As promised, Travel Sprint 2 has finally arrived! <cue confetti, poppers, and champagne>
I know, I know. Posting this now is kind of like eating a stale piece of bread. You’re chewing it, but it just ain’t fresh no mo’ :(.
This Tahoe trip happened a few weeks back, just a week after I returned from Cambodia. I had planned to write this entry earlier, but the unfortunate mixture of work (I worked the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Christmas week) and exhaustion meant yeah… it wasn’t happening.
ANYWAYS, enough excuses. It’s here now. Let us begin.
Let me first set some context. I think I’ve mentioned in previous posts: I’m not a particularly spontaneous person. Every action I take is [usually] deliberate, calculated, and planned FARRRR in advance.
So imagine reaction when my high school friend texts me on a Thursday:
Jeff: What’re you doing Saturday?
Me (thinking he’s just asking to hang out): Nothing, probably still nursing my jet lag, why?
Jeff: …Uh… Wanna go snowboarding?
Me (thinking): HA!!! BOYYYY, YOU TRIPPIN’. Yeah, right.
Me (actual response through text): WTFFFFF?!?!?!
Jeff: Yeah, a bunch of us are doing a day trip to Sierra (South Lake Tahoe). 2-pack lift ticket deal for pretty cheap. Wanna come?
Me (thinking): WTFWTFWTWFWTFWTF okay, I had totally not planned on going snowboarding AT ALL this season given how crappy last season was… but now that my initial shock has passed.. maybe I should live a little…??? Yes??? No???
Me (actual response through text): Uh…… I… think… I’m… down…….??????
Jeff: Sweet, cool.
Me (thinking): THE HELL HAVE I DONE………
Well anyway, yes. This was going to be a day trip to Lake Tahoe (4-hour drive there, snowboarding for ~6 hours, ~4-hour drive back… probably [definitely] some eating sprinkled in there).
What had unfortunately slipped my mind about snowboarding day trips when I agreed to going was the inevitable ungodly wake-up time.
So come Saturday morning, this happened:
Just FYI: A morning person with jet lag =/= A morning person.
So needless to say, right after Jeff picked me up from my house at 5:45AM, I proceeded to pass out in the back seat. Typical.
Okay, tell me if this is a “thing” because I’m pretty sure it is: Does EVERY SINGLE PERSON going snowboarding/skiing always stop by McDonald’s for breakfast? My family and I have been doing it for as long as I can remember, and I’m pretty sure everyone else and their mothers do it, too.
Spoiler: We stopped at McDonald’s. Selfie stick…testing…testing…
Is this thing even on? Too early to operate technology…
In Jeff’s car was him, myself, and two of his friends (Edmond & Taka) who I didn’t know personally but definitely knew indirectly from social media (YEAH, YEAH, DON’T PLAY IT OFF LIKE YOU DON’T STALK PEOPLE ON FACEBOOK, TOO…). Everyone was introduced and now we are friends, OKAY?
Now entering snowzone…
Gettin’ steamy all up in this car…
Around 10AM: WE HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED! Met up with our friends Alice & Kyle at Sierra.
Winter is coming. (jk it’s already here, but just wanted to make the GoT reference -_-)
Going up the ski lift for the first time. Snow/Ice/Rain/I-couldn’t-tell-what-it-was-it-just-hurt….
First run!
Okay, let me just come clean now: I’m a pretty mediocre snowboarder. I mean, I know HOW to do it (e.g. carve and everything), but I’m just not GOOD by any means. Like moguls? Forget about it. Excessive powder? Good luck to me. Even (actually, especially) going on level ground, I always find myself catching on some powder and faceplanting epicly. Definitely not my finest moments out on the mountains.
This day was no exception. Compounded by the fact that I had only found out about this trip 1.5 days prior and wasn’t able to mentally prepare myself for even being anywhere NEAR snow (after being in a 90-degree humid Southeast Asian climate for two weeks), I knew I was going to suck pretty badly that day.
