A wintry week in South Lake Tahoe
The view from top of Kirkwood Ski Resort.
I spent a wintry week in South Lake Tahoe with my husband from the 10th through the 17th. It was a lovely getaway and my first time really skiing in two years. We found a reasonably priced place to stay that included a small, partial kitchen and also a couple of hot tubs and a sauna. It was also walking distance to both a grocery store and a few restaurants.
We spent the first three days skiing at Heavenly. We arrived midday on Friday and skied half that day before settling into our room. Saturday we spent about the same amount of time actually skiing - it was crowded, the lines were long and the runs a bit chaotic. Sunday was much nicer but I was pretty sore and tired by then - it takes different muscles than I use when riding my bike! Because of my foot surgery at the end of 2018 I had only tried to ski once at the end of the 2019 season and it didn’t go well. My foot hurt and my body ached - I had been mainly sitting or laying down for the previous three or four months. So getting back out there this year was a bit like starting over; a little better, but not much.
I took a day off on the third day and treated myself to a massage. I called around until I found a place that could take a day-of appointment and I lucked out. I had a great, careful and competent masseuse who really helped my sore muscles feel better.
The view from Heavenly on January 10, 2020.
On Tuesday and Wednesday we decided to drive out to Kirkwood. I had only been once and that was not to ski but to hang out while my husband skied (post foot surgery). I wasn’t sure what to expect but I loved it. There is ample terrain for an advanced beginner such as myself and some really fun runs too. I was able to practice a lot and that really payed off later in the week. I’m still not crazy about going super fast, but at least I feel like I can stop now!
Thursday was a storm day - though it didn’t hit until mid-afternoon, not the morning. I took another day off and got some stuff done I had been putting off. I went again on Friday, when we joined some friends who were also up there. Two of us ski very similarly and we had a great time doing several runs together before we had to leave to drive home.
The view from Heavenly on the 17th of January, 2020.
We cooked most of our meals in the room; we picked up fish at the market. Two meals were good, one not so much. We made large salads and sauteed veggies. Mornings were eggs and bacon or sausage and potatoes; lunch was sandwiches made at the room, roast beef or turkey or ham with cheese and good Dijon mustard on wheat bread. We ate out three times - the first evening, the second to last and the last. We had a really good meal at a Mediterranean (read Greek) cafe. We drank well - lots of Witching Stick of course, but also a couple of bottles of Champagne and a nice Riesling.
Overall, it was a really nice time to get out and enjoy the snow and the sunshine. We had two really gorgeous days and I was glad to be out in it. My skiing has improved and that feels good. But it also feels good to be home again. I was looking forward to riding my bike, but I seem to have brought home a chest cold, so I’ve had to lay low for the past couple of days and sadly, missed Bill Sterling’s memorial. Hopefully, I’ll feel better tomorrow and get back into the normal swing of things.