Tahoe

Back into beautiful California, heading for Truckee in the Sierra Tahoe ski region.  For the first time on our trip, the weather turned cold, and we even wore sweaters and jackets.

We arrived at Coachland RV Park and pulled into our assigned site, but our roof satellite dish was unable to see the DirecTV satellites, because of pesky tree limbs in the way.  I was pretty sure that if we moved to an empty site just a few spaces down, we'd be able to pull in DirecTV signals perfectly.  (Some might say that camping and television don't go together, but we disagree.)  I went to the campground office to see if we could move, but the host lady said, "No!"  When I asked why, she said that somebody else had been assigned that spot.  I suggested that they could take our site, but she said, loudly and angrily, "SIR, I'm trying to work out another problem.  You'll have to wait."

A half hour later I returned to see if we would be allowed to move.  She said, "SIR, I don't have time to switch you around."  I said to her, "THIS is why your internet reviews weren't so good."  She said, "That's right.  Sometimes we get busy."

About fifteen minutes later Nancy's cell phone rings.  The woman was very apologetic, probably relieved not to have to deal with me, and told Nancy that we could move - which we did, after which our DirecTV reception was perfect.

A male staff member dropped by and told us he hoped we weren't upset about the unpleasantness.  I told him, "I know the lady was frazzled, but I have one customer service suggestion for her: Soft voice." 

"She's my wife," he said, "and I don't think she can do a soft voice."  My sympathies.

Years ago we used to ski at Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, and Northstar and were curious as to how much they'd changed.  Alpine Meadows was shut down for the offseason, road access blocked.  Northstar had seen heavy construction of residences and condos, plus an expansion of the village, and the ski lift we remembered at the base had become a gondolo.  We didn't see a lot of new housing at Squaw Valley, and the village looked much the same.

Squaw Village

We had both thought that life could be sweet living year round in a condo on the slopes.  This trip taught us that it would be impractical.  Ski villages are mostly deserted outside of winter, and we found out that year round residents at Squaw number only around 300.  So it would be difficult to feel a part of the community.  Too lonely, except for interaction with tourists.

We drove to Tahoe City, which was hosting a wine tour that weekend.  Views of the lake were amazing.  We hiked a recently completed trail along the water.

Of course Truckee is a charming town.  On Sunday they were advertising a chili cookoff, which we attended.  Lots of different versions, all of them tasty.

What a great trip this has been!  The four of us give it two thumbs and two tails up.  As unreliable as our motorhome was last fall, it was a paragon of consistency this time.  We're already looking forward to a fall trip to Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.