Also, it snowed a lot. I mean, A LOT. Apparently, the day before, Alice and Kyle said there was close to no snow, and everything was super icy – they cut their day short. The day we went was RIDICULOUS. We probably got into the double-digits (inches) of snow that day.
After a couple of runs, I felt it. Mostly in my inner thighs (anyone else feel that immense soreness from having to use your one leg to propel you forward/brake if necessary when on level ground?) Talk about “muscles you don’t normally use…”, am I right?
But yeah, I decided to secede from the group (they were all so good at boarding!) and get lunch. But first, check out this “Reverse Panda” look. Red face, sparing the eyes. HAWT.
For lunch, I got a pulled pork sandwich and sweet potato french fries. SO GOOD I can’t even put into words. (But also, I was genuinely famished.)
After everyone in the group also got some food, we went for Round 2:
The first time I ever tried snowboarding was senior year of high school, I think. Since then, I’ve probably gone snowboarding around eight or so times.
…. That makes it all-the-more embarrassing to admit that I STILL can’t consistently get off the damn ski lift without falling. I want to say 1 time out of 4 times I will somehow fall after pushing off the lift. And likely take a neighbor out with me.
I have no idea why this happens but that it just does. I just panic, lose my balance, and it ends in catastrophe.
Clumsy forever.
… Well now I feel like I’m just making myself out to be the worst snowboarding companion of all time (which I very well may be). But I swear, I’m not THAT bad. Just need to work on technique, that’s all.
One of the runs we went on had a sign that said “This run is ungroomed”. At the time, I shrugged it off, thinking: meh, can’t be that bad…
OH WAS I WRONG.
After going down the first hill (which was okay), we came to the next downward incline. Upon reaching the edge, I immediately sighed:
Congratulations, Mendi. You have screwed yourself.
The entire hill side was just mounds and mounds of powder!!!! Unpacked, soft, pillowy powder. UNDER ANY OTHER CIRCUMSTANCE, I WOULD’VE LOVED TO FROLICK IN THAT POWDER. JUST NOT HAVE TO BOARD THROUGH IT.
It was funny though, as I groaned and groaned going down this hill (the phrase “going down” is a tad strong; damn powder stopped me like every 2 feet), I would pass by this group of two guys also suffering through this hell-hill. Then when I got stopped, they would pass me. Then when they got stopped, I would pass them. I felt this unspoken bond between us. Comrades-in-arms, seeking to defeat the most unmenacing-of-enemies: snow powder.
When we all finally got to the bottom of the hill, one of these two guys joked: “Go again?”
OMG HAHA JOKE OF THE CENTURY. GOOD ONE, STRANGER-MAN.
… I needed a beer.
My glorious, glorious Pacifico. A refreshing savior.
Anyways, I think we went on one more run after my beer. Not that eventful. I’m so very thankful that the entire group stuck with me through all the runs though! I’m THE SLOWEST SNOWBOARDER EVER, but they always waited at the bottom of each hill :). So yes, MUCHAS GRACIAS, guys!
Then it was Sayonara, Sierra!
Jeff making fun of me: “Why the heck are you taking pictures of, like, nothing…?” I LIKE SNOWY SCENERY OKAY JEFF? STOP JUDGING.
All the Sierra workers were so friendly and chipper that day! At the end of the day, they even handed out hot chocolate! 🙂 (eh, too bad I couldn’t partake… curse you, lactose intolerance…)
‘Tis the season!
Before reaching the Bay Area, we stopped in Sacramento for some much-needed ramen. Yum, black sesame tan tan ramen! 😀
So yes, that was Travel Sprint 2 – our day trip to Lake Tahoe. Now the world knows what am embarrassing athlete I am. This is why I stick to running/hiking, you guys. Those activities require minimal motor skills.
Annnyyyhowwww… to end this post, and with no particular relevance, here’s an embarrassing photo featuring some truly spectacular animal-onesies/posing.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, ALL!
With love,
Mendi
the wanderlust is real. 