an overnight trip. When we went to the Grand Canyon (read about that trip here), we only had time to descend 3 miles into the canyon, leaving about 3.5 more to get to the bottom. You could do that in a day but it would be grueling and wouldn't leave you much time to appreciate your surroundings. At Bryce Canyon, you can experience much of the geological formations in only 4 miles. When we got there, we set up camp at Sunset Campground. This campground is in an ideal location, as it is walking distance to many points of interest. For interagency pass holders, the cost of a tent site is $10, without the pass it's $20. The interagency pass has saved us so much money, I highly recommend getting one!! Once we were all settled, we walked to Sunset Point, which is the best place to get a panorama view of the formations, called hoodoos. The hoodoos are ombre: fading from burnt orange, to baby pink, and then bone colored. The color variations has to do with different mineral deposits that occurred with changing water levels. We hopped on the Navajo Loop Trail, which led us down into the canyon, around hoodoos and Douglas-firs that have grown miraculously in the primarily limestone soil. Instead of continuing on the loop, we veered off to extend our trip to Queen's Garden. There is a hoodoo in the "garden" of hoodoos that looks like Queen Victoria! It really does! After we hiked the trails, we came back later to Sunset Point. It's not really that great of a place to watch the sunset, considering that the sun was to our backs. We also arrived a little late and I think if we had been a little earlier the sun would have cast magnificent colors on the hoodoos. We did, however, wake up early the next day to catch the sunrise at Sunrise Point, which gives you a beautiful view to the east over Bryce Canyon. The sky was a bit cloudy, blocking the sunrise's true potential, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

A photo of the Grand Staircase from Hole-in-the-Rock Road, as far a we got. 

We didn't stick around too long, because we had a big day ahead of us. Our plan was to explore some slot canyons in Grand-Staircase-Escalante National Monument, particularly Zebra Slot and Spooky Gulch. It is very important to stop at the information center beforehand and check the conditions of the slots and the weather forecast. If it starts to rain, the slots can fill up very fast. Plus, the information center gives you great directions on how to get to the slots. We were especially glad that we stopped at the information center, because they told us Zebra was impassable due to it's water levels. Spooky was accessible, but the road might not be in my little VW Jetta. It had rained the previous night, leaving Zebra Slot filled and the roads questionable for a compact car. We came all that way though, so we navigated to Hole-in-the-Rock Road anyways, which is the 26 mile dirt road that leads to the slots. We drove about 7 miles down the bumpy road, before we reached a muddy patch that we decided not to test (the park ranger told us towing was VERY expensive out there). We were disappointed, but not defeated, resolving we'd just have to come back! The whole drive was rewarded with spectacular views of hills that must have been the inspiration behind the name "Grand Staircase," as they had clear layers of different sediments, alternating beige and brown, like stairs.

The swimming hole on Mill Creek.

Since the slots didn't work out that morning (it was still early since we had gotten up for sunrise), we made it Moab with time to kill... but it was SO HOT! We quickly made plans to find the only swimming spot in Moab (other than the Colorado River, which is very swift and silty and not very fun for leisure swimming), Mill Creek. The trailhead is at the end of Powerhouse Lane and there is a gravel parking lot, with plenty of space. There are many foot paths that lead immediately to the water's edge, but take the path near the information sign and keep walking, past the dammed waterfall, where some people may be swimming. This isn't "the spot." Continue behind the metal barrier that says "no bikes." This path will cross the river in three places before you either clamber up the slickrock (petrified sand dunes) on the left, which leads to the top of the waterfall. You can jump, but use caution as it is pretty shallow. We enjoyed the pools at the top of the falls, but if you don't want to climb, you can simply walk up the river to the base of the falls. We were so thankful for the cool water. The river is a miracle in itself, flowing in the middle of the desert around pink-toned slickrock. We enjoyed this spot so much we came back the next day. It was half out of necessity though! It's the best way to cool off in Moab and only about 10 minutes from downtown. We had planned to camp in Arches, but by that time in the afternoon all the campsites were booked. We had a big day planned in Arches the next morning, so we wanted to be close to the park.

