As I've mentioned, the naming conventions in and around Lake Tahoe can sometimes leave something to be desired, but one of the nicest names is Heavenly, which has these wonderful gondolas which carry you up into the mountains.  Sadly, we discovered that they were not operating on Monday morning, so instead we bopped around the Heavenly compound, investigating little shops here and there.  We decided to do lunch at the Driftwood Cafe.  This turned out to be a good decision, as just then it began to pour down with rain. 

I love it when it rains in California.  First of all, we're in the middle of a four-year drought, so every raindrop is welcome.  Secondly, Kris loves the rain, so I like seeing the smile on her face when the clouds darken.  We experienced a lot of different kinds of precipitation on this adventure, and enjoyed nearly all of it.  We had a nice little lunch as we waited for the storm to pass.  

Pass it did, and we considered what to do with the rest of our day. We decided to drive up to the Emerald Bay overlook.  This is a cliff high up in the Sierras that allows you to look down into the lake.  There, on an island in the lake, is a castle.  Of all things.  It's tiny, though, because you're very high.  


It's actually also very tiny.  It's technically called "The Tea House", and is a miniature castle that was used by the inhabitants of the nearby estate as... well, as a tea house.  The nearby estate, now the property of the great state of California, is located on the nearby shore, and is called "VIKINGSHOLM".  

Which is a pretty awesome name.  

At the Vikingsholm overlook, I chased a chipmunk around and over all of the rocks.  "Don't fall off the mountain, dear," said Kris, as I hopped up onto rocks that were, admittedly, pretty close to the edge of a gigantic cliff.  The chipmunk and I were friends by the time we left. 


And now, for a quick Public Service Announcement: Remember, you should never ever feed wildlife.  I did not feed the chipmunk.  I just chased him around with my camera.  


Note that there is no shot of a chipmunk here.  Make of that what you will.


Tomorrow, ADVENTURE!! :)

On Sunday morning, we got up and made our way across the state line into the booming metropolis of Stateline, NV.  This town is so-named because... well, because it's right on the state line, I imagine.  Either that, or it was named for one of the town's founders who was coincidentally named Stateline, which seems unlikely, but would have been fitting for a man founding a town as close to a state line as this one is.

Er... anyway, as soon as we crossed over into Nevada, we were immediately besieged with an urge to gamble all of our money away.  Actually, we gambled not at all, but we did visit Harrah's and enjoy their fabulous brunch buffet.  As you may or may not be aware, I'm getting married in just a few short months, and I also recently turned 40 (...wait.  41.  Jeez!).  This combination of things has caused me to reexamine my attitudes towards both my physical health and my diet.  I now work out six days a week, and I eat very sensible, healthy meals every day.  Our typical dinner is chicken, brown rice, and salad, and we eat that nearly every night (I cook the chicken in different seasonings to keep it from being too boring).  This combination of hard work and diet has caused me to lose... okay, actually, I haven't lost a single pound, but I have moved quite a lot of the weight from my waist into other places, as muscle weighs more than fat.  So that's great!  Sticking to good healthy eating is really the key, here.

Harrah's buffet blew all of THAT out of the water.

I can't recall every single thing that I ate, but I went back for fourths.  My desert was an apple crumble covered in about a cup of butterscotch.  They just let you put on as much as you want, and, well, I wanted a lot.  I apologize for nothing.

The thing with the buffet is that it's on the top floor of the tallest building on top of a mountain.  We had really amazing views of the surrounding forests (and, yes, other casinos).  It was a really good way to take it all in.

I suggested to K that we pop down to the gambling hall, as we've never really done that, and, after all, it's just right there.  She said that she did not care for the cigarette smoke, which always made her feel sick.  We decided we'd check it out, but we would both reserve the right to bail if it was unpleasant.

Okay, full disclosure: I smoked cigarettes for years.  I started in the Navy, and I quit a couple of years ago.  It was a stupid thing to do, and a huge waste of money, and terrible for my respiratory health, and no one should smoke ever.

That said, I personally don't really mind cigarette smoke.  Usually.

The density of the nicotine smoke, from both cigarettes and cigars, was so insanely thick that we both immediately started gagging.  That, combined with the unusually warm temperature inside the casino, made us decide that we'd rather do ANYTHING ELSE than stay there, so we bailed back out to the crisp clean outdoors.  Fresh air has never tasted so good!  We spent not one dime gambling, and instead opted to look around and sightsee before snuggling down in our hotel room.

We did have chicken and brown rice and salad for dinner.

Tomorrow, ADVENTURE!!  :)

Penguinians!  I hope all is well with you!  Today Kris and I drove up to Tahoe, to start a MUCH needed vacation.  When we go to Tahoe, we stay at the not-at-all-imaginatively-named Lake Tahoe Vacation Resort.  Seriously, that's the name they came up with.  I know not every place can be, you know, the CalNeva, but come on, I'm not sure you're really trying.

Anyway, we both have been grinding hard at work, and so getting a break was very welcome.  On our way up, we stopped for lunch at Selland's Market-Cafe in El Dorado Hills.  Selland's is owned by the same people who own and operate Ella and The Kitchen.  If you have not yet been to The Kitchen, you absolutely have to go.  It's an experience.  I know that a lot of restaurants claim to be "an experience", but The Kitchen completely delivers.  We went a few months ago (I know! There are adventures you have missed!  I feel terrible about that, but I'm back at it!!), and it was almost overwhelming how involved it was.  Two thumbs up!

With that pedigree behind it, we figured that the Selland's Market-Cafe would be pretty good, and we were not disappointed.  We had a nice lunch, and then a leisurely drive up the mountain.  We crest the summit at 7000 feet above sea level, and the entire drive is just wonderful.  One cannot help but be reminded of the Disney nature movies of years past as one passes the stately sentinel pines and majestic snow-capped mountains (yep, even in May!).  As is our custom, we swung by the grocery store and picked up nummy food, which we could cook up ourselves later in the comfort of our kitchen at the resort.  The kitchen is really very well stocked with utensils and flatware, and even a lot of basic kitchen tools.  They also thoughtfully include a dishwasher and dish soap, so cleanup is really pretty simple.  Then we sat back and relaxed, which is some of the best adventuring there is!

Tomorrow, ADVENTURE!! :)