In Tahoe, long a bucket list item for us, we set our base of operations away from Lake Tahoe in the Northstar Resort courtesy of 3rd Home and friends. Truckee offers nature and water, but mostly hiking.
San Carlos
To get there, first, we hung out and trekked San Carlos, a small city between San Francisco and San Jose, at the base of the San Mateo bridge. San Carlos doesn't suffer from the density and homeless issues of San Francisco but does have the explosive housing costs driven by the tech industry. So far, the exodus based on work from home has not affected San Carlos the way it affected San Francisco. Some stores are closed, but in general Main Street is vibrant. In fact, the new trend of closed streets and restaurants spilling across sidewalks and onto the streets is de rigueur.
Tahoe and the hikes
While in Tahoe we stumbled upon what has to now be my favorite coffee - San Francisco Bay Roasting Company French Roast. It's amazingly affordable, and the French Roast is light enough to serve as sipping coffee but dark enough and full-bodied enough to use as an espresso roast. I always have some in stock, and the travel version (in K-Cups or single-cup pods) works great for a short road trip.
