I remember sitting in college on the sofa in the fraternity house watching the movie City of Angels. The movie starred Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan in a romance drama where he has to fall from grace to fall in love with her. Near the end of the movie, there was one scene where the photography was just fantastic and left such an impression on this 19-year-old kid. I was going find wherever that place was as I had already fallen in love with it.
It turns out that place was South Lake Tahoe – specifically Emerald Bay. Over the years I’ve lived out west, my love for the mountains has continued to grow. I’d always love riding the motorcycle up to the hills. My heart always got light as the valley faded behind and the tall pine trees of the Sierra Nevada came into focus. Right about 5000 feet, happy begins. John Muir in many ways spoke my language his famous quote, “The mountains are calling and I must go,” His sentiment always resonated with me.
Back in September 2017 I ran an experiment. I want to see how much I really loved the mountains. Some good friends of mine lived up in the mountains and had a spare bedroom. After talking with them, they let me rent that bedroom for a month. I figured the only way to settle the debate of the mountains was to do the mountains. I set off on that adventure. The month flew by and soon after it was back down to the Bay Area with a smile from ear to ear.
I spent the next couple of years with my head up in the mountains looking for next but could never commit fully to the process. What would happen if my employment changed? What if I needed amenities only available in major cities? What if I didn’t like it there? The pandemic rolled in shortly there after with its deep freeze on society prompting a frantic rush. During the pandemic, I stayed put during such uncertain times.
In the early summer of 2022, someone posted on the motorcycle forum I frequent looking for a part-time roommate in Truckee. I was ready to scratch that itch yet again to explore life in the mountains on a longer-term basis. My housing situation changed and would need to live somewhere, so why not the mountains? With a check in hand, I committed to renting the room.
One of the major contrasts between the mountains and the Bay Area is that seasons are short and distinct here. I arrived in the peak of summer – just in time to enjoy all the area has to offer.
Summer
One of my favorite activities in the mountains is swimming. I love jumping into Lakes with deep blue waters where you can see all the way down to the bottom. Somehow, that never gets old for me. When the Bay Area gets super hot, the mountains are always 15° to 20° cooler making for a wonderful escape. Truckee’s small town atmosphere was a nice change from the hustle of the bay.
Truckee is definitely small town – and one of the things I do appreciate about it. It was nice to be able to ride my bike to the market to get some exercise over lunch. On a totally random note, Grocery Outlet in this town is totally amazing.
Summer really was everything I loved about the mountains: Hikes, motorcycles, bicycles, and swimming in lakes. The big difference is that when you live there, all of the things you need for life also need to get done. Living in the mountains was not vacationing in the mountains – for sure. It was good for me to experience that ongoing tension.
Autumn
My favorite season is autumn. Early fall still has all the benefits of summer but none of the challenges of summer. Beaches are warm, but deserted. Winter comes more quickly in these parts. By October 1, cold is definitely a factor whereas in the Bay Area warm summertime temperature still reign supreme. Jackets become a part of the wardrobe much earlier in the season and the sun more quickly sets behind the mountains making darkness part of autumn’s experience. It’s always fun to take the motorcycle and go explore looking for fall color hidden throughout the mountain landscape. Rain comes earlier too. Early fall often does bring along the stray shower.
One of the things that’s been on my radar is the Donner Train Tunnels. They are long abandoned passageways throughout the Sierra Nevada that have become a popular hiking trail. I wanted to get up there before winter to explore the area. It was cool walking through long deserted tunnels with graffiti up and down the walls. The late afternoon sun cast fantastic warm light and deep shadows all throughout the tunnel. If you go, definitely bring a flashlight. The tunnels were darker than I expected – even in the daytime.
As I got settled into the area, I met some good people. There is a lot more diversity in people’s careers and work hours that I know up here than down in the Bay Area. Some people would be off on Tuesdays, others Thursdays. The conventional Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 with weekends off wasn’t the common cadence here.
Reno, being 45 minutes down the freeway, was the major “city.” It was great having more time to spend with people I know up there. Over the years I’ve met some really good people who call Reno home and somehow each of these visits pick up exactly right where they left off.
As I got further into the fall, the Bay Area began to call more directly. Whether I had to fly out for work, attend social engagements, or meet people at home – I was doing the drive between the Bay and mountains more than I expected – and the drive was about 45 minutes longer given my new, temporary location in the Bay Area.
