Starting the memorial weekend with a stroll in the sun

We left a foggy and grey San Franciso, crossed the bridge and found some sun.

Romantic Tree

Hello - it's been awhile since I posted anything on this blog, so thought I'd catch you up what we've been up the these last couple of months.

5 Year Wedding Anniversary

On March 6th we celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. As you might know, wood is the traditional gift for the 5th anniversary...... and I think we now have more wood than we can use up in a lifetime! Instead of buying a simple wooden frame, or a wooden box - my husband found us a celebratory Redwood tree!

Looking for the number tag

Trees - A Brief History

I have always loved trees and the big outdoors, and as you might remember the theme for our actual wedding was green and brown, the colours of the forest. Since we moved to California, the mighty Redwood forests have found a very special place in my heart, and we both love hiking in the Redwood parks nearby.

So getting an actual Redwood tree for our anniversary was incredible, and knowing that we help support these forests felt really good too.

the number tags were not easy to spot

Finding the perfect tree

We took a day out to go look for the perfect tree in Butano park. Alfie came along and sniffed the entire forest, just to make sure we picked the right tree.

We had been given a simple map showing us roughly where the trees we could chose from were hidden.

Searching

The trees themselves were not marked out in any way, the only way to find them was to locate some of their bigger brothers that were numbered with tiny little number plates and put on the map.

Finding the perfect tree was hard.

Some were too skinny.

Some looked like they might not last much longer.

Some were too crowded by other trees.

And some were just too close to the road.

Then we stepped into a part of the forest where the trees grew further apart, letting in just enough light to create a magical place beneath the canopy.

Magical forest

And that's where we found our tree.

Right next to a fallen Redwood, creating a perfect seating arrangement for picnics right next to our tree.

We named it the Liebrand tree and it's totally awesome.

it's that one

it's the one behind us

Alfie got bored and went sniffing

A Long Weekend in Lake Tahoe

We just got back from a long weekend in South Lake Tahoe - and I can report that we picked the perfect time of year for a weekend of hiking and exploring. The weather was great - not too hot, not too cold, and there were very few tourists around.

Our cabin was okay, a little dated - but it did the job in keeping a roof over our head. Alfie decided the second bedroom was his and he snuggled up amongst the pillows in the double bed - only to return to the comfy snuggler in the living room later during the night.

Alfie also decided that he was in charge of security (nothing new there) and woke us up a couple of times during the night when he felt the need to report on trespassers, bears and other real and imagined dangers. 

We told him to be quiet of course - but I've got to admit I felt kind of silly this morning when I took him out in the garden only to find the gate left open and Alfie sniffing the ground around it. For the record - we hadn't opened that gate so someone had clearly been there during the night. Sometimes barking is just perfect, even if it happens in the middle of the night!

Okay - over to the pictures part of this blogpost. This is where I ask you to scroll down to the bottom of the page and read each section in turn bottom up. I know it's annoying - but I blame Blogger for being so cr**p at picture management :-)

Hiking part of the Tahoe Rim Trail to Lower Echo Lake

After a very cold night (-8) we dressed up warm and drove to Lower Echo Lake. The road there was partly snow covered so we had to park some distance away from the actual Lake and slide downhill by foot to reach it. This trail was so incredibly picturesque we didn't want to leave...

Wearing all the layers

Lower Echo Lake to the left - happy mountain dog and his human on the right

A common sight - Alfie telling me off for slowing down to take photos!

Very, very pretty

Half the lake was covered in ice

Approaching the wilderness

Hiking the Mount Tallac Trail

Sunday was a whole lot colder than Saturday - and I dug out my old trusted wooly hat. Looking back at the  photos I realize it might be time for an upgrade! We decided to hike the Mount Tallac Trail and although the entire trail went uphill (the equivalent of 80 floors according to my Fitbit, or 1300 feet according to Jelte), the view from the top was well worth the effort. 

The pictures don't do the experience justice - there's only so much magic you can apply using an iphone - but we had views over the Fallen Leaf Lake and Lake Tahoe on one side and the Mountains on the other side as we followed the path. As we approached the really snowy and icy part of the path leading all the way up the mountain, we decided to turn back and avoid any broken bones.

That moment you realize that hat is not a good look

Left Lake Tahoe - Right Fallen Leaf Lake

Alfie found snow and was super excited

The sign for the Wilderness

Hiking to the Horsetail Falls

Saturday was sunny and warm and we decided to hike to the Horsetail Falls. Alfie loved sniffing everything, and we had to drag him out of the freezing cold water to continue the hike.

See that waterfall? That's where we were going.

Alfie posing by the river

They put a sign up so you know you've left civilization

A little closer to the waterfall