A Journey A Day 2

Lake Tahoe was like homecoming for me. We reached Lake Tahoe in the evening, it was brightly lit up with Christmas lights which gave it a certain warmth but in reality it was dark and cold at 28F. Well the Christmas lights didn’t completely work their charm on the Roadstar-R because there was no snow and so he couldn’t enjoy his CD of Christmas carols while driving. The Casino lights sure worked their charm on him, and he hit the slot machines and the low bet Black Jack tables after a ‘I am not a gambler’ prelude. I just walked around looking distractedly at all the flashing lights, the electronic sounds and trying to identify the amateurs with the real players. I was tasked to lose a dollar Roadstar-R had won on one of the slot machines and get photographed doing so, which I generously obliged. All throughout I heard stories of how this place compares nowhere to Vegas, and I just thought good that I came in here first!

The next morning brought with it the radiance and the warmth that the sun reserves only for places with the hills and the lakes. After a breakfast of French toasts, pancakes and coffee, we headed to explore the lake.  I am tempted to put pictures of Tahoe instead of writing about it, since it was completely a visual treat, with the picturesque mountains and the clear water.  It was the closest I had gotten to Ladakh. (I am inwardly smiling at the use of the word, ‘closest’ when I am in US, ‘closest’ when there was no snow around). In real winter, the lake freezes and the mountains are all snow clad, but this year it hadn’t snowed yet. I was witness to the beauty in sunshine and honestly coming from Illinois nothing seemed dearer to me than the sun shining on my back! They say when you have a good breakfast; you get a good Italian lunch- well I just cooked that up. So I had two things to thank my guides, getting me to the awesomest place and feeding me well :)

 

We drove in late to SF, watched the latest Sherlock Holmes movie, ate again at an Indian place we had tried earlier and then said goodbye to our SF friend. Tomorrow was again going to be an early day-on the road at 7am; we were to drive all along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).  Roadstar-R  had claimed that once I have been on the PCH drive, I would realize the meaning of, ‘the whole is greater than the sum of the parts’.  Now this is not exactly how he put it across, but this is what I realized at the end of it. I had seen the parts all along in Malibu, Santa Barbara, San Diego, LosAngeles, Ventura- a part of the ocean.  We drove in all day and all along the Pacific Ocean, I saw the metaphorical ‘whole’ which again was just a ‘part’ of something even bigger.

Firstly the non-driver seat is the ocean facing so you have the advantage. I saw the ocean first from a height, then we came at level with it; at times it was an inch away, at times there was a small hillock of grass or small rocks standing the guard between. Sometimes it was hazy with the water spray then sparkling in the sunshine, it changed hues, it changed forms, ah! it was always changing.  We stopped regularly to take photographs or sit still to take in the place and left just when the place got swamped with other people trying to do the same. I just wanted to impress the views somewhere in my mind, where I could recall them at will and have that beautiful feeling of awe stay with me forever. We reached Ventura after almost a 12 hour drive.

This brings to end the Christmas lap. New Year leg will take another day and another blog :)