July 2-5, 2016

July 2

We all slept in after the late night. Once everyone was up we headed to a place Raptor had highly recommended for brunch. It was delicious. Next we hit the beach. It took a while to get there because traffic going around the lake was terrible. Once there, however, we found a nice partly sunny patch of sand to spread out in. After a few hours of napping and beach exploration we called it a day. Supplies were picked up the grocery store and we retired to the condo for burgers and rented DVDs.

July 3

Sunday was also a lazy morning. We did breakfast at the condo, lounges around for a bit, and then decided to attempt tennis. We were terrible. It didn't help that our court was directly in front of the court manager who was judging us pretty hard although he did a good job concealing it. Wiped out, we retired for an afternoon of marathoning movies.

July 4

We actually rallied for July 4th. The morning was still laid back but we got packed up to head down to South Lake Tahoe fairly quickly. Ostin had developed a pretty bad cold overnight but assured us he would be fine. Once again, traffic was difficult getting around the lake but we were able to find a parking spot without too much of a problem. Dinner consisted of subs from a shop near the beach before we began searching for an unclaimed patch of sand. We had hoped to meet up with Sabrina, from the first week on trail, at some point but were having difficulty coordinating about plans.

Then we waited. It was a mix of conversations about the future, dozing off in the sand, and people watching. Rickets had decided to get off trail in order to pursue interests and skills beyond his degree program so this was the last time the three of us would be together on the trail and much to reflect on.

The fireworks began at around 10:00pm and lasted for 25 minutes or so. It was quite a display although we could have chosen a closer beach. We waited out the initial traffic rush in the parking lot of a grocery store and finally got going. It was quite late by the time we made it back to the condo and we each went straight to bed.

July 5

Revelry was at 5:00am and we packed and tidied up before getting on the road back to Oakland just after 6:00am. The ride down was uneventful and we were pulling into my aunt and uncle's before 10:00am. I said goodbye to both of them and transferred by pack to my uncle's SUV. After a cup of coffee the three of us loaded up and began the drive to Murphys. My uncle Stu and I would be working on software projects while my aunt Suzanne and her nephew Alonzo would be working on landscaping. I slept most of the ride up.