Climbing to the lake and connecting with kin

Wow! I wish everyone I know could take the drive up to Lake Tahoe from Carson City, Nevada. After touring some of the historic sites in Nevada’s capital city, we hit the road for Lake Tahoe. We’ve had our share of mountain driving this trip and going to the lake was no exception. Although the drive wasn’t much more than 20 miles, it seemed to go on forever has the road got steeper, the curves sharper, and the cliffs scarier. About 5 miles into our ascent, my mother asked if we had to come back the same way. Yes. My navigator, Dad, became very engrossed in the maps and GPS unit as I snaked our way up, around, and down the mountains. I kept a firm grip on the wheel and drove without care as to the speed of the other drivers. I’m sure those speed demons up and down the mountain drive that route daily. It was my first and likely only time so I was determined to live to tell about it. Fortunately, the view of Lake Tahoe was so stunning that I temporarily forgot about the return trip. Absolutely amazing. No picture could really capture it or translate how clear and crisp the air felt around the lake. I can understand why folks would want to live around it even though the commute up and down the mountain would make me reconsider such a residence. Once back on flat ground, my father, the jokester, tried to convince my mother that he’d forgotten something at the lake and needed to go back. She offered to wait in the McDonald’s in Carson City while we made a return trek. Needless to say, Dad quickly let her in on the joke.

Also memorable was meeting my dad’s nephew, Alfred, the Boomtown casino chef. We decided to show up at the casino for lunch, and as luck would have it, we only had to ask one person of Alfred’s whereabouts. Once his co-workers realized we were relatives, they made a point of finding him and bringing him to our table. We’d never seen him, yet one look and we knew he was family. He had the trademark Johnson good looks and bore a very strong resemblance to another of my and his fathers’ brothers. Our visit wasn’t long but we caught up much as we would at a family reunion. He also insisted that we eat for free which was a deal my frugal father couldn’t think of declining.

Reno has been good to us. We’ve been to a mountaintop, connected with an unknown relative, and lost a whopping $5. Now my mother wants to go shopping which could be more dangerous than any gambling binge. Wish us luck!