I’ve lived in California for a year now, and this past weekend was my 4th time in Lake Tahoe – I guess you can say that it’s one of my favorite places ;). My good friends Kim and Sophie planned a big group trip, so I was grateful they brought me along to meet some new friends!
We rented a gorgeous cabin in North Tahoe, which is quieter and less touristy than South Tahoe, where I’ve usually stayed in the past; and so even though it was my forth time it felt like a whole different experience. The entire weekend was a complete blast, the perfect balance of activity and relaxation, and overall left me super recharged. 🙂
Friday: driving up + best part of California road trips + hot tub/relaxing in the cabin
I think all my travelling this year, especially all the weekend trips in California, have made me actually ENJOY these long, 4-5 hour drives. We rode up in two cars on Friday, with me, Kim, Sophie, and a new friend J-Kai together in one. Time flew by as our energetic little crew had a blast sharing stories, poking fun at each other, playing road trip games, listening to music…probably the fastest-feeling ride up to Tahoe yet.
The best part of a California road trip = In ‘n Out :). I had so much of it on last week’s Highway 1 road trip with Michelle and have not gotten sick of it.
Finally made it to our cabin around 10:30pm. We were blown away by it. It was so charming with a homey, woodsy-feel. Plus for the first time possibly ever in a big group trip, everyone had a bed…and it was so cheap too! North Tahoe was definitely a good choice ;).
We right away put on our bathing suits, opened some wine, and jumped into the hot tub. Perfect way to unwind after the drive.
The other car joined us a few hours later, and we stayed up a little longer with them before hitting the hay as we had a fun lake day tomorrow ahead of us.
Saturday: lake fun + first time JET SKIING!
Saturday started off on the lazy side. A few people went to the lake early while the rest of us chose to relax at the cabin first. We enjoyed a cup of coffee and I took a little walk outside. Tahoe in the daylight is absolutely gorgeous!
Me + Sophie + Kim ❤
Our Airbnb even had a treehouse…
Around 11am, we drove to the lake, the highlight of our weekend. I am absolutely blown away by Lake Tahoe each time…it is absolutely MASSIVE, a beautiful, deep, turquoise color, and clear as sky. It’s super fresh which makes swimming in it such a refreshing treat (compared to the salty ocean!). I couldn’t wait to spend the whole day in my happy spot.
First off, a few in our group rented paddle boards! This was my second time paddle boarding and it felt a lot more comfortable than my first time. I think all my yoga has made finding my center-of-balance a little easier :P. The trick also is to jump in the water first so you are already wet and not afraid of falling, ha.
After round 1 at the lake, we went out for a late lunch. Me, J-Kai and two others broke off from the group to go to a grille since we were starving. Our group of 4 hit it off right away as we chatted away and got to know each other more over lunch. We originally were planning to join the the rest of the group afterwards at the cabin, but decided we weren’t finished with the lake and wanted to spend more time there – and so back to the water it was!
As we were walking over, we saw signs for renting jet skis…um YES!! I was dying to try jet skiing for a while now, and so the four of us spontaneously rented two of them to share. I hopped on one with J-Kai and we soared away into the lake 🙂
J-Kai drove first and then I went next, which was perfect for getting use to the bumpiness/speed/and turns. I was a safety nerd and stuck to slower speeds, but J-Kai got us up to 40 mph at one point 😛
I am so beyond glad we rented these jet skis – it was INSANELY fun. There was no limit to how far we could go, and so it really expanded my view of the beautiful lake versus staying by the shore with paddle-boarding or kayaking. We stopped a few times to just relax and swim around. I felt like I got a completely different perspective of this beautiful lake. I remember feeling like in total peaceful bliss, completely forgetting about real life for that one hour…it was heaven.
We saw our two friends on the way back. They went so fast they literally FLEW off the jet ski and into the water, ha!
We all finished completely filled with adrenaline and happiness from the amazing time. The four of us then did some grocery shopping for dinner, and then we headed back to the cabin to the join the rest of the group with relaxing, reading, playing board games, and helping cook dinner.
We then had a yummy BBQ, eating outside our cabin as the sun was setting. The night ended as a group again back in the hot tub, drinking and hanging out some more. It was the perfect, relaxing vibes we all needed after a day in the sun.
Sunday: back home
Our last day was a short one. We watched the world cup finals in the morning before packing up and checking out. We headed back home in the same cars as the way there, and so Kim/Sophie/J-Kai and I had some more bonding time before saying goodbyes.
My heart is so full from an amazing weekend. The quality time spent with Kim/Sophie, meeting this group of super fun and warm new friends, getting a whole new perspective of my favorite California spot…so many fun memories to look back on and be grateful for ❤
I Run Like A Girl 