When IVC Class of ’73 alumnus Donna Miller Nielsen extended an open invitation to her classmates to join her the first weekend in August at her home at Lake Tahoe for an informal class reunion I wasn’t surprised.
You see, I had enjoyed she and her husband Jarl’s hospitality many times before- along with the unparalleled beauty of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevadas I only hoped that my fellow classmates could find a way to participate in what promised to be a truly memorable get-together.
I was the first to arrive and last to leave- three weeks later. Donna’s smiling face greeted me when I stepped on the platform at the Amtrak station in Reno after 45 hours on the train from Galesburg (another story to come later).
But when I arrived, showered, and shaved and finally set my eyes on the glorious sight of Lake Tahoe again I knew it would all be worth the journey to my fortunate classmates who could attend.
Fellow classmate Marc Schoch arrived by train a day later and was soon treated to his first sight of Lake Tahoe.
He, I, and Donna enjoyed a lunch on the lakeshore starting with a lineup of unique drinks at Jason’s Bar. After talking Marc out of his traditional “Captain and Coke” he enjoyed a Huckleberry Margarita, Donna a Huckleberry Mojito, and I enjoyed a Huckleberry Mudslide. The fresh huckleberries (smaller cousin of the blueberry) made us realize we weren’t in Chillicothe any more and set the tone for a weekend full of adventure and surprises.
One surprise to Donna was discovering classmate Mike Hart had been living in Reno working in the gaming industry for the past 30 years. He and his wife Cathy would be joining our group for the weekend.
Friday morning dawned with the anticipation of Roger Anderson and his wife Pegeen arriving after a flight from their home near Minneapolis. As usual, Roger arrived in style driving a classy white Sebring convertible.
We all pitched in for a cookout on the deck that evening at Donna’s three-story lakehouse featuring some of the best fresh salmon I’ve ever tasted. Marc and Donna used their culinary skills to prepare the meal while I had served as the butler carrying in the luggage and clearing and serving at dinner.
Roger and Mike reminisced about their rock and roll days in Chillicothe with Eargazm and Roger tapped out a few tunes on Donna’s piano to remind us of his musical skills.
After a restful night’s sleep, we planned our day over breakfast while waiting for the arrival of classmate Rod Roebuck and his wife Laura who were driving in for the day from Davis, California.
We decided on a speedboat ride around the Lake with Donna’s husband Jarl as Captain. The Harts arrived from Reno with enough Subway sandwiches for our lunch and when the Roebucks joined us we headed for the boat rental at Incline Beach on the north shore.
We were soon on the water enjoying the views of this alpine lake that sits at over 6,200 feet elevation. Lake Tahoe is 22 miles long and 12 miles wide and our goal was to do a whirlwind tour by water for those who had never seen it. The dark blue cobalt water reflected the partly cloudy sky as we sped south along the Nevada shoreline past Sand Harbor, the Thunderbird Lodge, Cave Rock, and Zephyr Cove before crossing over to the California shore at South Lake Tahoe to see the ritzy waterfront homes and yachts at the Tahoe Keys.
Next it was on to Emerald Bay, arguably the most scenic of all on the Lake. Here we sailed past the paddlewheeler Tahoe Queen and landed the boat long enough to take a dip at the sandy beach and explore Vikingsholm, a historic stone home.
But as we left the serenity of Emerald Bay and headed back onto the lake, a squall line of dark clouds greeted us. Rainstorms are very rare during the summer here, but we were soon being pelted by stinging raindrops as we battled the waves on our way back to Incline Beach.
After shaking off the raindrops, we headed for the iconic restaurant Jakes on the Lake for dinner. Here we dined on stuffed trout and other delicacies before heading off for the evening’s entertainment- bowling.
Roger and Marc had bowled together in leagues back in Chillicothe and we all agreed it was something we could do together so off we went to test our skills. It was soon evident that Marc was the cream of the crop but we all enjoyed the evening and shut down the bowling alley at midnight.
Sunday morning dawned bright and clear and Roger offered his convertible up for anyone interested in a grand driving tour around the lake and onto Carson City and Reno to see the sights.
Roger, Pegeen, Marc, and Donna hopped in while Rod and I decided to hike along the Tahoe Rim Trail for some mountain scenery. While the driving tour visited Squaw Valley (site of the 1960 Winter Olympics), Rod and I were enjoying the fresh, cool mountain air as we hiked in the shadow of Mt Rose to our objective of a crystal clear cascade.
After a short rest back at the lakehouse and bidding adieu to the Roebucks, I hooked up with the driving tour group for another hike to find the mystical Chickadee Point. Donna and I had discovered it during a snowshoeing adventure a few years ago and wanted to see it again in the summer.
This time we were met with another pop-up storm featuring hail, thunder, and lightning but we were not deterred and reached our objective to see one of the more spectacular views of the Lake.
As the skies cleared and we began our walk back, we all agreed it had been a weekend we would long remember. We had covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time and had enjoyed remembering our past but vowed to continue to stay in touch for the future.
As my classmates sadly made their departures, Donna asked me if I could stay longer and attend the Reno Blues Festival in two weeks. Being one never to pass up an opportunity to enjoy the good life, I quickly accepted and began another series of adventures including a chance meeting with a billionaire, kayaking, rafting, and a special night hike from Kit Carson Pass to see the Perseid Meteor Shower.
Read about these adventures and more in future Tales of Tahoe at www.chillicothetimesbulletin.com.
For more about Mark Bradley, click here.
