CrossRoads Blog

Heck it had been three and half months already, must mean time to go see the Grandkiddo again right? Well, true that but this time we wanted to send a little love Great Granny’s way as she had some (as they would say on the old Beverly Hillbillies show – which seems appropriate seeing we call her Granny..) ‘doctoring’ going on as of late. It was a very enjoyable visit as always – we love dem’ Okies ya’ know. Though of course, AGAIN, everyday it seemed to either be storming or threatening a storm. They tell us it’s just a coincidence and aberration that this has been the case every time we visit but frankly I have their weather on my iPhone now, and it’s not so odd peoples . It’s called tornado alley for a reason!

Truthfully we did catch one decent weather day. And by decent I mean non-rainy, because it still was hot and muggy. We took advantage of this by scooting up to a little festival on Lake Eufaula with M2, Antoinette and the Grand Mikey. M3 being a young sawed-off still wasn’t able to do all of the rides, but Grandma took him on the Carousel and his Daddy slide down the (somewhat scary in a cheap Carni’ put this ride together sort of way) sack slide thing. FYI he enjoyed both ‘rides’. We got him a balloon, a fish, and whatever else he wanted before he just plum tuckered out. Joan Jett was to play later that day and we planned on being part of his first concert experience – but alas, he wasn’t the only one beat down by the heat and humidity. So we grabbed a lunch at Gator’s on the lake, did a quick little Jellystone Campground stop and headed back home.

We mostly chilled the rest of the days enjoying everyone’s company and hanging out. One of the best days was the day we picked up this cool Horse tree swing thing for M3 and got to watch him swing and play with it. It might not yet be the favorite over the sandbox, but I think he will have years of fun with that thing, and we got some cool pictures to boot.

Well, I am sure it will not be long before we are back in the “OK” state again. In fact, from all the talk, sounds like I may be watching the Lions get beat down on Turkey Day in McAlester this year. The good news (no not the Lions) is that we now have another shower option just outside ‘our room’ thanks to Great Grandpa…. You da’ man!

PICS HERE

For folks that like to run races there are a lot of options out there (well except for maybe Phoenix in the Summer). Seems like just about every mid size or bigger city has a Full or at least Half Marathon at one time of the year. Smaller 5K’s and 10K’s are almost a weekly thing in the larger cities. Many of those are tied to some charity as it’s a great way to do a little fundraising, promote the cause and have some fun. Because we fall into the ‘love to race’ category you get to (have to) be choosy on what races you attend (of course the qualifying races like Boston etc. are an exception). So when it comes to what are called ‘Destination Runs’, those races that require at least an overnight stay somewhere, we are really particular. Net is, if we are going to go somewhere the run just has to be part of the whole package, we want to be able to explore the area, or take advantage of doing something while we are there. Heck sometimes it even works the other way in that if we have to be somewhere for business or family, we look for a weekend race in that area while we will be there.

So… long explanation to how we ended up running in the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon. First seeing we had road-tripped it to Tahoe, it was on the way home (or close to it anyway). Second, it would for sure qualify as a true ‘destination run’ as Bryce Canyon National Park and the whole area is an amazing place and considered one of the top US National Parks. And the one that cinched it – guaranteed PR (Personal Record, as in we would almost for sure have the fastest race we ever have ran because the race is essentially running down the canyon the whole 13.1 miles!).

The weekend pretty much was exactly what we expected. With an amazing race that is run on the main road leading into Bryce Canyon National Park being the highlight. You get views of the famous Hoodoos almost the whole run. The race descends some 1700 feet over the whole course with a couple of spots being so steep you actually have to slow yourself (let’s just say our thighs are still sore…). Kimberly and I both set PR’s as expected. Kimberly’s time was good enough for the top 25% of all females, and my time was in the top 8% overall. This is nice of course, except that I don’t think we can ever match those times unless we run a similar downhill type course!

