Prior to Covid, we had planned for almost a year to go as a family to Mexico and stay in a beachside home that Evan had found. That plan wasn't going to work so we then went to plan #2 which was to go to The Big Island of Hawaii and stay in a home that Tricia had found online. Evan spent hours getting tickets lined up for our group of 30 and then a week before we were to go, the Governor of Hawaii announced that Hawaii would not be opening up at the end of June as previously planned. Then on to plan #3 which was to go to Lake Tahoe. Once again Tricia found a large home to accommodate our large group.
So on June 29th, we met in the Shopko parking lot in Spanish Fork at 7:00 AM to begin our journey to first Reno and then on to Lake Tahoe.
The kids were so excited to be with their cousins! Plans had been made for who would ride in which vehicle. We had the teenagers in one, the middle aged girls in another ( their group was called the "Ninnies" because they giggled and laughed like silly ninnies), a "Minecraft" group of the boys, young and older, who wanted to play the game while they traveled, and the 3 youngest girls rode with Hailey and Conrad ini their car. Hal and I and Preston rode together in the "calm" car - we listened to a book as we made the trip.
It was amazing to see how much stuff we all brought with us!
With the SUVs, car, van and James new truck all loaded, off we went!
With a stop for lunch and a couple of potty stops, we still made good time
and arrived in Reno about 4:00 PM. For dinner, we all went to Stake and Shake where we overwhelmed the 2 young boys that were manning the restaurant.
The next day we all went to the Antique Car Museum
Who are these masked men?
Alex, Jon, Hal and Preston in front of the Museum's sign showing some of the car models featured in the Museum.
The Museum displays more than 200 cars from 1892 to present, the majority of which are from the world famous collection of the late collector, Bill Harrah.
Our own postal worker, Preston, in front of a vintage Post Office Delivery Truck.
Alex, Hal and Preston in front of the 1981 Gold Delorean
A 1930 Pierce Arrow
This is a Model A Ford similar to the one Hal drove his Freshman year at BYU, except his was red!
This 1949 Mercury 6 passenger Coupe belonged to James Dean.
Elvis owned this 1973 Cadillac El Dorado custom Coupe.
This 1961 Ghia L. 6.4 Hardtop was Frank Sinatra's.
We took a break midway through the museum.
Violet and Hal in front of John Wayne's 1953 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible
Our very own "Volunteer Firefighter"in front of a vintage fire truck.
That evening, the adults went to Ruth Chris Steak House for dinner. This was our one big splurge for the trip!
Enjoying dessert!
The next day, after a stop at Costco to load up on groceries, we left Reno and headed for Lake Tahoe with another stop at the Donner Party Museum.
Donner Party Museum and monument
We arrived at the home we were renting in the late afternoon. It was advertised as "immaculately clean", but it was NOT!! So, the girls and I spent a couple of hours cleaning and mopping. The vacuum was broken, so we were unable to vacuum the carpets. We had the older girls dust and wipe down railings, doorknobs and any surface that looked dirty.
After Tricia made several lengthy phone calls to the home's owner/manager and Airbnb, we did get our cleaning fee back as well as a percentage of the rent for the home. It was a hassle but we made the best of the situation and had a great time! The cousins love to be together and they ate, slept and played together and had an awesome time!
After the cleaning was finished, we enjoyed a delicious dinner of chicken fettuccine, salad, garlic bread and apple pie and ice cream.
The kids really enjoyed the hot tub and the sauna!
The next day began early so that everyone could be in the family photo. Treygan had flown in from Louisiana (where he was working for Vivint selling home alarms) and would only be with us for 2 days, Adam also flew in to join us from Seattle. It took a lot of planning and coordinating to get all 30 of us together for a family picture! I had been wanting a new family group photo for the past 4 years so I really appreciated everyone cooperating to make it happen. Our goal that morning was to leave the house by 8:15 AM and drive to a beach to have the pictures taken at that setting.
Lou is all dressed and ready!
After taking photos (we had a wide angle lens and a tripod and Jon who was our photographer and editor) for over an hour, it was decided that the light was too harsh and created shadows and the pictures just didn't look good. We did salvage the photo above of all the grandkids on the beach! So then we had to go to plan B which meant loading up everyone and traveling back to the woods near the home we were renting. We were sad that the beach with the beautiful background of Lake Tahoe didn't work, but the forest really had better lighting. Of course the kids were "starving" by then (we didn't eat breakfast before we left) and not excited about another photo shoot. However, they hung in there, with promises of a delicious brunch when we finished. We were pleased with the results of photo shoot #2.
BRUNCH
The brunch was yummy with scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, bagels, sweet rolls and juice.
The afternoon was spent relaxing, exploring the forest around our house and putting a puzzle together.
The kids and parents took a hike to Georgetown with a beautiful view of the Lake and forest.
Later that day we enjoyed a sandwich buffet for our dinner.
You can see the completed puzzle above.
The next day, we packed a picnic lunch and headed to the lake! It was a beautiful warm day and perfect for a beach outing.
The kids had fun playing in the sand while the adults sunbathed.
With a paddle boat and a giant raft, everyone that wanted to, had a chance to go out on the water.
Liam and Dex had fun collecting rocks and wading near the shore.
Earlier that morning, James took Preston and Sam bike riding and they had a great time riding trails through the forest. After that, they joined us at the Lake.
That evening we ordered pizza and watched Hamilton - The Movie.
The next day was July 4th! We celebrate our country's' independence and Jon's Birthday! The kids decorated the kitchen of our rental home with red white and blue streamers and balloons.
We had 2 delicious meals that day beginning with breakfast which was - French toast with fresh strawberries and buttermilk syrup, bacon, sausage, juice and milk. Jessica and Kelly cooked the French toast. Preparing and serving 30 people is no small task but everyone pitched in to make the meals happen.
These happy cousins would tell you that everything was delicious!!
Jessica finally got to eat!
More happy cousins!
After breakfast was cleaned up, our whole group went on a hike together. It took about 40 minutes each way and was uphill to the top!
With help from Hal and Evan, I made it over the big rocks and to the top and then down again! It was beautiful at the top and worth the climb!
The views of the lake and surrounding area were awesome!.
For dinner that night, the guys barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs.
We also had a fruit salad, chips and corn on the cob.
We had all the fixins to make a hamoneer or a baconeer if people wanted the extra protein!
You can see some of the decorations we had for Jon's birthday.
Our Birthday Boy! For his birthday dessert, we had an ice cream sundae bar.
These cute cousins loved to be together and play together!The next morning we all packed up and left for our long drive home!! We did make good time and arrived in the late afternoon. It was a fun trip and we are glad we all were able to be together despite Covid!!
