Escape the Heat 2013, Part I

What’s a family to do when the heat is projected to be 100 degrees plus?  Fortunately, one of the perks of living in the Capital area of California is to drive one and a half hours distance to escape the heat!  I have so many options and so very little time.  Do I go to the cold Pacific Ocean or do I climb the Sierra mountain range?  With a cooler full of water bottles, I have decided to travel up the mountain towards South Lake Tahoe via State Highway 50.  For the past 20 years, I have taken this route more than a hundred times.  Did I say: “I love South Lake Tahoe?”  After a breakfast of champions and a tank full of gas, the trip begins….

The awesome thing about having six living children is that I get to enjoy the scenery over and over again through a different set of eyes.  It’s like sucking on your favorite candy for a very long time before it’s gone.

“Are you ready to see the Bridal Veil Fall?”  I asked MT (short for Miss Thang or Major Trouble).

“Where, daddy? Where?”

“Oops.  Sorry.  You just missed ‘tit it :-)”

If my memory serves me, I will come to the left turn off to Ice House Reservoir shortly.  Hey, what do we have here?  On the right hand side, I see water flowing in a river with a truck parking in a dirt parking lot.  A quick check with the rear view mirror tells me that I can safely pull off and park next to the truck.  How come I have not smelled this rose before?  That’s what happens when we live in a fast paced society, we tend to create our own manual rather than follow the manual that’s always been there.  This time and on this day, it’s going to be about my wife and my kids and not about me.  Okay, it’s a little bit about me because I have not managed to leave home without the minimal fishing equipment, which consists of three fishing poles with three different setups and a dozen standby setups :-)

Here we are… at this location that I must have passed more than a hundred times but never stopped to explore.  While the family stretches and takes a water break, I hastily rush down to the river and float Berkeley Orange Power Balls 3 feet behind a split shot.  Skipping from one spot to the next, I repeated the process until I lost the rig.  Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.  I bookmark this location as fish_AmericanSouthFrk for a future visit.

Not even Solomon in all his splendor

This is where I donated one of my rigs

You know there are fish here

Next, I continue on Route 50.  A few miles later, I pull over to a campground on the right.  Not seeing anyone fishing and no public restroom, I move on.  Finally, we arrive at our favorite K-Mart in South Lake Tahoe.  I manage to pick up more fishing lines and the children bought sneakers.  Then across the street is McDonald’s.  It’s lunch time.  Finishing lunch and on the way out, MT wants to use the potty.  It’s good to be four years old.  You march to the beat of your own drum.

“Hey, I noticed the big dent in your van.  Do you want to get it fixed?  My husband can fix it for you right here in the parking lot,” a lady in the parking lot calls to me.

Looking around and pointing at myself, I say, “Are you talking to me?"  Finding that the comment was directed towards me, I answer, “It depends on how much you want to do it for.”

The lady explains to me that her husband is in McDonald’s getting food for the family, that when he comes out, he can give me a quote.

A medium built man, slightly balding with stubbles protruding indicating the beginning of a beard or that he did not shave in many days, came out.  He is around 5 feet, 8 inches tall.  His gingery walk indicates that he is a man in good health.

“Hey, my name is Jeff.  I can fix your van right here in the parking lot for $150.  If you bring this into a shop, you are looking at 12 hundred bucks.”

“I don’t have that much cash with me.”

“How much cash do you have?  I can wait for you to come back from an atm,” said Jeff.

“You’ll have to wait for my wife to come out.  She took my daughter to the potty.  I’ll see how much cash she has.”

“Tell, you what,” said Jeff, “I’ll do it for $120.  How much cash do you have?”

“Wow, $120 is a great deal.  If my wife has the cash, then I’ll do it.”

“Sorry, I can manage $60,” whispers my wife when she arrived at van.

“Sorry, I don’t have that kind of cash with me and I’m on vacation, so I can’t go to the atm and come back; otherwise, I would have you fix it.” I tell Jeff.

As if reading our minds, Jeff’s wife shouts out, “Hey, we can fix it for 60 bucks.”

“60 bucks?!?  Yes, please fix it,” I say trying to conceal the excitement in my voice.

We follow Jeff to the empty part of the parking lot.  After several failed attempts at forcing the dent out with a special tool, he takes out his torch and starts heating up the bumper.  The bumper begins to soften as he pushes from the inside while his wife, using a suction device, pulls the bumper out simultaneously.  His torch suddenly runs out of fuel and stops working.  He then pulls out a primer paint spray can and uses it as a torch.  He lights his lighter and uses the paint spray can as a substitute torch.  We have this video recorded.  It is fun to watch, except for the part where his wife jumps out of the way fearful of getting burned by the torch.  Kids: do not try this at home!!!  In about 10 to 15 minutes, he successfully fixes a huge big dent in my van for 60 bucks!  I do believe in angels….

Husband and wife duo

Being adequately fed and entertained, we proceed to our favorite river in the area – The Carson River.  Visiting three honey holes and tossing a copper 1/6 oz. Thomas Buoyant at each location, I entice a couple of hits from trout, a couple of followers, but no hookups.  Previously, I had swapped out the treble hook that came with the Buoyant with a single hook.  This may have something to do with the no hookups.  Just as well, I am not in the mood for cleaning fish.  Here are cool pictures of the honey holes….

Gotta be fish here.

Fish on, fish off... darn!

Then we proceed on to the Nevada side to get some grubs for our bellies and gasoline for the van before heading home.  In Walmart in Carson City, there is a snow boots sale going on.  High quality snow boots at $5 each, we cannot resist.  We buy four pairs in different sizes….

Around 7:30 pm, we left Nevada.  We all have different ways to keep awake while driving, mine is to drink black coffee double strength.  This time it is different.  I have decided to initiate my seventeen years old daughter in the lessons of mountain driving.  If you ever want to get the thrill of your life without drugs, try this.  My daughter is an excellent driver.  However, driving for the first time around the Sierras during night time is an adventure!  Earlier on, rather than giving her and all of us a heart attack, my lovely wife had decided to close her eyes and sleep the rest of the journey home.  I, being a mentor, need to keep my eyes open.  Believe me, I do not close them for the entire trip home.  On several occasions, when I remind my daughter that she is a little close to the ditch, I find myself gripping my seat with an iron-claw grip as if I am about to fall off my seat during a roller coaster ride at an amusement park.   Besides gently coaxing her to not press on the gas pedal when the van is in a downward descent, or concentrate on the white fog line, or don’t cross over the center double solid yellow lines, it is all good :-)

After 150 miles non-stop trek, we arrive home around 11 pm.  My daughter says to me: “Dad, now I know how you feel.  My back is aching.”

The temperature is in the upper 60s.  Life is grand.  God loves us all!