After Las Vegas, our trip has seemed to shift gears. The kids are more settled in to this vagabond way of life. They’re interested in what’s next, but also in what is present. And we are all well aware of how we’ve been provided for throughout this trip. Starting in Kansas City, when we stayed with Rick and Libbie Wertz, sight unseen, our family has received so many gifts of hospitality from friends and strangers, alike. 

In Lake Tahoe, Andrew and I found ourselves breathing in perhaps the freshest air in the United States, and we began to let go a little again. The previous days had been stressful – we were just trying to keep up with the drive times, with the kids’ spirits, with our own capacity for lack of routine. But Tahoe – with its low-key, campfire atmosphere, it’s “nature-well-done” philosophy, brought out the best in us again. 

We arrived at Cedar Glen Lodge, in Tahoe Vista, right at dinner time and were directed to a great little bistro on the beach so the kids could play and we could unwind from the drive. I cannot remember a time when we have all been so joyfully in sync. The water was cold, but it didn’t matter. The sun was shining and there was … Water … We were no longer roasting in the heat. 

We had two full days in Tahoe and spent the first one in the lake, at the pool and eating s’mores. 

On Sunday, after perusing a number of outrageously expensive guided boat tours, we decided to take the cheaper option and rent a speed boat of our own to take in the views. 

Before we headed out, a guy at the boat slip said we couldn’t ask for a more perfect day to be on Lake Tahoe; you can see clearly to a depth of 80 feet there, and the sky was just as clear as the water. Lake Tahoe is second deepest freshwater lake in the United States (only Crater Lake, in Oregon, is deeper), and is second only to the Great Lakes in its volume.

 

Our time in that boat will remain one of my favorite memories of this road trip. Andrew gave each of the kids a turn at the wheel. We sang loudly to “That’s Amore” and had a “Call Me Maybe” dance party. We were only out for an hour or so, but it was an hour of freedom unlike any we had experienced before on this trip. 

Later, as clouds rolled in, we took the kids for their first-ever round of mini-golf, where Peter proved he needed a little help with his swing, and Elizabeth’s careful nature gave her the win, with two hole-in-ones. 

That evening, she also scored with the trip’s biggest discovery, a very large crayfish near the shore, which she repeatedly called her “lobster.” 

When it was time to leave the following day, each of the kids had a minor meltdown about going. They begged for one more game of ping pong, for another badminton match, to go down to the beach one last time. 

But San Francisco was calling our name, and so the kids tearfully said goodbye to Tahoe. We’re already planning our return.