The calm after the storm.

We ended up staying at Slickrock Campground, which was expensive for what it was. At around $30, it's the cheapest we could find in town, but their wifi didn't work and their hot tub was cold. Literally cold. And of course right as we started to set up our tent one of those freak desert storms rolled through. We had to tie ropes to our tent poles, then to trees, to add extra support so the wind wouldn't flatten our it completely. The rain was just as brutal as the wind and we were fully drenched by the time we got the tent up. We headed into town to get some dinner, because cooking was not a possibility in that weather. Of course, once we ate the storm had cleared leaving us a beautiful rainbow. On our way back to Slickrock Campground, we stopped at Lin Ottinger's Moab Rock Shop. I've been curious about rocks lately and really want to try rockhounding! Lin Ottinger is a famous rockhounder, whose discoveries and knowledge of rocks have led to published works. The shop is littered with rocks, minerals, and fossils. I left the store with a septarian nodule (because they are so dang cool looking) and a book to teach me more about rocks! It's only the beginning of a super cool hobby!

We ended up being happy with our decision to stay near the park. We got up just after sunrise to get to Delicate Arch, which is the iconic 65-foot arch that decorates Utah's license plate: a must-see if visiting Arches. Parking is located at the Wolfe Ranch site, which was a homestead built in 1898 by John Wesley Wolfe. A lot of people bypass the tiny one-room cabin altogether, but go peak in the windows and imagine getting to that spot when there were no roads or maps! The trail starts by the Wolfe Ranch cabin and then continues 1.5 miles until you round the bend and see the arch. Not far from the cabin, is a short spur trail, where you can view Ute petroglyphs depicting bighorn sheep and horses. The trail is well-defined until you come to a slickrock bank. From here, the trial blurs in the smoothed hill, but there are cairns (rock stacks) to lead you the rest of the way. As you begin to ascend, the landscape becomes more and more foreign, till you are surrounded by nothing but orangey-pink slickrock formations. Welcome to Mars!! When Delicate Arch finally comes into view, you realized it is much bigger than you imagined. The ground beneath the arch forms a funnel, like water pooled there for many centuries or a U.F.O left a saucer-like mark. It's a weird place. We got there just in time, too. Early morning is the best time to visit Delicate Arch, before it gets over-run by loads of tourists delivered by Greyhound buses. We managed to snap a few photos as people started to trickle in. Our next stop was the Firey Furnace. We had to do a little backtracking, because we got to the park before the visitor's center opened and a permit is required for this hike. The permit cost $6, again unless you have the interagency pass it's only $2!! It's a wise idea to get your permit in the morning, as they only allow 50 people a day to enter the furnace. In order to obtain the permit, you have to watch a short video explaining how to leave no trace while in the Firey Furnace. It's pretty self-explanatory stuff. The most important is staying in the sandy washes, where the water flows, or on the slickrock. Walking on the soil crust can reverse a lot of hard, slow-moving work done by nature. One thing that might deter someone from hiking this area of Arches, is there are no trail markers inside the furnace. We used the hoodoo formations as landmarks, remembering some as looking like Buddha, a middle finger, a butt crack... You have to be creative, because it is very easy to get turned around down there!!

Natural bridge inside the Firey Furnace. 

The Firey Furnance was a good trade off for missing out on the slot canyons, because there are many tight slots and places you get to scramble around inside the Firey Furnance. We loved the aspect of unmarked trails. We only ran into 4 or 5 other people during the 4 hours we spent wandering around in the magnificent structures. It's a place where you can truly be in awe of the power and creativity of nature, with no one around to disturb the peace. The Firey Furnance is a hike you can do multiple times and never see the same thing twice! The last thing we wanted to do in Arches, was to see Landscape Arch--- the longest arch on the planet at 209 feet!! Landscape Arch is along the Devil's Garden Trail, which is the longest trail in the park at around 7 miles. Landscape Arch is only about 1.5 miles down the trail and there is a short spur trail before you reach big papa that leads to two other arches: Pine Tree and Tunnel Arch. The trail is very well-maintained and suitable for all ages and at less than 3 miles round-trip, you are silly if you don't go see this behemoth! Landscape Arch, like all the arches, have changed throughout the years. The arch is very thin at the top thanks to large chunks (as big as 75 feet) collapsing in 1991 and 1995. All the arches are formed by elements of weather and will continue to erode. Landscape Arch is getting skinny, who knows how much longer it will retain the title as longest arch. Go see it while you can!

