As I travel abroad people always ask “Do you ever get home sick?” or “What do you miss the most?”. Although the lakes are beautiful, the rivers are fun and the sushi is top notch… it’s the faces and laughter of my incredible friends that tug at my hometown strings.
A HUGE thanks to all of the super heroes that have always provided unconditional encouragement. The support I was shown when deciding to depart was felt beyond words. This includes but is not limited to friends, family, clients, gymnasts, staff at 24 hour, my dentist, the local grocery store clerks and the beautifully energized woman from Elliot’s Natural Foods!
I plan on posting a bit more about California before I go, but for now here are some quick pics showing some fun in the sun. We’re so lucky to have this all in our backyard!
Lake Tahoe is a well known city that has it all. Biking, hiking, snowboarding, skiing, gambling, shopping, ice-skating, swimming, golfing, disc golfing, gondola rides, snow mobiling, boating (pause here for another breath) live music, festivals, famous events, scrumptious restaurants, themed hotels, traditional cabins and… oh ya there’s a lake… A big one! If you want a scenic drive, take the 72 mile road that circles this beautiful body of water.
I snagged a couple of pictures off of the Internet to give you an idea of this breath taking place. If there was a way I could get you to smell the air here, you would experience the perfect combination of crisp pine and fresh water over rocks.
Fall time colors
Winter on the mountain
I love the snow cap mountains with the crystal clear water, gorgeous!
Night shot of the city.
We decided to head to the Nevada side and park our towels at Zephyr Cove. A beach providing sand volleyball, a bar/restaurant, vibrant views and an abundance of happy people.
…but of course!
A little pyramid to start the afternoon off. This group was so entertaining to watch!
We met new friends that were here from Michigan… Check out these smiles.
A little fun with strangers (who ended up being an extremely nice group of quality gentlemen).
These are the magical girls that sang (blasting Jack Johnson) their way up to Tahoe with me… Road trip! The glowing one in the middle is Michelle, a high energy ball of fun that has a natural ability to spread that huge smile to those around her. The other stunning girl is Stephani, the total package of confidence, strength, beauty and grace. These two fine females are excellent examples for girls everywhere.
Here are some shots from the drive. Pretend you can hear three girls singing in the first pic… Classic!
City of Folsom. Yes, where the prison is located that Johnny Cash sang about in the ever so famous song “Folsom Prison”.
Folsom Lake boat launch. (I’ll have to post more later)
At Riverbank Marina on the Sacramento River, there is a floating restaurant. Take a look! http://www.crawdadsrivercantina.com . This bright Saturday was accompanied by a Dj and two live percussionist.
My friend Kimmy went all out and ordered a bucket or crawdads! This is served with a hand towel and bib.
Floating down the American River! You usually have to clarify when discussing the invite, “Want to go rafting?”. This can range from fighting the white water rapids to laying out on a floating device with music, food, drinks with a solid number of other people.
This sign made me smile.
The docking point where you load in and depart.
The peace before the crowd.
Mid River float there’s a small island which is a perfect breaking point to hop off the raft and stretch out. This also tends to be where several people feel the need to launch rockets of water at every passing group.
Not the best photo, but I wanted to share the action shot that I accidentally captured.
This was an incredible show of team work and determination to deflate the tube. I personally like the look on his face in the first picture.
…and the calm during sunset.
Her Happy Trails 