Made it to Tahoe

After what seemed like forever, I finally made it to Cadence’s in Lake Tahoe! While the first half of the drive was packed with fun stops like the Corn Palace, it was taking way too long. After checking out Devils Tower, I committed to 2 long car days to get it over with. Thankfully it was an incredible drive — southwest through Wyoming, a bit of Utah passing through Salt Lake City, and then cutting across Nevada — it was the fastest changing scenery I’ve experienced so far.

As I got further, the temperature just kept rising. Except for the 2 days in Savanna, this was the first above-freezing temps I’ve experienced since leaving Richmond. I celebrated by cooking out of my trunk for a hot lunch at some random neighborhood park I found. My biggest regret so far is not buying this t-shirt, I was trying to be good and not spend money, but I keep thinking about it.

Driving west is a double edged sword: incredible sunset views….but preceded by the most blinding sunlight directly in your face for about an hour. The sun literally appearing to hover above the end of the highway.

Getting into my car the morning of the final stretch, the GPS says “489 miles, then turn right” 😂 One culturally confusing thing so far has been that, out here, Indian means Native American, not from India. So “Indian Tacos” are not like samosas in a burrito with tikka masala sauce, but fry bread with fried fish inside. So when I stopped to get gas and saw a sign for “Indian Food”, I had to see which it meant.

Surprisingly it was Indian food, like from India. Surprisingly very good for being in the middle of nowhere in the desert. There also was this weird scratch in the paint at my table that looked exactly like a skeleton rat, pretty cool.

After an 11 hour day I finally pull up to Cadence’s and am greeted by the most appealing sleeping situation yet. She made up the music studio into a guest room for me and it’s incredibly cozy.

I’m really looking forward to spending some time with Cadence, doing some relaxing but also exploring the area. There are hiking trails only a 3 minute walk from the front door — 10 minutes total to get incredible views. Cadence, Will, and Eli are going to take me to Yosemite for an over night trip. Get to see some dubstep this weekend. Otherwise no plans! (Aka the best plan)