Mountains, Valleys and Clear Blue Skies

It's sometimes hard to keep up with all of my husband's friend's all over the country, and all the stories he loves to tell about them. I've been very fortunate to grow so close with a lot of the people Mike went to high school and college with, since they are also East Coast residents, but Mike's childhood in San Francisco is something that he holds very dear to his heart.  Sadly, it's also become very hard to make it all the way out West with our recent travels and schedules; so these are the people I have spent the least amount of time with since I've been with Mike.

While it may be hard to not see everyone as frequently as we'd like, it really is a true blessing that Mike and I have friends  in various states all over the country.  I appreciated that reality much more this weekend after an epic trip out to California to watch one of Mike's buddies from grammar school tie the knot in the beautiful Sierra Nevada.  Brad & Grace got married in Cromberg, California, a remote town surrounded by Ponderosa Pines, Juniper trees and mountain flowers for as far as the eye can see.  With our visits out West being somewhat limited these days, Mike and I made a trip out of the 3,000 mile trek across the country and got out to California on Thursday with plenty of time to make ourselves at home at the Chalet View Lodge in Maybe, California.  Yes...that's ACTUALLY the name of the tiny town we stayed in for the weekend.


Mike had ants in his pants as soon as we arrived.  The excitement of seeing so many friends that he had grown up with in San Francisco was absolutely overwhelming.  So it wasn't long before we kicked off the wedding weekend at the local brewery to get an advanced tasting of the local beers that would become the nectar of the festivities for the whole weekend.

I was immediately transported out of the concrete jungle and into the throngs of nature while sipping home brewed beer from a mason jar in the mountains! My laptop and blackberry were the furthest thing from my mind as we chilled on homemade wooden picnic tables and the breeze blew through the Juniper trees.  With each person that arrived at the brewery, Mike grew more and more elated and the tales of childhood and teenage debauchery ensued.

One of the great things about heading out a few days early for the wedding weekend, was that we had Friday to ourselves to explore what Plumas County, California had to offer.  We had a relaxing morning of breakfast overlooking the golf course, grazing deer sightings, and a bit of canoeing in the local pond all before the festive Hawaiian themed rehearsal dinner.


The day of the wedding was one of the most perfect days of 2012.  All of the wedding attendees were invited on a 4 mile hike to some of the most beautiful lakes in the Gold Lake region.  There were about 30 people from all ages (we even had a few brave pups with us) caravaning to our hiking destination on a beautiful summer-y August day.

To say that this was the most breathtaking hike I'd ever been on would be an understatement.  The views were amazing at every stop, and we passed through three different lakes on our journey to the water basin.  After 1.5 miles in 90 degree heat with the sun beaming on our backs, a spontaneous jump in the freezing lake was beyond refreshing (and an immediate hangover killer might I add).  We didn't all do the complete 4 miles, as it was a bit aggressive after a long night of karaoke & beer bongs, but it was the perfect outing to start Brad & Grace's wedding day and spend some quality time with some of Mike's favorite people from his childhood. 

The Goya's had a gorgeous ceremony.  Not only was the setting incredible, nestled along the railroad tracks and encircled by nature at it's finest, but the traditions and readings were so unique just to them that it had to make your heart smile.  It was a gorgeous and intimate blend of the rich cultural backgrounds that each of them have.  Surrounded by hundreds of paper cranes blowing in the wind, they exchanged leis, had Hawaiian music, and each of the readings was carefully selected and had special significance to the new husband and wife.  It was a stunning sight.

I had been looking forward to this trip for a while.  Not only to get a retreat from the crazy city life that we live, but to meet and spend time with the people who mean so much to Mike.  Yes, we may have stood out a little bit when we were the only ones hiking without camel packs, backpacks, and a stash of nuts & granola.  And I probably brought two too many pairs of heels that were not realistic for the environment where we spent the weekend. And we rented a ridiculous Camero for our drive to the mountains only to be surrounded by a barrage of environmentally friendly Priuses.  And my mani/pedi didn't really stand up to the climbing and swimming of our mountain lake hike.  But it was an incredible trip and 3 days in the Sierra Nevada proved to remind these two city kids in the beauty of nature and the value in lifelong friendships.

It takes a lot of loyalty to maintain friendships from grammar school and across the country for upwards of 25 years.  After a weekend surrounded by people who have known my husband his whole life, I was overwhelmed by how truly genuine everyone is and how much they all love each other and embrace anyone who joins their circle of friends by way of marriage.  It was absolutely refreshing.  Congratulations Brad & Grace and here is to many more trips out west to spend more time with friends old & new!