All of this work hard, play hard, burn the candles at both ends lark can get a bit tiring. The smoke from nearby California wildfires was oppressive, the midsummer heat was stifling and on top of that Darren was feeling under the weather. So much so that in an abundance of caution he took a Covid test – which luckily came back negative, phew! Turns out we both just had a touch of Lazyitus.
So for our week at Lake Tahoe… our days were spent at Tahoe Mill Collective, a co-working space by the Truckee river, with a coffee shop next door. And most evenings were spent at our campground – Granite Flat, also on the river.
The river played a part in our evening chilling out (on the one non-smoky day). Armed with beers, camping chairs and mossie spray, we took ourselves not just down to but in to the river.
And as we were sat there, just sitting in the river, into my head popped the catchy rap chorus from KLF classic Mu Mu Land (actually I looked it up, it’s really called Justified and Ancient):
“Sitting in the river, Sitting in the river, Sitting in the river of life (Hey!)”
Yes, I know it’s really “Fishing in the river” but close enough to get my weird lyrical mind going.
I guess we did do some walking and a paddleboard session, so the week wasn’t a total write off. The first hike took us from Incline Village up through the forest to Monkey Rock. So often you need more than a pinch of imagination to see whatever the so-called namesake is supposed to resemble (I seem to remember a certain Rabbit Ears pass, even Bugs Bunny wouldn’t have recognized it). So how delighted was I that Monkey Rock actually looked like a monkey.
And how much did it get me singing Robbie Williams’ ‘Me and my Monkey.’ (“If your monkey’s got that kind of money son, then we’ve got a monkey bed”).
I took myself up the Tahoe Rim Trail for a view, while Darren took the more serene option of gliding around on the lake.
And now talk about coincidence. I know like minded people tend to do like minded things, but seriously…? Due to the fires, our route to Tahoe was diverted via Reno, Nevada, and we took the opportunity to call into the REI outdoorsy store there. Just as we walked in the door, so did another customer, and we heard someone say “Darren???” Which is funny because we don’t know anyone in Reno, Nevada, and nobody knows us.
Turns out that’s not true.
You may or may not remember around 18 months ago, we did a coast to coast trip across Costa Rica under our own steam (biking, hiking, rafting and kayaking), with a small group of like minded people. Two of those people (who don’t live in Reno but over 30 miles away near Lake Tahoe) had ventured to the REI on a stifling Sunday afternoon, something they did maybe twice a year. And arrived at the exact same time as we did.
Blown away by the coincidence and overjoyed to bump into our long lost friends, we arranged to meet up later in the week. Meet up we did, at our campsite, although I’m absolutely gutted we didn’t get any photos from our bbq. We were just too busy catching up. Still, Richard & Ann, it was fantastic to see you again, we had a blast! Some things in life are just meant to be 😃
Mid-way through our last road trip, my FitBit awarded me a 7 day step streak. Granted, I have it set at 7,000 steps a day rather than a more challenging 10,000 steps. (Please don’t judge, my overall average is well over 10,000 steps a day. But it’s just that, an average – heavily weighted by the proper hiking days.)
So I don’t need a stretch goal, I need something that will push me to do something, anything, on those days when I would otherwise do nothing other than sit at a desk all day. I didn’t even know a step streak was a thing. OK then Fitbit, game on: if I could do a 7 day streak, I could do a month. If I could do a month then I could surely try for two. And so my Fitbit came to exert its power over me.
Some of the hardest days were when we were road tripping. 700 miles in the truck is apparently no excuse for not hitting 7,000 steps on foot. Which means every opportunity (every single stop!), I took myself off for a little mooch around. Around and around the gas station, pacing up and down, back and forth, and doing laps in the pet exercise area of random rest stops.
Lake Tahoe wasn’t so different. At this point I was up to a 99 day step streak and no way I could fizzle out now. I ended up having to circle the campground in the evening, the other campers staring at me wondering what happened to my dog. Reluctant to have to face the campground walk of shame again, come Friday I took advantage of a lunchtime lull in video meetings. There was a bike path by the Truckee river, just steps from the office and perfect for a quick wander.
So there I was, pootling along, cursing my Fitbit, when I heard twigs cracking and a rustling in the bushes. Eyes left and sure enough, right there in front of me, out popped a big black bear. Gobsmacked.
Me and him, we had words. If there’s one thing I do know, it’s not to surprise a bear, you have to let them know you’re there (maybe the bear should have read the corresponding chapter about not startling humans). We had a little chat about my One Second Everyday video and how I could make him famous. He was a bit shy but I could tell he was seriously contemplating his starring role. Then he got distracted by the bin.
This being a bike path, a couple of cyclists approached, prompting him to run away towards the river bank. After exclaiming how cool this was, the cyclists watched him for maybe 20 seconds before getting bored and going on their way. Not me though, me and my bear buddy had unfinished business.
He didn’t flinch as he stepped into the cold river and swam about half way across. He tried his luck at fishing, thrusting his snout deep into the water in search of rainbow trout.
I could have stayed all day watching him. But by this time he was so over his movie audition. He was also unsuccessful in his fishing attempts, so he gave me one last look to say goodbye and off he went on his way.
Delighted with my bear encounter, I reassessed my love hate relationship with my Fitbit. Without it, I would never have forced myself out for a little Friday afternoon stroll. With my 1SE video in the bag and my steps ticked off, it was time to get back to work.
As I sat at my desk, dreamily reliving my audience with the bear with a smile on my face, there was no stopping the music this time:
“Fishing in the river, Fishing in the river, Fishing in the river of life (Hey!)”