In the featured picture from left to right – Dick, Laura, Kyle, Glennis, Dacia, Miller, Makai, Tom, Paula
After the champagne and excitement that followed Glenny and Kyle’s engagement announcement, we set about making Friday night’s dinner. Kyle prepared rosemary marinated sous vide steaks, finished on the flat top grill. Tommy made his classic Caesar salad for 9! We didn’t have a big enough bowl to prepare it in, so Kyle used one of the coolers for the sous vide, and Tommy used the sous vide container! Surprisingly, Makai liked it a lot, despite its piquant flavor. Miller’s amazing garlic mashed potatoes completed the feast.
After dinner Glenny, Dacia and Paula prepared lunchmeat wraps, peanut butter wraps, as well as fruit and snacks for our rafting trip the next day. Everyone was tired from food and excitement so we all bedded down early, knowing we would need to leave at 8:15 a.m. to drive to the raft drop-off point about 40 minutes north, and then position one of our two vehicles at the pick-up point downstream. Multiple other groups were doing the same in a variety of crafts such as inflatable canoes, paddleboards, and large rafts shaped like dragons and unicorns.
We managed to inflate the rafts in good time, walked them down to the river and took off! We connected each of the rafts together into a ring shape, with a bobber-shaped cooler provided by Dick floating behind. Each raft also had a small area for ice and drinks, which was very convenient. The water was cool, but not frigid, and the sun was warm, so we were very comfortable. The water level was low enough to have some protruding rocks, so the boat cushions Kyle had purchased to line everyone’s seat came in very handy as did 4 plastic paddles to keep us off the banks and larger rocks.
At several of the shallow slow areas, many rafters, including our group, stopped to stretch our legs. At the first such stop, the branch of a tilted tree at shoreline punctured one of the rafts. Fortunately, Glennis had used duct-tape to create letters on each of the lunch zip-locs signifying whose was whose. We managed to peel the tape off and Tommy patched the hole. This patch lasted for a little while but began leaking again. Miller and Tommy had to regularly pump this raft back up with air along the way so it didn’t sink.
We had one more raft blow-out shortly before the pick-up point. Dacia and Makai’s raft popped suddenly as its tether got stuck over a rock. Dacia held Makai out of the water over her head and Laura grabbed him, then Glennis boosted Dacia into their raft as well. Everyone was fine, although Makai was a bit shook up at first. What an adventure! Exiting the rafts was also challenging as we had to scramble up a muddy bank, but again was successful, and we all showered back at the cabin.
There were several spirited games of “Washers” while dinner was being prepared. Washers is a bit in theory like horseshoes, except small metal disks are used, and one tries to throw the disks into a wooden box. A round pipe of PVC is in the center of the box, and extra points are awarded if the washer lands in that ring and stays there.
Dinner was marinated spareribs, each prepared with a different marinade by Kyle and Miller. We also had grill-roasted vegetables and left-over mashed potatoes as Miller had made a giant amount. Laura and Dick brought a hilarious game of “Kazoos”. Even the originally skeptical had a great time, with lots of laughs.
Miller and Dacia had to leave on Sunday. We were really sorry to see them go.
Monday was departure day for Glennis, Kyle, Laura and Dick. We all sat in the sun on the deck and Dick treated us to a great lunch of Sprouts sandwiches and burrito for Dick, which we enjoyed on the deck picnic table.
Tuesday Paula and Tom shook off their post-engagement, post-rafting and post-guest sadness and decided to try the Incline Flume Trail at the northern edge of the lake. It was a great hike. It was very twisty but not very steep and had a great deal more varied vegetation than the other trails we have tried. There were numerous family groups, dogs, and bicycles, at least at the lower levels. It had great views, and a creek wound around the ascending trail which we got to hear and see periodically along the hike. Paula thinks it is her favorite hike yet.
After the hike we drove around Incline Village to check out where the 5k and 10k race will be that we are running in this Sunday, and to check out the parking situation. It is a beautiful village with many very large and palatial-appearing homes. We have been eating delicious leftovers all week, so kindly provided by our guests. We finally ran out last night. Tommy treated Paula to a night at the Riva Grill. It was delicious.