We booked it from Moab the next morning to Avon, Colorado to chill with our friend Emma for the day in preparation for the crazy weekend we had ahead of us. When we got to Emma's house, we walked to the Eagle-Vail Trail and breathed some of that moist mountain air, which we were grateful for after spending so much time in Utah. She took us to a really cool spot she found--- a platform built in the trees. We hung out there, eye-level with the tops of the forest. We could have kept going much farther on the trail, but Emma had to rehearse for a gig she was signing at later and we had to fill our bellies. She told us about a sweet deal at Nozawa's: 1/2 off every roll for the entire summer (their slow season)! We didn't believe it, but alas it was true. You know those 14 dollar rolls you always want to try, but don't want to spend that much? They are now a reality!! After we had our fill, we went to Emma's gig at a new brewery called Vail Brewing Company. Emma was just singing with a couple of her friends, super informal, two guitars and a cajon. I had no idea what a voice she had! They had the bars' full attention. We didn't get any drinks, 'cause we're on a budget, but I do recommend this place! I believe the brewery was converted from a mechanic business, because they had roller garage doors that made for a nice alfresco setting. It's connected to a gas station and weed store, so you can essentially fulfill all your needs in one stop!

He's 23!!

We got up early the next morning to get to Dick's Sporting Goods Park and claim our campsite. What Phish does at Dick's is really unique. Unlike a festival, Phish only played two sets each night (in exception to the last night), a typical concert. Unlike most concerts, you are allowed to camp on-site with the purchase of a camping pass. Now, Phish must pay off Dick's, because they have that place locked down (in a good way): they completely transform a soccer stadium into a giant stage, the security guards are all super cool, there's music late night in the campground, Shakedown Street is huge, and Phish played waaaay past curfew on the last night. The campground is located on the practice fields. The only rule is no glass in the campground, which is understandable considering people place sports in the same location. You have to park in a lot and lug your stuff in. It's not a very far walk and the worst part of the whole endeavor is you have to get checked every time, which really holds up the line. Once everyone's all settled, there isn't a line to get in and security is so laid back. It's a breeze for the rest of the weekend. We had seat tickets, instead of floor, for the whole weekend. I was a little perturbed by this, because we did the lottery. I feel like if you plan to go to an event 3 months in advance, you deserve floor tickets. They later release floor tickets, making you wish you had just waited!! I don't think it's a very fair or efficient system. As we were going in the first night, we had decided we would sneak in to meet up with friends who had floor tickets. I was kind of surprised by the scene that awaited me past the entrance gates of the stadium. I am the kind of dancer who likes bare feet in a field. The soccer field was completely covered by thick plastic (obviously to not damage the grass) and the rest of the seats encircled the once-field were filling up quick. We started to get nervous as we waited for our opening to sneak in. Kyle was the one who was really chickening out! We finally just went for it and it was a piece of cake! If you are dismayed about having seats, do not worry. Sprint past the guards and get quickly in the crowd--- they can't abandon their post or the masses would rush in!! We got about halfway into the crowd, Page Side Rage Side. We had completely given up on finding our friends, when one of them miraculously past by us on his way back from getting drinks. He grabbed our hands and led us even deeper into the crowd, enraging many people who had been waiting near the stage (sorry!), until we were about 5 rows from the stage. It's awesome being so close to these musical magicians and watching their every, calculated move. Kyle and I wrote a list of all the songs we wanted to hear during the weekend and I believe out of 30 or so, we got about 7. Of course, Phish played songs we didn't even think to put on our list and new songs that we will add to our list next time!! Never disappointed! The first night, I was especially excited to cross Ghost and Roses Are Free off the list. I hadn't heard Roses are Free since my first Phish show, where I bought a Roses Are Free shirt on lot. This night, I had bought a Roses Are Free pin on lot. I swear Phish played it for me both times! They always know... Check out this article recapping the night. After the show, our gang of friends got a taxi and went to the Bluebird Theater to see Pigeons Playing Ping Pong late night. I was pretty exhausted at the show, so I wasn't getting my maximum groove on. This was my first time seeing Pigeons and I loved their renditions of James Brown's Sex Machine and RHCP's Suck My Kiss. They killed 'em.

