Goodbye 2009 year of the Wolverine, Hello 2010 year of the Tiger
This year I had stayed in the bay area and didn't go visit family. I came up with no plans and just played it by ear, and I feel this has been one of the best holiday seasons in years for me, minus the stress from work and finding a new home.
As things went, I bought a new car, then promptly found out our house went to foreclosure and we need to find a new place to rent in 30 days. Work closed down right before Christmas and we made a nice social dinner with family of friends. It felt like a good old family get together and was just wonderful.
Time went on and it neared New years with no real plans again. The holiday season let me see many people I don't get to see often, and it was great to spend my time with people I love. I started to worry a bit as I hadn't made any good plans for NYE, so I came up wit finishing out my car's engine break in period under the full blue moon on NYE. I was going to do a long drive down Route 1 along the coastline and watch the sun set, then drive back up under the blue moon. The day before NYE my friend Scott asks me to come with him and other friends to Tahoe for snowboarding and NYE celebration at Kirkwood. The plans are made, and I commit after talking with a few people about said plans. As I pack the night before NYE, I realize I can't do everything I wanted, maybe I shouldn't go, but then I do and work with Scott to make it all happen.
The Plan
We leave 7am, I push that back to 8am and grab cable chains for snow in the mountains and drive Aotora up for engine break in. We drive up the mountain and I play cat and mouse with the other car up the whole way. The mountain roads are beautiful and I love the drive! My car felt great, and we got in Kirkwood about 2pm. Plan to snowboard halfday and be there for fireworks and the torchlight parade. Sadly, the torchlight tickets were sold out within an hour. Plans change, we leave after some food and hanging out to hit hot springs and do something in Carson city.
The natural hot mineral springs were awesome, with a resort built around them. Had great conversations with families who were from all over the country and here to do a ski vacation. The moon was out full and bright and in Carson city it was full of blue moonlight. The blue overcast was just breathtaking, and I failed to get any good shots with my camera.
NYE happened, we went to bed and went out NY day to do full day of snow. The Drive to Kirkwood went well until chain control and snow on the roads. My car was taking the snow fine without chains, but I put mine on to follow the law. Within the 10 miles I had to go with chains, the back clasps on each chain wore off and the chains failed me. My car has low tolerance levels for anything larger than the tire, and it seems 1 inch inside the wheel is too much, as the clasp hit something each rotation and was shaved down until it was a nub and gone. One chain stayed on only by two small plastic S hooks that hold the extra cable from flapping around.
We arrive at Kirkwood around 9:30 and hit the slopes. I check for buying new chains, and they only carry real chains and not cable chains. I signed a waiver saying I understood that the car I bought would take serious damage to the car if I put full chains on it. So no chains for me... -.- Time to snowboard, hit the slopes and I got in around 10 runs in the morning and did an amazing job. I almost felt like hitting black diamonds, but I was enjoying exploring all of Kirkwood I had never seen. The weather was perfect, good snow and lots of fresh powder to ride on with a freshly waxed board. People said I looked cute and awesome in my new blue tiger striped suit. Falling on my ass never looked so damn good before. ;)
We stopped for a very late lunch, nearly dinner at about 2pm and when we sat down to eat the power went out. The storm was still dropping lots of snow, and we had no clue if power would return. I checked the road conditions as the cell tower dropped and came back on randomly to find route 50 was without chain control. So I packed it all in and headed off to call it a day at Kirkwood. I backtracked down the mountain without chains in the snow and found my car's traction and stability systems performed nearly like AWD with all season sport tires on it. Ran it down 88 to 89 then to 50 and from there it cleared up and turned to amazing views.
Route 50 around Strawberry, CA was where Aotora broke 1k and engine break in was complete.
I also found my Nav system has some serious issues with taking straight fast highways and it diverted me onto route 49, which is much like taking route 35, 9, or 84 for fun with lots of curves, hills, drops, and slow speed limits of 25mph. Route 49 was amazing, NY day with no one around and a completely open road. I broke 1k, so I opened up Aotora and tore up the road at 40-60pmh and S curves and U turns all along the mountain for many many miles.
I finally hit I-80 and drove my way all the way into the bay area to have a nice dinner with one of my friends who flew out to Japan the next day. Finally I got home, unpacked and crashed. Woke the next morning to do more house hunting and found a possible house.
This has been something I could have never imagined. It was a wonderful vacation without really going out off to do some huge planned vacation like a cruise. Just about everything that has been stressful or could be stressful turned out to take care of itself and clear away. Makes this a start of a wonderful year so far, as people matter to me and I also am finding ways to make me matter as well. So it's win win all around so far this year. Supposedly the year of the Tiger is one of my lucky years, and it seems so far it has been shaping up to be right. :) I have a new car I love to death, great friends I love, a new home soon, and in the future I may have a dog soon. Maybe I'll get lucky enough to get a boy companion as well. There is still a whole year to go. =^.^=
I hope everyone else has had a wonderful holiday season and best wishes to everyone for a safe, fun, and adventurous new year. I love you guys and wish you the best in whatever it is you are out there doing, enjoying, and loving.
