January 25, 2017. Detroit to Lake Tahoe

We got up at 4:30 this morning for our 7:25 AM flight to Reno. It's always interesting to fly to Nevada, where gambling is not only legal but ubiquitous! You can gamble in the airports, at hotels, gas stations, and probably some places I can't even imagine. While we were eating lunch in Reno airport, Dianne arrived with her sister Julie, Julie's daughters Erica and Malorie, and Erica's son Alex.

We rented a car at the airport, upgrading to a 4-wheel drive Jeep Grand Cherokee due to the amount of snow they have here. It was not a bad drive up to Squaw Valley (in our opinion) but there is an incredible amount of snow! Dianne rented a Tahoe for their entourage and she thought the roads were terrible--I guess that comes from living in Florida all these years.

We arrived at the resort about 3 PM PST. I went for a walk for about an hour, enjoying the cool crisp air and checking our our surroundings. Squaw Valley was the home of the 1960 winter Olympics.

I watched hundreds of skiers and snowboarders gracefully descending  the mountain and so wished I did not have this stinking cast on my right hand! All of a sudden I want to learn to ski!

We are staying at Plump Jack Resort, near Lake Tahoe.This is the wedding venue for Damon (my friend Dianne's son) and his fiancee Kirsten. They are both avid skiers, and their wedding was originally supposed to be held on the ski slope, but there is too much snow! It will be held indoors at this resort.

Damon and Kirsten's families are staying at a huge rented house in North Tahoe for the next couple of days, returning here on Friday. This will give them all a chance to get to know one another better. Dianne was worried about the drive, so I rode with her to the house, navigating by my phone. Bill drove our car, with Malarie navigating. We went in to meet the family, then left Dianne there and came back to the resort for a wonderful dinner. I think we're going to like it here!