Say Yes To Fun + Lake Tahoe Day Trippin’

This summer is all about the day trips and adventures. And saying yes to experiences. I love checking out new places and finding reasons to be outside. As I create this post, I am sitting outside of Starbuck’s. I really do love being outside. The fresh air just motivates me and reminds that I am a part of something so much bigger.

I am trying to step out of my comfort zone and try new things.  So I must say yes to adventure, right? I am a bit of a scaredy cat really. Roller coasters? No way! I could die! I mean, no one else will but I most certainly could perish. Silly right? But I get serious anxiety over such things. When I took my youngest son to Disneyland last month, I said yes to a few of the rides that scared me. Not all but some. Baby steps! I don’t like the sensation of drops on a ride. I literally feel a sheer sense of panic at the thought of saying yes. But I said yes. To Grizzly River Run which I normally avoid like the plague. I said yes 3 times! It was my son’s favorite ride and guess what? I liked it! We both said yes to Radiator Springs Racers although we each had our own fears about the ride. Guess what? I loved it! I literally yelled with joy and had my hands high up in the air during the fast part. What? Who is this person? Honestly, it was a great teaching moment for me as both, my son and I felt so empowered and proud that we faced our fears.

Last weekend my husband and I took our youngest {same kiddo as mentioned above} to Tahoe Tree Adventure Park for some obstacle courses and ziplining. It’s 2.5 hours of non-stop action. I will tell you that the last time we did a similar adventure, I hung back and watched. This time I was determined to be an active participant.

I looked a little something like this

This was totally happening. No big deal, right? Well, no big deal til I had to zip line for the first time. Gulp. OMG. What was I thinking? Once I was up on that platform, I didn’t really have a choice cause what goes up, must come down. So I did it. I took the leap. It was terrifying and exhilarating. But I kept doing it. I did every single course. Even the hardest and tallest ones. Some even twice. Once I took that first jump, it became so much easier. I was having a blast and again, I felt this crazy awesome feeling of empowerment. I zip lined people. She who doesn’t jump jumped. A lot. My oldest wasn’t with us but I sent him a video. He said, “Wow, I can’t believe you did that mom”. Yep. Me either but I did. #toottoot

So now that we’ve gotten past my moment of bragging, let me tell you about our day trip to Tahoe. Tahoe is really a magical place for me. I feel lighter when I am there. Maybe it’s just the altitude change, maybe not. It’s incredibly beautiful. Between the mountains, the blue lake, and the fresh air – every bit of it is sensory overload in the best possible way.

A couple of years ago, we stayed the night at Squaw Valley. It was a killer Groupon deal and because it’s a quick drive for us, one night was perfect. First off, the resort was really awesome. There were onsite restaurants and an amazing pool. The Village at Squaw Valley was a quick drive away. That was where we first tried zip lining. By we, I mean my family minus me cause I was scared. The kids thought it was awesome and that is what lead us to Tahoe Treetop Adventure Park. It was a bit bigger then Squaw’s course.

We made our reservations the day before but as summer moves along, Tahoe becomes crazy busy with tourists. Things book up, fast. Lucky for us, a lot of schools are still in session and it was a pretty peaceful day in Tahoe. We packed up a lunch, filled our water bottles and headed to our destination {which is only 2 hours from our house}.  We were fitted for our gear and given a brief instruction on what to do. It was super easy to get the hang of it. You could do the courses in whatever order you wanted, however much you wanted in your 2-hour time limit. Sessions started every hour beginning at 10:45am. We went strong, only taking quick water and snack breaks for the first hour. Then we ate our lunches and got right back to it.

One we wrapped up our fun adventure, we headed to nearby Tahoe City for a snack, some ice cream and a bit of exploring. Check out these loaded tater tots from Tahoe Mountain Brewing Company. They were so good but oh so bad.

We did a little walking around the lake and of course checked out the Lake Tahoe Dam at the Truckee River. I can’t get over this gorgeous blue water.

I definitely see more day trips to Lake Tahoe as part of our summer adventures. Maybe we will take the kayaks on the lake, try to stand up paddle board again, take a hike, grab ice cream at Camp Richardson {a must if you are in the area}, eat a burger at Burger Lounge, grab pizza at Base Camp Pizza or catch a gondola ride to the top of Heavenly. There are so many awesome ways to spend the day in Tahoe.

I found this sweet little article at my favorite travel magazine.

http://www.sunset.com/travel/california/lake-tahoe-summer

Do you have a favorite local destination spot?

Enjoy your summer and remember, say yes to adventure!

xo,

Gabby