As things went, I bought a new car, then promptly found out our house went to foreclosure and we need to find a new place to rent in 30 days. Work closed down right before Christmas and we made a nice social dinner with family of friends. It felt like a good old family get together and was just wonderful.
Time went on and it neared New years with no real plans again. The holiday season let me see many people I don't get to see often, and it was great to spend my time with people I love. I started to worry a bit as I hadn't made any good plans for NYE, so I came up wit finishing out my car's engine break in period under the full blue moon on NYE. I was going to do a long drive down Route 1 along the coastline and watch the sun set, then drive back up under the blue moon. The day before NYE my friend Scott asks me to come with him and other friends to Tahoe for snowboarding and NYE celebration at Kirkwood. The plans are made, and I commit after talking with a few people about said plans. As I pack the night before NYE, I realize I can't do everything I wanted, maybe I shouldn't go, but then I do and work with Scott to make it all happen.
The Plan
We leave 7am, I push that back to 8am and grab cable chains for snow in the mountains and drive Aotora up for engine break in. We drive up the mountain and I play cat and mouse with the other car up the whole way. The mountain roads are beautiful and I love the drive! My car felt great, and we got in Kirkwood about 2pm. Plan to snowboard halfday and be there for fireworks and the torchlight parade. Sadly, the torchlight tickets were sold out within an hour. Plans change, we leave after some food and hanging out to hit hot springs and do something in Carson city.
The natural hot mineral springs were awesome, with a resort built around them. Had great conversations with families who were from all over the country and here to do a ski vacation. The moon was out full and bright and in Carson city it was full of blue moonlight. The blue overcast was just breathtaking, and I failed to get any good shots with my camera.
NYE happened, we went to bed and went out NY day to do full day of snow. The Drive to Kirkwood went well until chain control and snow on the roads. My car was taking the snow fine without chains, but I put mine on to follow the law. Within the 10 miles I had to go with chains, the back clasps on each chain wore off and the chains failed me. My car has low tolerance levels for anything larger than the tire, and it seems 1 inch inside the wheel is too much, as the clasp hit something each rotation and was shaved down until it was a nub and gone. One chain stayed on only by two small plastic S hooks that hold the extra cable from flapping around.
We arrive at Kirkwood around 9:30 and hit the slopes. I check for buying new chains, and they only carry real chains and not cable chains. I signed a waiver saying I understood that the car I bought would take serious damage to the car if I put full chains on it. So no chains for me... -.- Time to snowboard, hit the slopes and I got in around 10 runs in the morning and did an amazing job. I almost felt like hitting black diamonds, but I was enjoying exploring all of Kirkwood I had never seen. The weather was perfect, good snow and lots of fresh powder to ride on with a freshly waxed board. People said I looked cute and awesome in my new blue tiger striped suit. Falling on my ass never looked so damn good before. ;)
We stopped for a very late lunch, nearly dinner at about 2pm and when we sat down to eat the power went out. The storm was still dropping lots of snow, and we had no clue if power would return. I checked the road conditions as the cell tower dropped and came back on randomly to find route 50 was without chain control. So I packed it all in and headed off to call it a day at Kirkwood. I backtracked down the mountain without chains in the snow and found my car's traction and stability systems performed nearly like AWD with all season sport tires on it. Ran it down 88 to 89 then to 50 and from there it cleared up and turned to amazing views.
Route 50 around Strawberry, CA was where Aotora broke 1k and engine break in was complete.
I also found my Nav system has some serious issues with taking straight fast highways and it diverted me onto route 49, which is much like taking route 35, 9, or 84 for fun with lots of curves, hills, drops, and slow speed limits of 25mph. Route 49 was amazing, NY day with no one around and a completely open road. I broke 1k, so I opened up Aotora and tore up the road at 40-60pmh and S curves and U turns all along the mountain for many many miles.
I finally hit I-80 and drove my way all the way into the bay area to have a nice dinner with one of my friends who flew out to Japan the next day. Finally I got home, unpacked and crashed. Woke the next morning to do more house hunting and found a possible house.
This has been something I could have never imagined. It was a wonderful vacation without really going out off to do some huge planned vacation like a cruise. Just about everything that has been stressful or could be stressful turned out to take care of itself and clear away. Makes this a start of a wonderful year so far, as people matter to me and I also am finding ways to make me matter as well. So it's win win all around so far this year. Supposedly the year of the Tiger is one of my lucky years, and it seems so far it has been shaping up to be right. :) I have a new car I love to death, great friends I love, a new home soon, and in the future I may have a dog soon. Maybe I'll get lucky enough to get a boy companion as well. There is still a whole year to go. =^.^=
I hope everyone else has had a wonderful holiday season and best wishes to everyone for a safe, fun, and adventurous new year. I love you guys and wish you the best in whatever it is you are out there doing, enjoying, and loving.