And by little, I mean a couple of days away, rediscovering a lake which has been a lifelong power spot but somehow, you’ve forgotten about for the last few years. We are spoiled in Northern California, within three hours we can be on hundreds of beaches, in the mountains, sitting on top of Half Dome, or in one of the greatest, most diverse cities in the world.
You deserve a couple of days at least. You work hard, try to do good, try to make the world a little better than it was yesterday (quite challenging these days). You know it’s not getting any easier, money is tight, the news is bad, America is no longer a democracy but an oligarchy, every day, a little bit older, a little more tired, wondering if it’s all worth it…
Well, it is worth it. But you have to appreciate why you work as hard as you do, and there’s no place better place to do that than Lake Tahoe. Now, some simple rules, go during the week (cheaper, less crowded), walk, bike, swim, explore, and leave your screens at home.
There’s magic in Tahoe, Sylva restaurant, the outdoor bar at Za’s Pizza, Basecamp and the Evo hotel, the bike path from Meek’s Bay to Olympic Village, Baldwin Beach, beauty like no where else in the world. My perfect three days? Well, thought you’d never ask.
Leave early Monday morning, stop at Sonoma market for sandwiches (Firecracker on focaccia please) and a smoothie (C-booster with extra ginger) then up highway 50 to south shore for a day at the beach (Baldwin, Meeks Bay, or for the adventurous, park in the Vikingsholm lot and hike down to Emerald Bay). Set your REI camp chair at the edge of the lake, open up your summer reading material and hang until all of your stress drains away. Listen to the lake, stare at the 17 shades of blue, realize that this is why you are alive.
Next, continue to Tahoe City where you are staying at Basecamp or The Evo hotel. Shower then head to dinner at Sylva where you have to order the ceviche, the beets and cherry crack for desert. Talk with the owners, look for the guy with FOIE GRAS tattooed on his knuckles, realize that food is more than fuel, it’s art. Watch the sunset from your outdoor table, bring that wine you’ve been saving (for me, a 2008 Bucklin Zinfandel). Breathe deep, sleep hard.
Tuesday you rent electric bikes and ride along the Truckee to Olympic village then down the Westshore to Sunnyside for a late lunch and quick dip next to the restaurant to cool off. Then continue to Meeks Bay because electric bikes make long distances super short and if you stay at the Evo hotel, bike rentals are half price.
Walk to Za’s Pizza for dinner and have at least one drink at the world’s greatest outdoor bar while you wait for your table. Get a second wind and head to Jim Kelly’s Nugget for a little gamble or walk down along the lake to the Little Truckee Ice Cream Truck and take your toasted coconut chip waffle cone to Fanny Bridge to watch the monster trout.
Wednesday wake up with coffee and pastry and provisions at Tahoe House Bakery, then either a round at the Everline golf course in Olympic Valley (a close second most beautiful course in California after Pebble Beach) or back to the beach. Find a spot for dinner and drive home late so you miss the 5:00 Sacramento traffic.
Return to Sonoma, tan rested, and ready for whatever the rest of summer can throw at you. Begin to see the world differently, scroll less, walk more, think about what goes in your body and brain and why it matters. Plan your next vacation, take your camp chair to Maxwell beach or the Rez or the Plaza and realize there’s a reason people come from around the world to visit where we live.
Little fish, big pond 