Travelling Starfish Archives – Lake Tahoe, CA, January 20th/04

One of my favourite places in the world is the state of California.  By creating this archive feature every month, I’m really excited to spend time talking about this state of amazing landscapes.

For about a year I was travelling back and forth from Toronto to various parts of California.  I grew to really love almost every part of the area – so much so my company nearly moved me there.  I now realize that for someone so early in their career, this was a great experience and one I’ll never forget.  I really feel in my heart that it was a turning point where I learned to realize how adventurous I was and how much I loved to see and experience new things.

Funny enough, shortly after I moved on from the role that was taking me to California so much, I moved into another position that required me to go to a conference in an area of California I’d never been to – Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe, CA

Lake Tahoe actually borders both the state of California and Nevada.  To get to Tahoe I flew from Toronto to Denver and then from there to Reno-Tahoe airport. This was the first time I’d ever seen the Rocky Mountains.  Flying into Denver, Colorado, we got to see the American Rockies and I luckily had a window seat.

The airport is technically in Nevada and is close to the casino town (a mini-Vegas of sorts) Reno.  The resorts in Lake Tahoe are a big draw to the area (in winter/summer) so there are a number of shuttles to take you to Tahoe, which is about 45 mins from the airport.

We stayed at the Squaw Valley Resort which was host to the 1960 Winter Olympics.  It is a truly amazing place. We were there in the winter so skiing and winter sports fun were all on the menu.

I arrived on a Sunday afternoon, which didn’t leave much time for exploring or play – our meetings started Sunday evening.  However, as I’ve always managed to do, I snuck out for a bit of a nose.

Squaw Valley Resort

First things first – I checked out my digs.  The actual resort at Squaw is lovely.  It has a really warm and cosy feel – just what you want in the winter and in the surroundings of the gorgeous mountains.  There was a full-service gym, a lovely restaurant area, fantastic bar (of course!) and plenty of other recreational activities.

The second night we were there, some of the girls and I took a cable car up 2000 vertical feet to an elevation of 8200 feet to the High Camp Bath and Tennis Club. There is a bar up there too (of course!) with amazing views over the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe.  It is really incredible!

I can imagine that a visit there in the summer would be just as beautiful – a golfer and hikers dream.

Squaw prides itself on having a lovely village for people to wander around shops.  It has been nicknamed “Squallywood” due to its semi-posh surroundings.  In the middle of January I’m not too fussed about shopping in the village.  I’d rather be sitting by the fire with a nice glass of red wine:).

While staying at a place like Squaw Valley, you’ve got to take a trip into Reno for a bit of gambling fun.  I’ve been to Vegas 4 times (yes I’m not joking!).  Reno isn’t the same as Vegas at all but its simplicity and small-scale actually make it quite fun.  For a team event, we all got a chance to roll the dice and see which team could win!  Needless to say, mine didn’t but I love a good game of black jack so I wasn’t complaining.

Winter beauty

The area in Lake Tahoe has a really great vibe – a small town feel in an amazing scenery.  Through researching this post, I actually just found out that Lake Tahoe is actually bidding again for the Winter Olympics in 2022.  They have my support, that’s for sure.

I’d love to go back – hopefully a trip to California will happen in the next couple of years as it has a special place in my heart.  Also visiting Lake Tahoe really offers you something different and truly shows what a diverse state California is.  Forget about the hot & steamy beaches, go to the mountains!