We spent the night at our friend's Air BnB, but made it back to the campsite fairly early to recuperate for tonight's show. We ventured around the campground, meeting our neighbors. A group a couple tents down from us ended up being our dance buddies at Phish show earlier this summer in Mountain View, CA. They drove from Tahoe too! Phish Phamily is a small one: it's crazy how many people you start running into all over the country! I'm only on my 13th show and I've already made so many friends. I know some people who are on their 500+ show! I can't imagine what it's like for them. As we were wandering, we noticed a band was setting up in the RV lot for an after party gig. We got stoked when we saw their drums said The Malai Llama. We saw them over a year ago in Breckenridge, CO at three20south, opening for Toubab Krewe. They are a local Colorado band, who rips it! We went into the show around the same time we did the night before, in case we needed to sneak in again. We ended up finding an awesome spot on the highest rail, giving us an amazing panorama view. The best part is there are speakers set up towards the back to amplify and provide good sound quality for everyone! The only problem is I have such bad vision and it was pretty blurry. I thought that's how it was for Kyle too, until we were talking about it later and he could see way more than I could. Next time, I'm bringing binoculars. There were things I missed like the key-tar solo, that I really wish I had! Good thing they film these things! The light show was still spectacular, making up for what I couldn't see. We enjoyed this spot and the people around us so much, that we all agreed to meet there again for the last night and Kyle's birthday. More friends!! You can read in more detail about tonight's show here. They pulled out a song they created for their Halloween show in 2014, Martian Monster, that is so funky!! They played Split Open and Melt and Character Zero, which were on our list as well. Even once Phish was done playing, the party wasn't over! We immediately headed to the parking lot to catch The Malai Llama. They were so cool, getting into and participating with the crowd!!! They've been a band for awhile, but their first album comes out in October. I'm definitely buying it once it drops and you should too! Here's a link to their store.

It's the last day and KYLE'S BIRTHDAY!!! We were anxious for what the night would hold, as Phish was clearly going to end it right. They love Dick's. Kyle made tons of friends today, sharing his bucket of margarita and it being his birthday. When we got back to our spot that night, all our buddies were there from the night before. It was a reunion filled with hugs, birthday wishes, and anticipation for the face-melting we were about to undergo. They played Backwards Down the Number Line, which was the perfect birthday song for Kyle. Tons of people hate on this song, but it doesn't deserve a bad reputation. In fact, everyone should smile when they hear this song and be thankful that Phish is still alive and well, playing for US! This song is on one of Phish's more recent albums, Joy, which was the first thing they released when they got back together after their 2nd break up (Phish 3.0). Trey became sober during this time apart from the band. When they reunited, they were so happy to be back together and you can hear it throughout this whole album. My favorite line in Backwards Down the Number Line [talking about friendship] is "you decide what it contains, how long it goes but this remains, the only rule is it begins, happy happy oh my friend." I really relate to this line and song in general. It's very touching, so give it a chance. Close your eyes, listen to the words, hugs your friends, be happy!! 2nd set was retarded, opening with Wilson > Down With Disease > Carini > Steam... mind blown!!! It didn't stop there. The encore was a set in itself, they played an hour over their curfew of midnight. Keeping with tradition, the encore songs spelled T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U. Phish likes to throw in little surprises like that at Dick's, previous years they have spelled "Most Shows Spell Something" and "Fuck Your Face." What silly, clever dudes! I love them!! They said "see you next year" and Kyle and I definitely want to make Dick's a tradition. There's nothing else like it! We didn't catch another late night show, but we wandered around the campground late night, chatting with people (mostly about Phish). I'd say Kyle had a pretty amazing 23rd birthday. To top it all off, we stopped at a recreational store called Lightshade on our way out, who just happened to have an amazing deal for Phish attendees. We got 5 loaded joints for $40, that normally retail for around $70! The bud tenders (that's what the employees are called, love it) said they were more busy this weekend of Phish then they were on 4/20. Typical...

