Randi with an i

Goodbye Tahoe National Forest! Thanks for a wonderful several months.

March 3, 2022 Randi2 comments

Well, if you hadn’t gathered it from my last several posts… my detail assignment on the Tahoe National Forest is done. I’ve checked out of my rental cabin here in Grass Valley, I’m back home in Arizona and I’m back to my normal job on the Coconino.

I had an AMAZING four-plus months living and working in northern California.

I’ve already highlighted some of the cool weekend adventures I got into: A quick detour to hike Yosemite National Park, some hiking along the Pacific Crest Trail, ice skating and brewery hopping in Truckee, snowshoeing around the Yuba River Ranger District, a weekend trip to San Francisco, wine tasting in Sonoma, a day trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park, a holiday weekend trip to Sequoia National Park, hiking around Lake Tahoe, a drive through Death Valley National Park…

I’m honestly tired just reading all of that.

But, outside of my previously-documented weekend adventures, I did get to spend a few weekends exploring some of the communities in and around the Tahoe National Forest.

A shortcut through Death Valley National Park

March 2, 2022 Randi

Earlier this week, I posted about how I was able to stop for a quick hike along the Tahoe Rim Trail during my drive home from my long-term work assignment in northern California.

I had a chance during the second day of my drive to take a shortcut through Death Valley National Park, which I took full advantage of.

Day hiking on the Tahoe Rim Trail

February 28, 2022 Randi

Well, I’m back in Flagstaff!

I’d originally planned a slightly-longer trip heading home from my work assignment in northern California, but given everything that’s going on with Ukraine, I just didn’t really have the heart to… yunno. Enjoy life.

I cut my trip back from four-ish nights to the standard government one, but I did at least do a few things on the drive home.

Like… finally seeing Lake Tahoe. Which I hadn’t seen at any point during the… almost five months I spent working on the Tahoe National Forest.

A wintery weekend day visit to Sequoia National Park

February 22, 2022 Randi

Helloooo!

I’ve been a little quiet lately because I’ve spent my last few weekends pretty close to “home” (Grass Valley, California) due to myriad reasons. (OK, the reason is related to my yoga teaching, but more on that later.)

However, I had zero plans during my three-day Presidents’ Day/ Washington’s Birthday weekend, so I decided to take a road trip south to Sequoia National Park!

Wine tasting in Sonoma

February 2, 2022 Randi

I am baaack with a continuation of yesterday’s post!

I spent this past weekend visiting my friend Alex out in the Bay Area, and after a day of exploring San Francisco, we decided to end our weekend with a trip up to Wine Country.

A weekend in San Francisco + the Bay Area

February 1, 2022 Randi

I’m not gonna lie. When I found out that my new work assignment was sending me to an office located in a town of 2,000, I was a little nervous.

My hometown’s population was about 2,000, and I did nooooot like it one bit.

But, after a few months here, I have to admit: Being based in Nevada City is REALLY sweet.

I’m one hour from Sacramento, one hour from Truckee and Lake Tahoe and two hours from San Francisco.

Not bad at all, right?

One of my friends that I worked with back at the Tribune relocated to the Bay Area a few years ago, so I set aside a weekend to visit her.

A winter visit to Lassen Volcanic National Park

January 25, 2022 Randi

I can’t believe I only have a month — give or take — left on my work detail here in northern California. It’s going by so fast!

I’ve spent less time physically located here than I would have liked, thanks to a combination of housing issues, power outages, weddings and contracting COVID, but now that I’m back in my cabin in Grass Valley, I’m firmly dedicated to spending as MANY of my waking hours as possible exploring as much of northern California as my Jeep can get to.

I’ve been spending a lot of my weekends here on the actual Tahoe National Forest — embarrassingly enough, I actually haven’t even seen Lake Tahoe yet! It’s managed separately from the Tahoe, fun fact, — but I finally got around to venturing outside of my (temporary) forest’s borders this past weekend and drove about three hours northwest up to Lassen Volcanic National Park with my friend Ana.

Snowshoeing around the Sierra Buttes: Upper and Lower Sardine Lake

January 20, 2022 Randi

Soooo what’s better than a mountain town?

A MOUNTAIN TOWN WITH SNOW!

I spent this past Monday hiking the around Upper and Lower Sardine Lakes on the Tahoe National Forest’s Yuba River Ranger District, and it did NOT disappoint.

Ice skating (and beer!) in Truckee

January 19, 2022 Randi

I’m back! After what was supposed to be a four-day Christmas trip back home turned into a 20-day isolation trip back home, I finally grabbed a flight back to California and now I’m ready to make the most of my remaining time here on the Tahoe.

Anyway.

Once December rolls around, I get asked if I ski roughly four times a day.

I wish I were joking!

Every single coworker on both forests I’ve worked on — the Coconino and the Tahoe — has asked me if I ski.

I’m pretty sure it’s also one of the first five questions Ryan asked me on our first date.

I always like to remind people that, uh, I’m from the Midwest. We tend to take advantage of the topography (flat, very flat) by ice skating instead of downhill skiing.

(Side note: I have been skiing once.)

At that point, people usually give me a really weird look at then tell me I should try skiing before I can get started on my oh-hey-nao-I-grew-up-45-minutes-from-the-Canadian-border-dontcha-know-and-I’m-really-big-into-hockey-culture-figger-it-oot-eh talk.

But, hey, I try.

LUCKILY, my coworker Ana — who, yes, also skis — is ALSO into ice skating!

We spent this past Sunday ice skating out at the Boca Reservoir in Truckee.

Yukon’s diagnosis

January 8, 2022 Randi

This is a tough post to write.