For the last few years I've played a show called Golf and Guitars in Sacramento, California at Haggin Oaks and it is one of my all time favorite shows that I have been a part of. (I'll be re-posting my Sac workout and blog on here soon, so stay tuned and you can read all about it.). One of my dear friends and his family have a condo in Kirkwood, California which is 30-40 minutes away from Lake Tahoe.
If you haven't been to Tahoe, you should put it on your radar if you like hiking, fishing, the outdoors, skiing, or just a lot of incredible beauty. We were only there for 2 days and 3 nights, and you can jam in a lot there in a short amount of time. I had been once before, but this time of year - October - when the trees are changing was absolutely breathtaking.
*Traveler's tip to Tahoe - if you stay anywhere else besides the Tahoe area, you need to have a car with a full tank of gas and probably stop at a grocery store well before you get to where you're staying.
We were smoked when we got there after traveling the distance of the entire country to Sacramento, having lunch with one of my dear friends, picking up the rental car and then driving to Tahoe, but we needed groceries and I wanted to see the lake. We stopped in and dropped our bags off in Kirkwood then made a B-line to the lake. We pulled over randomly at Beacon Bar and Grill and walked out on the beach. We were too tired to eat dinner there because we still needed to grocery shop but vowed that we would come back before the weekend was over.
After a good night's sleep-ish - we woke up bright and early at 5am because we were still on Florida time. It's a good thing we did though because I suggested we drive up to Carson's pass and watch the sunrise (see the first pic of this blog!!). It was one of my favorite moments of the trip. We stood there with our hot coffee and cold breath breathing little clouds with every exhale as we watched the yellow pour over the beautiful scene. What a great start to the trip.
We decided to come back to the condo, have breakfast and set out for a short hike before our fly fishing booking. The place to hike I was suggested was closed, so we pulled over at a random trail and just started hiking. We were definitely not acclimated to the higher elevation because both of us fitness buffs, Marcus and I, were huffing and puffing walking up the trail. We found a trail off of the trail and hiked up until we found a cave. I wanted to keep trying to go to the top of the "mountain" we were on but the trail ended there and I didn't have trail shoes on...
*Traveler's tip - if you are doing any kind of hiking - get a pair of trail shoes. Running shoes just won't cut it on the trail at all.
That Saturday afternoon we did something that was on my bucket list - fly fishing. It was everything I had hoped for. It was a River Runs Through It. It was wading through the river, fall leaves changing colors around us, climbing over rocks and learning how to cast and not looking like a complete idiot. Guess who caught 3 fish? You guessed it...this girl. We booked with Tahoe Fly Fishing and they were great. Our guide taught me how to handle the fish - if you even need to, and how to return them back to the river with the least amount of stress possible. These guys really have a great respect for their "coworkers." The whole afternoon was a complete dream come true. (Make sure to go through the slideshow below...there are a few pics you don't want to miss!)
After fishing, we knew we'd be too tired to go back to the condo and clean up then come back for dinner so we headed straight to the Beacon for some grub. Naturally I found out that they were having the Tahoe Marathon this weekend and decided to last minute sign up for the 10k that would be the next morning, so we ate had a wonderful meal on the beach with a private fire pit. The atmosphere, the company and the food were heavenly.
We stopped on the way back up to the condo to take a quick look at the Milky Way which was the first time I had ever seen it, and my mind was blown. I didn't have a camera to get a picture with, but it just means we have to go back. If you're ever in a place where light pollution ins't a thing, look up and see what you can find.
The next morning I got up to head down to the start of the 10k and really didn't know what to expect. I guess for some reason I thought it would be 6.2 on the road - WRONG. It was a maze through a golf course, trails through the forrest and views of the lake that were to die for. It was gorgeous, and I just wanted to soak up doing these miles surrounded by this beauty and also not die. So, I did just that.
After the 10k, we stopped by a bar across the street for some grub before we took off for a drive around the lake. Now, this isn't a Sunday drive around a pond kind of thing. Lake Tahoe is uuuuuge and takes hours to drive all the way around. Plus you're going to want to stop along the way to take it all in.
One of my favorite stops was on the east side of the lake at just a random place to pull off the road. It's where the water is clear and you can climb up on the rocks and look out at what feels like forever. This is where I recorded the workout. Find yourself a step and some kind of bench or try this workout at home too!
Here’s the working out (with a view) for you - EMOM workout - every minute on the minute! Make sure you’re warmed up before and then do 45 seconds of each exercise and rest 15 aka get ready for the next exercise. Go for 2 sets and take 1 minute rest between sets. This will give you a nice 15 minute full body heart lift! Happy sweating.
EMOM 45/15
Incline push-ups
High knees
Step-ups
Bench lunges
Incline mt climbers
Decline plank taps
Burpee step ups
After a quick stop to snap some pics of the breathtaking water we kept driving around and stopped on the North side to walk around and grab a drink. From there, we kept driving and made a quick stop for Marcus to look out at Emerald Bay then headed back home. It was a full day!
*Traveler's tip - plan your route before you head out on the drive around Tahoe. You think oh, we are just going to drive around a big lake... yeah... one that takes 3 hours to drive around! Plan your stops out before so you have enough time to deal with traffic, parking, and other things that might come up along the route.
As I mentioned before, we didn't have a ton of time here, but we made the most of it!! You should definitely put Tahoe on your travel list. If you go in the winter vs. the fall/spring/summer it is definitely a different trip, but BEAUTIFUL year 'round. It is really a paradise for outdoor lovers!