Tahoe trip; short but fun!

On July 31st we had the Gunnions over for dinner to celebrate the end of the swim season. The kids had fun playing while the adults enjoyed watching the Olympics. 

We set the TV up so it faced outside and everyone was happy being "safe" yet still enjoying the Olympics. It was really fun because we were able to cheer on the Australians as well as the Americans.

I honestly cannot remember why I took this picture, but I must have taken it sometime the last weekend in July. 

On Monday, August 2nd we headed up to Tahoe City. We enjoyed a 9 mile bike ride with our family and the Wordens along the Truckee bike trail. It was really nice having them drive down from Truckee to see us. 

The next morning we met Tyler and the twins (no Cynthia because she likes to sleep in) at Squaw Valley. I had found this amazing hike called Shirley Canyon and I wanted to tackle it day one. 

The 5 kids made it up the 2000 foot climb to the top of the mountain where we were able to take the Tram ride down. 

It was really fun to see the top of Squaw Valley and the Olympic rings and ski resort. 

I was incredibly proud of our kids and Jade and Zoe for being able to tough out the 2.5 hour hike straight up!

Here is Rubix looking down at what we climbed, while we waited for the Tram. 

I managed to make it down the 10 minute Tram ride without getting sick, by covering my vision and starring at one point on the floor. It was a very smooth ride. I was bummed I couldn't look out without getting very nauseous. We successfully made it back to the parking lot and then headed back to Tahoe City.

Monday night we rode our bikes down to Skylandia Beach State Park and enjoyed the cold lake water. 

Phoenix was happy as ever playing in the sand. 

Both Axel and Rubix went for a swim with Daddy. 

That evening the kids were itching to swim in the pool, but decided that the water was too cold and that they rather swim in the lake. 

We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs as we had a big active day and the kids all ate one of each!

On Wed. the plan was to make it to Sand Harbor Beach for a beach day. We arrived just a bit too late and the parking lot was already full at 9am!!! 

Plan B, was King's Beach, so we drove down to King's Beach and enjoyed the day there. Axel and I rented a kayak and went down to Granite point. We made a great team and covered the 3 miles in just less than an hour. When we got back, Phoenix and Rubix tried it out. If you ask Rubix, he will tell you that the best part of his day was riding on the kayak! 

The kids played for hours in the sand/water. It is really impressive how hours goes by without them needing to eat, drink or get our of the sun. It was a big effort to get them to eat some lunch and take a break. 

The sand was incredibly hot so after lunch Daddy kindly carried Phoenix back to the water because she had left her shoes down by the water. 

On Thursday we planned to go to Tyler's house in Truckee. They just purchased a house and invited us over for the day. We decided to go back to the Train Tunnels before heading to his house. 

We were able to complete all of the tunnels in 2 hours, compared to only getting through 2.5 tunnels in the winter snow. We felt accomplished and were able to get a picture in front of Lake Donner outside the last train tunnel. 

We headed over to Tyler's afterwards and enjoyed an entire afternoon and evening with their family. The kids had an amazing time playing with them and eating lunch and dinner with them!

The night ended with a disco party, puppet show and performances by the twins. 

Unfortunately, we had to head home early on Friday (4 days early!) because tons of smoke from the fires came rolling into all of Tahoe and Northern CA. The air quality quickly went from beautiful clear air to in the 400s. We were surprised that smoke followed us all the way home to the Bay area. The AQI was 62 when we got home 4 + hours later, which is better than the 400's but showed how bad the fires and smoke were. The kids were absolutely exhausted from our fun filled long few days in Tahoe. We all agreed it wasn't worth suffering through dangerous smoke levels and we have made the best of our return home early. 

 Since we have been home we started getting ready for the school year and we purchased a second home! It is crazy that everything came together, but we are excited about the opportunities that will come with the purchase of a second home. 

Next up is return to work and the start of school. We are hoping and praying for a smooth transition back to the classroom. Until then, happy end of summer!