And we're off again, to hopefully make Hood River, Oregon our home. Wish us luck!

A Tahoe Summer

Even though we were all over the place during the 3 months we had a studio in South Lake Tahoe, CA, we still did plenty of exploring. The amount of natural beauty and free entertainment that surrounds Lake Tahoe is astonishing. Anyone who comes here and only sees Lake Tahoe is truly missing out. There are a multitude of tarns (mountain lakes carved by glaciers) to find, tucked away in the hills. We have explored Lake Tahoe, Fallen Leaf Lake, Angora Lakes, Lower Echo Lake, Echo Lake, Upper Echo Lake, Lake Aloha, Tamarack Lake, and Lake of the Woods. <--- And we didn't even scratch the surface! Many hikes feature multiple lakes, so putting in the extra effort to get there is worth it. Besides getting lost in nature, Tahoe has awesome music, food, and casinos (if you're into that)! We rented an open-floor plan studio for the summer at the Tahoe Pines Lodge, which is recently under new management. Three dudes just bought the lodge and it wasn't in the greatest shape. Let's just say improvements are a slow process.. Most of the other residents of the Tahoe Pines Lodge are definitely "on one" and occasional skirmishes at any hour were not uncommon. The landlords all clearly drink in excess most nights and they can't seem to keep on top of their responsibilities. For instance, the apartment came with an oven that wasn't working, but they got us to sign the lease by saying they'd have it fixed that evening... Try a month later after we had to withhold the rent! People are lazy. Despite the lackluster efforts of the landlords and the seedy, but harmless neighbors, living here was not all bad. The location is really unbeatable: we could walk to the lake, library, skate park, restaurants, bars, a movie store, and our bikes allowed us to avoid taking the car more often than not! Every Thursday, literally a 2 minute walk from our apartment, was a summer series called Live at Lakeview. From June to August, on Thursday evenings there is a beer garden, food, vendors, and of course live music! We moseyed on down there a few times throughout the summer. It's definitely a good place to socialize! Tahoe Bowl is also a quick walk away and they have $2 Tuesday, with $2 shoe rentals and $2 games per person. It's a great Tuesday night activity. It is always busy, but you can't beat cheap bowling (even though I am really, really bad).

Buttermuffin
purchases!

Our first day in South Lake was absolutely perfect! We biked to the South Lake Tahoe Skatepark, a park that is no stranger to us, to get our first session in. We popped in a shop called The Buttermuffin Smoke Shop, which isn't just a head shop, but also a skate shop! What a cool combo. We have made a few purchases in both departments. :) On the way back, we passed one of Kyle's favorite Mexican restaurants, Jalisco Grill. This place is super authentic and has a salsa bar! Chips come with every meal and you can load them up with their assortment of homemade salsas. The restaurant is in a shopping complex with a cool used book and record store called Keynote Used Records & Books. You could find any book you wanted in there, every wall is covered in shelves. As for the records, there are some great titles ranging from Frank Zappa, The Growlers, to Funkadelic, just use caution and check the records for damage. If you're feeling like spending a bit more, the dankest sushi place is also in this complex, Off the Hook. Kyle's mom, Gussie, got me a gift certificate for my birthday and it was soooooo delicious. My favorite roll is their Fire in the Sky roll, which has spicy tuna, avocado, cream cheese, and is then fried. I love any sushi with cream cheese in it. I ordered one of my first legal drinks there, the Sho Chiku Bai Creme de Saki, which was a chilled, sweeter saki. We enjoyed it so much, we have since ordered it again! Our waitress was so sweet and brought me a piece of Pina Colada Cheesecake on the house for my birthday. Pina Colada is my FAVORITE and I swear they made that just for me!! On that first day, we went to the public library, which is right across the street from our apartment, to get cards. Our place doesn't have internet and we like books too! Getting a card is free, so if you're going to be in the area for any period of time, consider getting one. By the time the sun was setting, Kyle hit up his friend Josh, who lives here. Our first friend in town!! We biked to his house, which is a few miles along a path that goes right past the lake. That night as were were biking back by the lake, the moon was framed by the mountains on the water's glassy surface, I felt very lucky to be spending a whole summer in this town.

