Lake Tahoe or Bust! (And Reno too)

A few weeks ago, I was offered a promotion at work from assistant editor to associate editor. As kind of a way to celebrate, in addition to John and I having a four-day weekend that we didn't know what to do with, we decided to take a road trip. I have never been so spontaneous--I usually plan trips months or even years in advance! We had three weeks to spare so we booked some hotels, found some Groupons for some cheap entertainment and dining options, and we were ready for Lake Tahoe (or BUST!). We had a great time. We stopped in Wendover the first night, and then drove to Tahoe where we spent two nights. Our last night we spent in Reno. It was SO much fun! Pictures below to show all of our fun times (in no particular order)!

The road went from looking like this...

...to this! Much better.

John just hanging out at Heavenly Village.
He didn't even know I was taking a picture...

At Heavenly Village! It was so bright.
I think both of us closed our eyes, haha.

Riding the gondola to the top of the mountain to see Lake Tahoe!

The view of Lake Tahoe from the top of the mountain.

John pretending like he wasn't scared to ride a ski lift.

Cave Rock. It's a 75-foot long tunnel that's sacred
 to local Native Americans. Really cool!

Beautiful Lake Tahoe!

John and I at the lake.

Another gorgeous view.

All ready to go hiking!

The beginning of our hike. It only got better!

John and I before our hike.

Check out the size of that pine cone! They were all huge!

The trees were massive...we had to demonstrate just
 how big! This is me trying to hug a tree...

...and this is John showing how short he is compared to the tree, haha.

All the pine trees were amazingly beautiful!

We made it to Vikingsholm! An easy hike down the
 mountain, but going back up was not so fun.

Vikingsholm, a Scandinavian castle built on the
shores of Lake Tahoe in the early 1900s.

The water was so clear!

John pondering life and stuff while standing in the lake.

Eagle Falls. A steep but short hike. Worth it!

John inside a tree.

And me inside a tree. We had to take this pic fast, I'm pretty
sure there were a million spiders in there.

At the Nestle Tollhouse Café. Yum!

We got a kick out of this soda. I wonder what it tastes like?

Emerald Bay

Vikingsholm again.

We went to the Wooden Boat Classic, a boat show for
wooden boats built in the 1930s and 40s. Really cool!

One of the most beautiful boats!

We of course had to stop for milkshakes during our road trip,
because it's not a road trip without a milkshake, right?

My handsome John!

Reno! It was party central downtown. People were literally dancing in the streets.

We went to a place called The Chocolate Bar, that specializes
in all things chocolate. How could I resist? Fondue for two!

*Side note: I realize I have posted a lot of junk food. I promise we
don't eat like this all the time. And we did eat fruits and vegetables too...I think..

While we were in Reno we found out our best friends Chris & Alysia
got engaged! These were our shocked and excited faces. So happy for them!

Beautiful corvette we saw at Heavenly Village during their Hot
August Nights car show. There were a ton of beautiful cars, but I really love corvettes!