A tale of two vacations

Since the various people on this vacation had very different days this post will have two different authors. I'll start with the cyclists.

Jon, Dad, and I set out for a 55 mile ride with two climbs--Luther Pass and Daggett Summit. The first climb wasn't too terrible and all reached the top without too much difficulty. We then had about 12 miles of downhill where Dad had a slight mechanical issue but was able to recover. After that we rode into Nevada and were in the flats for quite a bit before we started our last climb of the day--an 8 mile slog up to Daggett Summit. It was hot and no shade for the weary. We started at about 4500 ft and climbed to 7300 ft. There were several sections where we had to deal with head and crosswinds. On our return Mom asked Dad if he was going to kill himself. His response--"What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." I said, "Until it kills you..." All three of us were pretty spent after the ride and therefore, tomorrow will be a rest day. --erin

Now it's time for a non-cyclist's perspective...this morning Cindy, Maeve and I went on a cruise around Lake Tahoe to Emerald Bay. We went on "Lake Tahoe's only authentic Mississippi Paddle-Wheeler" for a 2.5 hour tour. It was a hot, sunny day, and the water and sky rivaled each other in blueness. We sat on the top deck and enjoyed the view (and the UV rays...perhaps a tad too much, though not nearly as badly as Jonathan did. He's bemoaning his sunburn as I type this.) Maeve walked around the deck, enjoying getting wet from the paddle-wheels while Mom Mom held her, while insisting on wearing my new straw hat.

As we approached Emerald Bay, we saw a small island (the only island in Lake Tahoe)which had a Bald Eagle's nest in one of the large Sugar Pine trees. The water truly was green like an emerald--so different from the deep cerulean that the rest of the lake had been. Maeve, Cindy, and I had had enough sun at that point, so we went down a level to cool off and watch a short movie about Lake Tahoe history. Maeve proceeded to charm the other travelers around her, earning potato chips and compliments on her cuteness (to which she simpered and giggled). All in all, it was a lovely day on the lake together. --Jessica