Range of Light

Lake Tahoe, CA
This is the second week of low intensity rides to recover from a big block of training and racing. I have literally been on my bike training or racing at a building intensity since November 1st. I think in that time, I have worn holes in the pavement around Marin. To abate some of the impending boredom and to find some inspiration, I put Mt. Tam in my rearview mirror and I headed to Tahoe.

It was hard to know whether I was doing the right thing, going to the right place as the weather in Marin has been extraordinary (finally). I was leaving my training security blanket and heading into the snow laden unknown.
To my surprise, despite all of the reports of an abundance of snow, Tahoe was warm like it should be this time of year. With the change of every season in Tahoe, there is an electricity in the air. This excitement is indescribable, one must experience it to understand. So, especially this spring, after an unheard of snowfall, Tahoe was abuzz with the arrival of warm days and cool nights. The Lake is full, the river is running, the creeks are at full tilt and everything is green. I love this time of year in the Sierras, and especially in Tahoe. The tourists are gone for the most part and the weather is great. There is still snow on the higher peaks to add to the visual impact. I was even lucky enough to get an afternoon thunderstorm, characteristic of late summer, but rare this time of year.

In the past few years, I have been to Truckee a lot for bike races and to visit good friends, but I have secretly avoided going to the lake when at all possible. When I did head over to the lake, I did my best to not look at it. In a sense, I avoided eye contact with Tahoe for fear of feeling that deep seated passion I have for it. The lake gets me all choked up. You have to understand that the lake has been a significant part of my life through my formative years and a fair part of my adult life as well. It holds a lot of great memories. It represents a few happy periods of my life. So to visit it brought some resentment for I could not stay. I can recall one of the saddest days of my life was when I was driving down Hwy. 89 in a 30foot moving van headed to Long Beach. You want to talk about culture shock... I can just recall that it was early in the morning, the sun was just coming up and touching the peaks of Squaw and that's when it hit me...with tears welling up and a knot in my stomach I realized moving away from Tahoe is a BIG mistake. Twelve hours later, I was rollin' by Snoop Doggz place in the LBC. But back then, I had no idea who I was or what I should do, let alone trust my instinct. Live and learn... So on this trip, I abandon the whole avoidance tactic. Life is too short to carry regrets and grief. There are no mistakes, just decisions and their consequences.

I hit a lot of the old hang outs and a few new ones like Mamma Sake in the village in Squaw. I ran into a ton of old friends, acquaintances and co-workers. It's like I never left. I have forgotten how therapeutic the lake is. It has this calming effect a lot like the ocean in Santa Cruz has.

I managed to ride my bike more than I should have, but when in Rome...
Enjoy the ride.