Truckee, CA

Our next stop was Truckee to visit my family and ski at Squaw, but getting there wasn’t easy. We set out early knowing we had a 7 hour drive ahead. The first half of the ride on Route 299 through Shasta Trinity Forest was white knuckle driving at it’s best - a windy mountain road with gorgeous scenery and view points along the way!

We arrived at our AirBnB (with a desperately needed laundry machine) in Truckee where Merlin got to attack pinecones in a partially fenced back yard.

The next day we had plans to go to my (second) cousin’s house for dinner so we got to Squaw when it opened to get the most out of our day.  It was lucky we did, as it was unseasonably warm and the wet snow got pretty sticky by mid-day so we headed out early. When we left the mountain we stopped at the grocery store for provisions and ran into none other than my cousin Chelsea!  

Chelsea suggested we take Merlin on the nearby Legacy trail so we did. It was a beautiful day and the well-maintained trail tired him out. 

We got to Chelsea’s house later that day and were greeted by a bustling kitchen and a pack of dogs and cats! Chelsea and her husband Eric recently beautifully remodeled the house she grew up in and while it was completely updated and modern it felt incredibly warm and welcoming. 

As we spent the night catching up I started to feel the same way I felt in Portland with Mike’s family - a strong sense of belonging and home. I never realized I missed it on the road but just sitting around a dinner table with loved ones offered so much comfort my heart swelled!

We woke up the next day to warm and rainy conditions so decided to skip skiing. We had a bit of a lazy day but went for a wet walk around a reservoir. As the temperatures dropped, the rain turned to snow. We got about 6 inches overnight and were ready to leave early in the morning to get to Mammoth Lakes before the next storm hit.