Tag Archives: Paddle

Inspirational Words to Live by from Abraham Lincoln

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Sea kayaking Glacier Bay, Alaska

Sea kayaking Glacier Bay, Alaska

I guess this is a timely post given the new movie out about Abraham Lincoln.  We all know that Abraham Lincoln was a great American for so many reasons.  My level of reverence for the man went up another notch when I came across this quote from him the other day … “in the end it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.”  Hard to believe that one person could be so inspirational and eloquent, from the Gettysburg Address to this small but perfect quote.  Thanks Abe!!  I will endeavor to live by this always.

Paddling the Blue Waters of Lake Tahoe

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I clearly heard Greg say he wanted to start our summer road trip in Lake Tahoe as he thought it would be a great place to kick off a vacation…..After a few weeks of research on where to stay and what to do, I shared what I found. His first question was, “Why are we going to Lake Tahoe?”  He swore the conversation never occurred. Whatever, I suppose it could have been a dream.  I plowed forward with a plan to start off in Tahoe anyway.

We did a bunch of cool stuff but thought I would focus on the day we went kayaking and happened upon some naked people while hiking in the same area.  Let me start by saying there was A LOT of wind the entire time we were there. So much, that Greg mentioned it every 10 seconds. Because of the wind, the chance to kayak on the pristine blue waters seemed to be slim to none.  Mainly because kayaking on white caps is not my personal favorite.

We never gave up hope – we got up extra early one morning and I had the Wind Monitor (aka Greg) check the velocity of the wind.  It turned out to be a pretty nice day so we drove over to the East side of the lake to a place called Sand Cove.  There are kayak rentals on the shore, however, if you happen to find another kayak shop in town that is of interest to you, they may be able to drop off some boats for you.

When we got there, the first thing I noticed is that the water is Caribbean blue – had NO idea.  It was amazing.  We hopped in our kayaks and took a right (North) to a beautiful cove about .2 miles away from the rental spot.   After about an hour and some change, the wind picked up AGAIN so we turned around and returned our equipment. Unfortunately, it was a short trip for us, but on a gorgeous day, it would be a great idea to pack some food and spend the entire afternoon paddling along the shore (the kayak company will give you dry bags).  The opportunities for some good picnicking and cove exploring are plentiful.

In spite of the devil-wind, we decided not to end the afternoon and headed South in Lola – our rented gold Chevy Impala.  A few miles down the road, we stopped at an unmarked (but rather busy) parking area and went for a hike. The trails will take you down to the shore or on a high trail that will skirt the Lake and present you with some pretty awesome views.  We took the ‘high road’ and after about a half mile, we came across a cove I would have never expected to see in Tahoe.

When I saw the clear, blue-green waters, instinct kicked in and I started snapping photos.  I was focused on the water, apparently Greg was more focused on the shore. The next thing I hear from Greg is “There are naked people down there!”   Sure enough, we inadvertently made our way to the one and only nudist beach on Lake Tahoe to a place called, ‘The Secret Cove’.  If you decide to rent kayaks, you can paddle your way down there and see some interesting stuff.

For Greg, being naked outside is second nature so it meant nothing to him.  I of course, giggled like a dork, and felt like a little school-girl.  The day ended on a good note with plenty of laughter and a ridiculous amount of wind – it was the day I fell in love with Lake Tahoe – can’t wait to go back and who knows, maybe I will end up on the beach in the Secret Cove!