A friend of mine back in the Bay needed some tech help and I just couldn’t get down there to help out. Being the pilot he is, he replied “no worries, I’ll just fly up there.” It was fun to explore the Truckee – Tahoe airport on the inside seeing all the planes taking off and landing. Oh the adventures!
Winter
As I mentioned earlier, winter comes early in these parts and this was a winter to remember – for sure. Winters in the Bay are often cold and damp – with no massive recreational uplift like it is here. People in this town LIVE for winter. My car, however, didn’t live for winter. I got lucky that in early November I got the call from Rivian that my truck was ready. Winter required a truck and I was ready to go full electric.
Driving to Truckee always required two stops. I’d stop in Rocklin at the Target to get groceries and other necessities for the trip while the truck was charging and then stop in Truckee to fill up again. Charging added about 60 minutes to the total drive – some of which I could in theory reclaim as I needed to go grocery shopping. If I lived up here, I could certainly charge overnight once at home. Overall, the shift from gas to electric didn’t really seem too much of a big deal.
When the snow started falling, I missed the fact that an electric car doesn’t have a large, heat producing engine underneath the hood to melt snow. If the truck got snowy, the snow stayed on the truck all the way until I got back to lower altitude with full sun.
I enjoyed the winter. So much of the rituals were different to me having always lived in a warm climate. I’d have to:
- Move vehicles around so that the snowplow could fully clear the driveway
- Turn on the heat and add salt to the walkways to keep them free of ice
- All of the fun and challenges driving in the snow
- Deal with the challenges that infrastructure is more brittle here
It’s that last point that always gave me pause. This winter was one of the most aggressive winters we’ve had in decades. If the power went out, most of the heat went out with it. Given that this house is in a deep valley, it doesn’t really get light until nine and quickly gets dark at three. We were the last area to get plowed. If I got stuck, I was stuck. That anxiety was a new feeling for an eternally warm climate guy. Remember Dan, respect nature and stay out of her way.
Because many of the passes close between the Bay Area and cities like Lee Vining I never got to see the eastern Sierra in the depths of winter. Due to this year amount of snow, this was definitely the winter to go exploring back there. While this area is my favorite in California during the summer, the winter does not disappoint either.
I remember sneaking out early one morning as I was required in the bay area at 10 AM. There is a small bridge over the inlet of Donner Lake where I became mesmerized with the view. The early winter sunrise did not disappoint.
Spring
With the winter to remember, spring this year really felt like warm winter. The snow didn’t disappear until very late into the season. Things like bike paths and trails remained covered in snow making things more challenging for this summer seeker. My usual ride around Donner Lake wasn’t able to be fully completed until late May.
During the spring I need to spend more and more time in the Bay Area and wanted to return to Canada to see my partner. Various projects in the bay required me to be there in person. It was hard to balance life up in the mountains with life down in the Bay. I found myself always going somewhere but I was never really anywhere. I’ve noticed this tide in life for me that I get into a travel season and then find myself longing for home. Over the year I’ve been here, there were two months that I wasn’t able to make it up to the mountains – which definitely tugged on my heart.
Returning Home
I committed to make a decision about the next phase of my life based on the time up in the mountains. I’m deeply thankful for the opportunity and community I’ve built up here. Such a fantastic experience. The Bay Area, however, really is home. As I was packing everything into the truck, I was reminded of one of my favorite Jimmy Buffet songs: When the Coast is Clear.
I’ve realized I love the shoulder seasons in the mountains – when the Bay is back in the Bay, lol. Truckee and Donner Lake are amazing places that speak to me deeply, however, part of what I enjoy about these experiences is the travel to, the time spent, and at some level the journey back home.
The time up here is always special and precious to me. For now, I want to keep it that way. The Sierras are the place I go to to right myself, reset, and find me again. Living up here in someways polluted that as there is always something pulling me away from the reason I came up here. One thing I did learn is that I want to be intentional and proactive about people, places, and travel there are many good things and good places in the world. This is only one of them (and that’s a fantastic thing).
So for now, I’m headed down the hill ready for the next season in life. Thank you Truckee. Thank you Donner. And thank you to my roommate Chaz for the opportunity.
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