Gettin' up the nerve to jump of the big guy.

The first trail we did was to Angora Lakes. Although, you can drive straight to the lake and park for $7, we preferred the 2 mile hike in. The parking lot is oftentimes full in the summer anyways and you don't have to pay to park at the trailhead, which is near Fallen Leaf Chapel. The hike in is definitely challenging, the majority being steep and rocky. However, the workout gets you hot and ready for the cool waters of Angora Lakes. We actually didn't know you could drive in the first time we hiked it, so you can imagine our surprise when we stumbled into the parking lot. Once you reach the parking lot, the lake is a little farther on a very wide and well maintained trail. You pass the smaller of Angora Lakes first, but keep going and you will be rewarded with a lake surrounded by sheer granite walls. We were even more surprised when we found out there were cabins you can rent, boat rentals on the lake, and a snack shack with "world famous lemonade." We definitely thought we were going somewhere a bit more remote, haha. We brought money the next time we came and tried the lemonade. I will vouch for it's deliciousness. There are multiple cliff jumps along the shore of Angora Lake, ranging in height from 15 ft. to 70 ft. I am comfortable sticking with the 35 ft. jump, but Kyle insists upon the 70 footer. I'm just thankful he doesn't try to gainer off of it like we saw some kids doing. To get to the top of the rocks, you either have to swim and climb up or take a bushwhacked path on the right side of the lake. We usually take the path so we can bring our stuff up there--- perfect spot for a joint or a brew! We met some kids there one of the times we went and got invited back to a house party, so it's a great place to make friends!! We have hiked to Angora Lakes 3 times this summer and despite it being a popular spot, it is still one of our favorite places that we visited and we will always return.

Lake Aloha

The hike we did to Lake Aloha was more of what I was expecting in terms of it's remoteness. This was a 12 mile round trip hike, that lead through a variety of landscapes. The trailhead is at Echo Lake. There is a great lookout to see the California-Nevada border and Lake Tahoe in the very beginning. The trail then continues along a footpath worn in the sloping granite surfaces that make up the shore of the lake. You pass insane houses that are only accessible via boat or the trail we were walking. You then pass Lower and Upper Echo Lakes, which you can tell were once part of Echo Lake, but evaporation has left small slivers of land dividing them. A short spur trail takes you to Tamarack Lake, which we ventured to for our lunch spot. There are parts of the trail that are rocky, steep, and exposed, but then the next thing you know you'll be ambling through a covered forest or a flowery meadow. We were pretty tired as we were reaching 6 miles, which meant we had to be close to Aloha Lake, right?! We ended up taking the optional route to Lake of the Woods, before finally stumbling onto Lake Aloha. Lake of the Woods and Lake Aloha make you feel like you took a trip to the moon. The white granite rocks look like craters from another planet. There are rock outcroppings in the middle of the lake, forming islands. You are allowed to camp here, but you must obtain a permit because the sites do fill up. We made it back to the shore of Echo Lake right as the sun was setting and we drove home to purple skies.

Pretty emerald...