We did hit the Park for a nice hike the day before the race. Even though we knew a hike down into the Canyon and out would not necessarily be best before a run, we just couldn’t come here and not get down into the Hoodoos. So we packed a lunched and had a great day hike. One rub was the trail said 2,000 feet elevation change. We figured okay, that’s not too bad, less than half of the Grand Canyon inner trails back up from the river. EXCEPT what they fail to mention is this is more like ‘from top of trail to bottom is 2,000 feet change’ and not the hike itself. Turns out the hike we took went down into the canyon, then back almost all the way up, then down, then up, then….you get the picture. I think this is as big of contributor to having sore as heck quads as the runs effect.

Overall the Canyon is a very worthy trip. We might not do the race again (and btw if we do, we would book it early so as not to have a “cabin” as our accommodations – just ask us about the slanted room), but would for sure recommend a trip to the National Park as it is an amazing place.

Check out the PICTURES HERE

I got two things to say; first and foremost I will never hack on my sister again about her buying a timeshare. Second, we want to spend every Summer on Lake Tahoe! Man-o-man did we dig this place. It’s got the perfect vibe and a lifestyle that matches up exactly on how we like to spend Summer days.

Since the boys ‘left the nest’ for good, we have been of course contemplating the old ‘what’s next’ from a living type of perspective. Staying in a two story family oriented home sure doesn’t make sense. Seems we spend 99% of the time in one of three rooms – and that’s counting the backyard as a room. So one thought was to have a couple of smaller condo type places, one here in AZ and one somewhere the Summers are Monsoon free. For darn sure, the Lake Tahoe area just moved to number one on that Summer spot wish list. So will someone please buy our family house so we can have a place in Tahoe? I promise you can visit all you want

There was some work I had to do every day, but for the most part it was eight days of hikes, bikes, runs, beaches, sun, Blues festivals, Shakespeare, perfect weather, and even daily views of snow capped mountains! Having a kitchen in the timeshare made it even more perfect because we were able to do our own meals (yeah we have become such picky eaters this is a must).

I really could go on and on about the whole Lake Tahoe area, we truly enjoyed it that much. Instead I will just touch on a few of the highlights for us. Just do know, it was like a cruise in that you just could not come even close to getting to all of the enjoyable things you could do in this area in a week or so – heck, I’m not sure a month would do it.

We stayed in the town of South Lake Tahoe which is in California but right on the Nevada border (so yes Casino’s walking distance away too), but the whole Lake Tahoe area covers a fairly sizable area and you could pretty much stay anywhere. There are four major ski areas on the Lake; Heavenly (our timeshare was right at the base of the lift), Squaw Valley (site of the Winter Olympics in the 70’s), Incline (a very cool area of the lake), and Northstar – plus about 10-20 other areas. There is more weekly type resorts, hotels, cabins, camp sites, etc on the lake than I have seen about anywhere. There are a zillion hike and bike paths and trails to explore. So needless to say, more than anything this area is all about outdoor activities and being in nature. It sure makes sense, because as from a ‘beauty in nature’ perspective, it doesn’t really get much better – it just has it all.

Okay, before I sound too much like a Tahoe Visitor convention commercial, on to some of the things we enjoyed most. Without question it was the hikes and bike days. We even did one bike trail 2 days, though a little different track. For sure if you get there you have to do I guess you could call it the ‘SLT Bike Trail’. For the most part they have created a bike path that parallels the road in one of the cooler parts of the Lake. There are several great stopping and exploring stops along the path, or you can just make you own way and explore. For sure connect up with the guys at Anderson’s Bike Rental. They were just good guys who will give you the low down on what to hit, a map, and whatever else. By the way while I am at it, not only were the guys at Anderson’s like extremely friendly, so was everyone in this area. It was almost to a point of being weird. Everybody seems extra nice, friendly, courteous, etc. Even the dang teenagers where great. I guess living here does that for you? Or maybe it’s a California thing?

Anyway, back to the bike trip(s). Along the trail is several cool stops, each of which you could easily spend a whole day at. Camp Richardson is an old camping, campground, forest service type area. The Camp may have the best ice cream stop in all the US! It’s like this old school little shop that is perfectly matched to the area. We hit this place both days. Advice is to order the kids size and split it – the regular portion singles were like a half a carton I swear. Next along the trail you have a couple of historical areas that are pretty cool. Basically early settlers to the area in awesome homes, and outhousesright on the Lake (Tallec and another I can’t recall the name). There are two awesome beach stops (Pope, etc.) that are huge with full ‘whatever you want to do on the lake’ activities. We stopped for lunch one day , check out the duck with the cheetos on his face (no of course not from us!). Then there is an area called Taylor Creek Preserve which is very cool. Another couple of beaches, or you can cross the road over to the Fallen Leaf Lake area (we did this the second trip and had a great ride and lunch) or you could even head to the road and toward Emerald Bay. Anyway, a great place to do a bike ride for sure.

