Tahoe’s Seasons

Since my last post, we survived the Winter, Spring, and halfway through Summer! One major requirement of living here: GO OUTSIDE every single day. No matter the weather.

Well, one of those days was January 31, where I clumsily crashed on my snowboard at Heavenly Mountain Resort and suffered a concussion. Ended in the emergency room for a few hours and home by bedtime. Needless to say, it was my last time snowboarding for the season to ensure I was back at 100%. This accident taught me to slow down and be grateful for everything this life has given me so far.

With the Spring season, change is inevitable. I took a quick weekend trip back to the east coast to pay respects at an extended family’s funeral. Adam did the same a month after me. While the circumstances were unfortunate, it gave us both a chance to reconnect with some of our loved ones that we’ve known for many years.

We also experienced 3 earthquakes, minor yet noticeable! I’ve never lived in an earthquake zone so they shocked me a bit. As recently as yesterday, a big one hit (6.2 on the Richter scale!) and one of my friends in San Francisco reported feeling it. Adam, Maia and I were in the car driving back from the pool so we didn’t feel anything. Lots of aftershocks and not feeling a thing.

Another natural disaster that is more imminent especially during these dry summer months is the risk of wildfires. Just the other day we were hanging out on Pope Beach in South Lake Tahoe when a friend pointed out a big plume of smoke over the north end of the mountain. This was a fire that had started a couple days prior and we could see, within the span of an hour, the wind direction change by the way the smoke cloud was headed. I was also surprised to learn that it’s not only campfires (which are illegal anyway) that could start wildfires, but also lightning and sparks from truck chains hitting the asphalt on highways! I was so focused on getting an earthquake kit ready, but now I am thinking a wildfire evacuation plan is equally if not more important to prepare.

With a new mountain bike and inflatable Standup Paddleboard (SUP) in hand, I feel like an official Tahoe local. Hopefully everyone is staying cool out there as we experience these summer heat waves!