back from Tahoe

"I feel like Luke Skywalker getting ready to attack the Death Star." -- me, on intermediate slopes

I just got back from Tahoe with my parents. The purpose of the trip was to go skiing at Northstar-at-Tahoe. It was pretty exciting as we hadn't skied in over three years!

Day 1

The drive to Tahoe was uneventful. Our hotel for the night was Boreal Inn, located next to Boreal Mountain Resort. Though we don't come here much anymore, my parents booked this place because of its proximity to other ski areas.

To our disappointment, Boreal Inn absolutely sucked. The beds were uncomfortable, the heater was loud and Internet access was only available at the front desk as it was intended for staff. While it's nice to be disconnected sometimes, this was an inconvenience for Dad as he is a CEO and frequently gets e-mails. He soon decided to cancel our second night and pick another hotel.

Day 2

The three of us headed to Northstar-at-Tahoe after checking out of the crappy motel. I took some lessons to refresh my skills as I hadn't skied in over three years. It wasn't long before I got back up to speed. As a matter of fact, I was racing down intermediate slopes after just two sessions. Woohoo!

I don't think I've ever had so much fun in Tahoe. This was definitely the best part of the trip.

Day 3

The plan was to go skiing again, but we changed our minds as the weather wasn't that great. On the other hand, I enjoyed our drive around Lake Tahoe. That was a relaxing way to spend the morning.

It was soon time to head home as my parents were getting tired. The fun didn't end there as we visited the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield. There were no more tours available, but the visitor center was still open. The art gallery was really cool. We then stopped at our family friend Mei's house and hung out with the Lees for a while before returning home. This was no doubt an awesome trip.

Currently listening to: "What Is Love" by Haddaway

Historical note: Pictures from the trip are available here.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day + Reno trip report

We just came back from a short trip to Reno. It sucked at first because there was barely anything to do. However, that's not a problem because we still had fun.

Day 1

Our trip to Reno with the Liangs in 1996 was awesome. I remember carpooling to Circus Circus Reno and checking out the attractions. But things were very different this time: the streets were empty and desolate. We had no idea what to do because I'm only 16 and too young to gamble. Reno is nothing like Las Vegas and didn't impress us.

I didn't take my laptop because Mom thought it made me look silly on our trip to Tahoe in December. To make matters worse, there was nothing good on TV — only some local channels. Leaving early and going home wasn't an option because the fees were non-refundable. However, the saving grace is we got a voucher for a complimentary hot dog and drink from the bar. So there's that.

Day 2

We didn't feel like skiing in this weather and decided to head directly home. Dad wanted to make the most out of our trip and took us on a drive around Lake Tahoe. Due to the cold temperatures, the ice on Donner Lake covered a larger area than before. It's quite satisfying to break the ice with a hammer.

I spotted a large snowball — likely the remains of a snowman — along the Truckee River some time later. Dad and I decided to push it into the river for shits and giggles. It rolled down the bank and made a gigantic splash as it smashed through the ice. Sometimes it's these little things that make the best memories. Our day ended with dinner at the Kowloon Chinese Restaurant in San Mateo.

Epilogue

Vacations can be fun even on bad days. I'm glad we decided to stay because we ended up having a great time. You generally have to be at least 21 to get the most out of a place like Reno. But that won't happen for another five years. Guess it's time to play the waiting game!

Currently playing: DragonHeart: Fire & Steel

back from Tahoe: a return to the slopes

Hope everyone had an amazing Christmas. Or at least I did as Dad took us to Tahoe. Because we hadn't been there in three years, this was nice for a change.

Day 1

Tahoe is about 230 miles from our house, but the scenery alone made the trip worthwhile. One moment that stood out to me was having rice noodles for dinner at a rest area near Donner Pass. It smelled so good that people were turning their heads. On cold winter days, there's nothing better than a hot bowl of soup.

Our hotel was located in South Lake Tahoe. We checked in and watched the news for a bit before going to sleep.

Day 2

I spent the morning playing games on my laptop. Mom thought it was silly to bring a computer on such a short trip. To be fair, there wasn't much else to do when it's so cold outside.

Dad took us on a drive around Lake Tahoe in the afternoon as the weather cleared up. I enjoyed browsing the stores and seeing what's for sale. However, my favorite place was Donner Lake. During the winter months, ice forms on the surface near the shore. As weird as it sounds, there's something satisfying about breaking the ice with a hammer. It's like popping bubble wrap.