One day we drove about an hour north to hunt for Emerald Pools, along the Yuba River. This spot isn't as well known and I had to read comments of forums to figure out where it is, but the directions in the link I provided are pretty good. We found a cliff to jump off, but I don't think we found THE spot. That's the thing, the whole river is pretty emerald... I would definitely like to go back and explore farther. After clambering along the rocky bank of the Yuba River, we settled at an especially green looking pool, with a small 10 ft. jump. It looked like the spot we found may have been a campsite. There was definitely a fire ring and someone had made a chair out of river stones! It was too cool. I didn't enjoy swimming very much because the water was so cold. Colder than any of the other water we've been swimming in... We caught the cliff jumping bug, so we are always looking for spots to jump. We heard of one called Mohawk Rock on Lake Tahoe, so off we went. You can get there by boat, but since we don't have a boat, we took the land route. The rock is inside D. L. Bliss State Park. It cost $10 to park inside, or you can walk in which doesn't take too long. You hop on the Rubicon Trail and walk less than a mile. Hopefully there will be people jumping, because the rock might be easy to miss. There is a clear area off the trail where people have gone down, so keep your eyes peeled. The rock really does look exactly like a face with a mohawk!! I decided not to jump off this one after I realized you have to climb completely vertical over this sketchy hump using a rope... no thanks.  Of course Kyle participated. There is a huge rock nearby that is unusually square that all ages can jump off 'cause it's not too insane. I did that one! Not too much farther down the trail is a tiiiiiny lighthouse that at the time of it's construction (1908) had the record for lighthouse at the highest elevation!

Lake Tahoe's east shore in Nevada is especially beautiful. There are some terrific places to watch the sunset since the sun sets on the west shore. Two well-known sunsets spots are Party Rock and Cave Rock. We were taken to these spots by locals. I can't find any great links with directions and I certainly can't give them to you, so just ask around! Cave Rock is easier to find because it's part of a state park. The east shore also offers a few nude beaches, which you should most definitely take advantage of. We fell in love with Secret Cove. It feels secluded from the rest of the lake because of the large boulders on its shore, creating a lagoon and giving you privacy. The water is crystal clear. More than half the people on the beach are naked, making it easy to join the masses! There is no better feeling than basking on a rock, letting the sun hit every inch of your body. We visited quite a few times. There are more nude beaches in the vicinity, but we stuck to this one.

On the main road leading to our apartment is a strip of wonderful restaurants and businesses. We used Sno-Flake Drive-In as our landmark for where to turn to get to our place. It's a really quaint, turquoise diner, so it's hard to miss. My friend, Rachel, said the food wasn't good there, but all I ever got was their soft-serve swirl cones. You can't really mess that up! Farther down the strip is a sandwich shop called Port Of Subs, which has a Subway feel, but is WAAAY better. They offer picnic packs, that come with a huge sandwich, chips, and drinks for a group. It would be perfect for a hike. Keep going and you'll get to Rojo's, which I feel like oddly always has karaoke. Our neighbor worked there, so we hit it up a few times. Video Library is my favorite place along this section, because it's a dying breed. It's not a cooperate Blockbuster, it's a mom-and-pop video shop for true movie lovers. Like old times, you get a membership and rent movies for 5 days at a time. If you don't get the new releases it's 5 movies, 5 nights for $8. Then every 10 movies you rent, you receive a free rental. It took me back to being a kid, going to the movie store, browsing all the titles, reading the backs. You just don't get that through Netflix! We watched so many movies we probably wouldn't have if we didn't visit this store. They have a staff favorites section, which has a lot of good recommendations, 'cause hey, who knows movies better than movie buffs themselves? Keep in mind that the library does $1 movie rentals for THREE WEEKS! They don't have that great of a selection, but I definitely rented some cool ones. There are some sport businesses mixed in with the bars and eateries. Kyle got his biked fixed at the bike shop and you can rent all sorts of fun equipment for the lake or the land nearby. Speaking of bikes, Lake Tahoe is surrounded by awesome bike trails to get you from Point A to Point B without getting on the road at all. You can take it to the casinos or take it to the West, which leads to a quaint town called Camp Richardson.

Looking back over the summer makes me see how much we left undone!! I really wanted to paddle out to the tea house that's on the only island in Lake Tahoe in Emerald Bay. We never checked out the Vikingsholm Estate! There was still a handful of hikes we didn't get around to (Five Lakes Hike and hikes near Donner Summit to name a couple). So much to do, so little time! I am thankful for what we did squeeze in the two and half months we called Tahoe our home. This just means will have to go back and we have no problem with that!