Hostel Tahoe
I’d messaged Kim, my neighbour in Falls Creek, who had been in Tahoe the year before and was back for more snowboarding, fun and laughter. In fact it was her description of the place that made me decide to go there. She was still around but only for another two weeks, still time to show me around the mountain. The hostel in Kings Beach was right on the lake and I arranged a meet with Kim at the Wednesday drinking hole, which was just down the road in Kings Beach. I didn’t stay long but arranged to meet her and her entourage the following morning at North Star, one of the about seven ski resorts in the area. It was great to be in the mountains again, the lift pass at North Star was a bit expensive at a hundred dollars a day but with Kim’s season pass, she was able to get me a 20 dollar discount. I was once again sliding down a mountain on a couple of sticks and the exhilaration was evident in the howls of enjoyment that could only be heard by me of course….why did it take so long for me to discover skiing?…. after 3 hours, my legs were telling me to stop, so I left the girls, to go and play in the park, while I headed back to the hostel. I discovered I had a roommate, Rodney, he was riding a bicycle, you rode that thing all the way from Ireland I asked, ah no, not at all at all, to be sure, I don’t have ony scuba gear wit me. Ah yes, I suppose it would be a bit difficult, no I sailed the boat over to San Diego and sold it, got the train to Truckee and biked it here. A retired policeman from Northern Ireland, who was here, he told me, to improve his skiing before heading to Seattle to cycle down the Oregon coast, a pursuit, I have discovered which many cyclist wish to do. The following morning Rodney and I went to Diamond Peak, another of the many mountains to ski here, this was more reasonable at 50 dollars a day. My legs were doing ok but I decided to have a day off from skiing, as the forecast was predicting storms the following day. I took the skis back to Don at bike and ski along the road; he looked at the skis and said they are not mine. Somewhere up the mountain they had been switched and I had some one else’s and no doubt they had mine, or rather Dons. Don was not happy, they may turn up he said but if not, you will have to pay me 170 dollars, now I wasn’t happy. I went back after my day off and had to use the skis I’d brought back, which were fine and had another couple of days on them. On my final day in Tahoe I went to Diamond Peak to see if they had been handed in, went to the hire shops around the place to see if they had turned up, nothing, I went back to Dons and we decided on 50 dollars. If they turned up, he was 50 dollars in pocket, if not he could still hire out the ones I gave him, he was OK with that.
Rodney was a good laugh, as are most Irishmen I’ve run into over the years, the first one though who doesn’t have a drink. Aye now, I would like to have a drink wit yer to be sure but if I were to do that, then Patrick would show up and Patrick always gets into trouble, so it’s better if I refrain, for me and avery one around me, seriously! OK with me, I’ve known a few people who shouldn’t partake in the demon drink, one of which I was forced to spend the first 16 years of my life with. Devon was a local girl who looked after the hostel at the weekend, probably while Andrew went off skiing, mountain bike riding, Kayaking, hiking or many of the other outdoor activities he enjoyed so much. Devon was also a touring cyclist and spent many an afternoon, telling of all the fascinating places in the area, she could talk the hind legs off a donkey and her and Patrick, or was it Rodney, were well matched in the talking stakes. She refused to get in a car, ride a bus, get on an aeroplane or use anything that uses fuel. A girl with great conviction that one has to admire, it would be impossible for me to live that way.
I am….THE LONESOME TRAVELLER….travelling east….BE HAPPY!