Mom wanted to go for a soak in the hot tub after dinner. Someone had the bright idea to put it outside, so we had to endure the cold to get there. I didn't mind at first as the hot tub was quite nice. But the walk back to our room was almost unbearable because we were wet and chilled to the bone. Let's not do that again.

Day 3

Although most stores were closed on Christmas, the ski resorts were open for business. Mom suggested going to Soda Springs as we had never been there before. I had to brush up on my skills but was able to get up to speed in no time. Compared to other ski areas, Soda Springs is our favorite so far.

We stopped for dinner at a Chinese restaurant on the way home. One thing I always get at a Chinese restaurant is fried rice. However, the waiter brought us beef chow fun due to a wrong order. In his defense, the two things sound similar in Chinese. I figured it's Christmas and decided to let it go.

Epilogue

On the whole, this was an amazing trip. Dad is making plans for another one in January as we have Martin Luther King Jr. Day coming up. Less than a month to go!

In other news...

I'm scheduled for a wisdom tooth extraction in two days and am a little nervous. Let's hope everything will be fine. *crosses fingers*

Currently listening to: "Whenever, Wherever" by Shakira

winter break report + Tahoe trip canceled :-(

This winter break had a pretty good start, thanks to the awesome party at Ann's house last week. However, the break kind of ended on a bad note.

As mentioned earlier, my family had planned to go skiing in Tahoe again this past weekend. Unfortunately, the trip was called off as Dad was too busy with work-related stuff. I had been eagerly looking forward to the slopes, so this was quite a let-down. :-(

On the other hand, my parents invited the Liang family over to our house for dinner on Saturday to compensate for the trip. The gathering was quite nice except for when I got into an argument with Dad (although not related to the cancellation of the trip) during the meal. This was rather embarrassing, although it could have been a lot worse if it wasn't for the fact that we are good friends with the Liang family. Damn Asian parents.

In any case, I hope spring break will be a lot better, preferably with no canceled trips or silly bickering. :-)

Currently playing: Operation Neptune

back from another Tahoe trip

Christmas break has been pretty good so far. Or at least it should have been, considering that my family just came back from another two-day trip to Tahoe. :-)

For this trip, the three of us decided to go back to good ol' downhill skiing at Boreal Mountain Resort. The Shiehs again accompanied us as they also love to travel. Even my uncle Harrison and maternal grandparents came along this time!

Judging by our experience, I'd say downhill is a lot more enjoyable. It does mean falling down more often, but it's also much less exhausting than cross-country skiing. To be honest, I don't think we'll be doing cross-country again anytime soon.

This trip also had a few skidding incidents. The road conditions were actually worse this time because of a recent storm. In one instance, our Volvo got stuck right at the edge of a steep ravine. This was a most frightening situation; Mom was yelling at me to get out of the car in case something happened. However, it wasn't long before a Good Samaritan stopped and helped us get the car back onto the road. That brave guy certainly deserves our gratitude.

The three of us were ultimately stuck in the mountains for several hours as a result of the frequent skidding. To make matters worse, there was almost no cellular reception. By the time we got out of the area, our relatives were already home. Perhaps we ought to rent a four-wheel drive next time.

Conclusions

Although my family has been to Lake Tahoe numerous times before, it's one of those places that never get old. Both of these trips were quite enjoyable despite the mishaps. Dad is actually planning a third one for either the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend or winter break. Oh yeah, and I still have another week before school starts. :-)

In other news...

The Liang family has invited us to their New Year's Eve party. There's no better way to celebrate the new year than with family and friends!

Tahoe trip report

I just came back from a two-day trip to Tahoe with my parents and cousins.

Our families went cross-country skiing at Royal Gorge right after school ended. The original plan was to go to Northstar-at-Tahoe, but that place didn't have cross-country ski areas. The Shiehs have been to Royal Gorge several times, and my parents and I had never done cross-country before, so we thought we'd try something new.

Compared to downhill, cross-country was simpler but much more exhausting. Due to the strenuous workout, all of our legs were completely sore by the time we were finished. On the other hand, it's probably safe to say that we burned lots of calories. Cross-country skiing was overall very different from what we had imagined.

The trip also had a few mishaps: our car skidded several times on the way home as the roads had become extremely slippery due to the accumulated snow. It was quite frightening, to say the least. The vacation was nevertheless so much fun that we're thinking about sneaking in another one next weekend!