An eventful week took me to Carson City, Nevada, and the town where I grew up, for my friend’s mother’s funeral. I decided to make the most of a sad occasion and ride my newly restored bike.

I bungeed on my bag and filled my hard bags. With me I had brought my:

Purse
Credit cards…Just in case and some cash
Laptop
Ipod, speakers and charger
Cell phone and charger
Clothes, including a dress and sandals
Toiletries
Leatherman tool
Allen wrenches
Water and Gatorade
Chapstick
Swim suit and towel
Down pillow. Gotta have my pillow, sheesh…what a princess.

Leaving Folsom, CA early Monday morning I took Hwy 50 eastbound to Lake Tahoe. After stopping only a few miles up the road in Pollock Pines for a pick-me-up (no not a shot of booze… a large iced coffee!), I got back on the road and was surprised at the amount of traffic for a weekday. The highway was full of motor homes usurping the entire lane and then some of the adjoining lane as well.

The beauty of a motorbike is that you can usually squeeze by in the least amount of space and my 1100 can really move when I need some power. Maneuvering the road was the easy part, dealing with the heat was more difficult. I made a couple of stops, never liberating my camera for those picture moments until the descent into the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Tahoe in background peaking out

View from WPA-built turnout down below Hwy 50

After taking a couple of compulsory "first glimpse of Tahoe" pix, I headed straight to Kiva Beach off Hwy 89, otherwise known as the "dog beach", for some stimulating 55-degree swimming. Now, by dog beach, I do mean canine. It is one of the few beaches where you can officially take your dog friends. I parked my bike next to a shadow-casting motor home and headed to the sandy beach.

I love wearing my vented clothing with merely a swimsuit underneath!! I stay cool for the most part and love the convenience. Gawkers think it rather humorous when a motorbike rider parks, strips and liberates a towel from her bags, then heads directly to the beach. That is exactly what I did. I locked my hard bags and made off for the water.

When settled into the beach, I did my compulsory people watching, chatting with other swimmers and reading. The day was sunny, hot and the beach full of interesting people and their matching pets. Funny how that works… people and their dogs, they do truly look alike.

Kiva Beach

See what I mean?

I left the beach and headed to the store to grab a quick bite and an iced tea and more water. I rode up to Cave Rock, which, when riding west, gives one a first glimpse of the beautiful blue Tahoe water. There is also a vista point where one can walk and see the Lake. The more adventurous can also hike down to the shore from here. Well, I had done my swim…