Sorry, Reno, I know you have many good qualities but...our best weekends so far have been based in California.
For Labor Day weekend, Andrew and I traveled to Point Reyes National Seashore to camp, hike, and play with Madeline and Audie. The seashore is home to a herd of tule elk. The elk are very comfortable around people, and dozens grazed close to our trail.
The bachelor elk hung out together, thinking about love - it's rutting season. We saw a couple of them rub their antlers against the ground, which is a sign of aggression, but no one came to blows. I was relieved there was no violence, but I think everyone else was disappointed.
These female elk are grazing near the reigning bull.
Andrew, of course, found a tree to climb while the three of us hydrated, fashionably.
All ten miles of our Point Reyes trail bordered the ocean, and at the end of the hike we ate burritos (of course) on the breath-taking Tomales Bay.
We spent the night at a busy, family-run campground. When we arrived, the RV campers were in full-swing - country music blaring, Confederate flag waving, even karaoke. After hot dogs and Reese's s'mores, we found quiet and a sky full of stars at the ocean, just over a dune from our tent. When we awoke the next morning, the the rest of the camp was still asleep and we could hear the ocean waves.
Breakfast Labor Day morning was delicious. Madeline and Audie have assembled quiet the camping accouterments. Freshly percolated coffee, toasted bagels with bacon and fried eggs, and chunky guacamole.
After breakfast, we packed up and spent the rest of the day on the ocean before heading back to Reno. The traffic heading the opposite direction (back to California from Burning Man and Lake Tahoe) reminded us how happy we are that we live close, but not in, California.
The next weekend we explored Desolation Wilderness. It sounds like an empty, dreary place, doesn't it?
It's not. The Desolation Wilderness is one of the most majestic places I've traveled to. Our pictures aren't great because of the smoke from the Valley Fire, but even on a hazy day the views were amazing. And it was quiet. For most of our 15 mile hike we neither saw nor heard any sign of other humans - just pines, peaks, and pristine mountain lakes.
California may have the best hikes, but Nevada has the highest percentage of BLM land in the country. Andrew's new (used) truck passed it's first off-road test on the Mount Rose foothills, and I only screamed a few times on the rocky, uneven terrain.
Another Reno perk is the desert amphitheater in the park next to our apartment. Last week an acting group rehearsed for the musical Cinderella - this is our view from the top of the hill above the theater. Few cities offer live entertainment while hiking.
So, weekends are still fabulous, and weekdays are still just okay. It's quite a difference switching from a school designed to support students who have dropped out and want a second chance, to a school where many students are at-risk of dropping out for the first time. I see the mounting factors - the unexcused absences, unfinished work, shrugging of shoulders - and I know where it leads, but I don't know how to stop it. Big high schools have so many perks, and the successful students thrive with all the extracurricular activities and sports and electives. But I miss the close relationships from my little school, and all the support and time I used to be able to give my struggling students.
Next weekend I will go to my first homecoming game of my life. I don't know if I'm cut out for a huge, traditional high school - I certainly wasn't when I was a teen - but I'm trying to make it work.
Love from Reno!
