Today we got to go on a field trip to Tahoe with Chris and Stacey.  We were up early and enjoyed a couple of Chris’ specialty espresso boosts before all seven of us (4 human, 3 canine) piled into Stacey’s SUV for the ride.  A quick stop at Starbucks for some more caffeine, and we were all ready (and wired) for the scenic, twisty mountain roads through Eldorado to Lake Tahoe.

Last time we came through this way, we were headed from Lee Vining towards Sacramento and Jenny’s motorcycle was unable to idle properly.  She was forced to ride all the way twisting the throttle slightly to keep her bike running, even when heading downhill into a 10mph hairpin turn…  This ride was much more relaxing and even the falling snow was nothing to get too excited about.

Chris was scheduled to meet some people at Emerald Bay state park to look at some lift stations (poo pumps) and discuss plans for upcoming upgrades.  I chose to go along with him while Jenny and Stacey headed for the Casino and shopping.  It was interesting to see all the technology that goes in to pumping thousands of gallons of sewage generated by the “comfort stations” at the campground.  Luckily the stations were shut down for the winter already, so they were at their most pleasant.  It took us a couple of hours to see all 4 stations and for everyone to figure out what the next steps were for the project.  It was also nice not to have any responsibilities regarding the project and it made me feel that much more “on holidays”.

After investigating the campground, we headed back into Tahoe and parked at the Casino.  We found Jenny and Stacey across the street (in another, attached casino – Harvey’s), playing the penny slots.  Jenny had been hard at work turning $3.00 into a little over $11.00!  Pretty good!  While we were deciding what to do next, Jenny cashed out and handed me her ticket, saying I could play a bit if I wanted.  I walked around a bit and picked a machine that looked like it had a lot of lights and stuff, inserted the ticket and pressed the “Max Play” button.  I won another $45.00!  Then I hit the “Cash Out” button, since that was most likely the best I was going to do and we headed for one of the restaurants inside the casino for a snack and some drinks.  Since I was the big winner, I got to pay for the tequila and appetizer plate that we ordered, plus we got “the hook up” because Stacey knew the manager of the restaurant who took the appetizers off the bill.  All in all it turned out to be a pretty cheap lunch!

By now it was getting close to 5:00, so it was time to head back to Sacramento, which is about a 2-hour drive.  Most of us got to relax and enjoy the scenery some more as we headed “home”.  We also stopped at a Mexican grocery store for some fajita supplies – chicken, pork, tortillas, salsa, guacamole – and all delicious.  It was a great evening of pigging out and drinking wine with friends before bed.