We have taken a lot of hikes in our time. And I have to say, perhaps other than the Grand Canyon inner trips, the Rubicon Trail through D.L. Bliss Park has to be my favorite. It’s like every 10 yards had views and images you wanted to stop and take pictures at. How do you beat walking a trail that follows a cove and then lake of emerald and blue waters that are so clear you can see 100 feet deep? You do this while hiking in a forest with giant Pines and Cedar Trees that have been there for ages. And you have these wild looking (I think) Sugar Pines, and cool rock formations framing the views of high majestic mountains with snow caps! It was most excellent. The hike starts, and ends for that matter as we did an out-and-back at a place called Vikingsholm Castle. Vikingsholm is a historic home right on Emerald Bay now owned by the CA Parks (thankfully so it is a preserve area). We did the tour after the hike and it was nice. Our tour guide who works for the Parks dept actually lived there when she was young. She was the first CA Park female ever hired and I think must be 70 years old and all still loving her job. She even wrote a book about the place. Very cool, check out the pictures we took.

One of our days consisted of doing a nice trail run up on the Northwest side of the Lake. Kimberly fell and got a little boo-boo but it didn’t distract from what a perfect spot for a run this was. Again, through a great forest following the lakeshore of Emerald beaches and coves. Which by the way, a few of them happen to be ‘clothing optional’. There is another story there too, but we will save that for the verbal version of our trip. That night, after a nice nap of course, we got to see a ton of great Blues and Soul Artists at the Lake Tahoe Blues Festival. The lineup included Elvin Bishop, three Chicago Blues legends: Lonnie Brooks (more Texas to me), Jimmy Johnson, and Eddie ‘the Chief’ Clearwater, and even the most excellent Ms. Mavis Staples who’s version of ‘Wade in the Water’ brought chills to my soul! It was a great show. Actually the one cooler night of the trip, but the Cabo Wabo’s and wine helped warm us up!

Another day we did a hike up top of Heavenly. You ride the gondola up to the ski area and essentially you can head anywhere from there. Even though that day we were at 11,000 feet or so, it was still a warm hike. But like most days, we found we were about the only ones on the trail and we just pulled up a big rock for the most excellent lunch location. We did a beach day one day at one of those perfect Emerald Coves secluded spots. That night we hit a Tahoe annual staple the Shakespeare Festival and saw an outstanding performance of ‘Measure for Measure’. Again, it may seem like I am repetitive but it was a perfect night. The venue is actually on the beach. You look at the stage with the Lake maybe 50 yards behind it. We brought our own cooler (as does everyone or you can get just about everything there too) with wine, cheese, veggies, etc. You just sit in the beach chairs with your feet in the sand, under a blanket with the one you love (it cools at night for sure), drinking the vino, munching the chocolate, and enjoying a great performance. Just another ‘it doesn’t get any better’ experience.

We of course also did a ton of running. You put in your headsets there and just run and enjoy the views. The elevation you get used too. Makes it a little tough, but everything else more than makes up for it. We hit the spa a couple of nights. We did one meal out and it was great, a place called Blue Water Bistro where the food matched the perfect sunset you get sitting on the outside patio tables right over the Water. We hit a little Art Festival where Kimberly helped one group of performers with some South Pacific dancing (I have video I’ll get on the site someday). Lastly we had a great little breakfast at this place in Incline Village after a long run one morning that we really enjoyed. It was a Sri Lankan place if you ever get there check it out.

I guess that’s about it. We obviously took a lot of pictures, which you can see HERE. Also did a decent amount of video but that won’t make it to the website until I get to last year’s videos. And again…. Please buy our home so we can get a place in Tahoe for the Summer.