Becoming Outdoorsy

A few weeks ago I ventured north of Sacramento to visit my friend Tonya. She had convinced me just a few days before that we should go whitewater rafting---we HAD to! it was the Sacramento Groupon and it was a sign! So I said yes and began planning my outfit. It's not every day I get to wear something "outdoorsy". Reality is, not a lot of my outfits look good wet and it was more of a choice between which hat to wear (Duke v. Boston Red Sox). Because of our distance/schedules the only day it worked to go was right after Tonya got off of a night shift. I picked her up from work, grabbed some starbucks, applied our sunscreen and went to the designated parking lot behind a grocery store (sounds shady, I know).

The 6 of us plus guides loaded into a van which smelled like sweaty teenage boys and drove deep into the woods, while jamming to some raggae to put us in the mood. I was feeling a little nervous about this rafting trip. I had gone 10 years ago with a church group to WV and I remember it being lots of fun...but 10 years ago I didn't have bills and it didn't matter if I broke a limb! Tonya and I were placed in a raft with not 1 but 3 guides (2 were in training). We definitely got the better raft! We had a blast picking on our guides and I made Alex (the most qualified river man) tell me all the touristy facts that he could, and he did not disappoint. The boys filled us in on rafter and kayaker lingo such as "Boof" which means to go over a rock/ledge and land with the bottom flat against the water. It was a really fun time, especially since neither of us fell out during any rapids we encountered.

Getting Ready!

Lunch Time.

Here we go!

2 of our fun guides

Gorgeous Views

I'm so glad Tonya pushed, I mean encouraged, me to go! I forgot that I DO like certain outdoor things like this. Dad and I are now talking about doing a Father-Daughter rafting trip in WV next summer!

The next day we made our way up to Tahoe and it was well worth the drive! The boys had recommended visiting King's Beach at Lake Tahoe and it did not disappoint. The small strip of town was quaint, filled with vintage signs and small local joints to eat. We enjoyed strolling along the street, taking in the sights from the gorgeous yellow trees to the blue-green water of the lake and even the locals who skateboarded through town aided by a stick to push off from.

Next we drove down to Emerald Bay where we found a gorgeous waterfall that you could easily access. The scenery here was my favorite, offering a great view of full trees, shimmering water, and snowcapped mountains. I'm so glad that I'm enjoying nature, the sights and smells (pine and eucalyptus) more and more with age. Since we aren't gamblers or snow bunnies there wasn't much else for us to see in South Lake, Tahoe and we headed home. Tonya really is like a big sister to me, and I love that I can be so comfortable around her. I definitely took advantage of that as we sang along to the Country Strong soundtrack on our way home...where I attempted to reach and hold every note of Gwyneth Paltrow's song "Home"...yeah, good luck with that!