Goodbye, South Lake Tahoe

Stay at one place too long, it becomes home. I made a reservation at Econo Lodge in Reno for tomorrow night because I was going to ski Northstar tomorrow morning. Which meant I should be going to Northstar this evening. Instead, I was on automatic pilot on the way back "home" where i was sleeping since I arrived in South Lake Tahoe 10 days ago. 

The parking lot of Tahoe Tube where Tesla chargers were located did become home. And it did feel like coming home whenever I came back after skiing and dinner. 

The sense of home is primeval. We are programmed to put the stake down, raise the family and then die. It's the central piece in Samsara. It's the place you have to leave to liberate yourself.

Leaving, nonetheless, makes you feel wistful, even if it is the home of 10 days, the same way I felt in Colorado in 2021. Back then. I spent only a few days in Divide commuting to Colorado Springs. This time, it's whopping 10 days. 

How about the home of 8 years? On the way to Northstar, I had an impulse to take I-80, the road that would've taken me back home to Sacramento instead of drive through Truckee downtown. The place was only 2 hours away. Yet, I was wistful as if I left there forever. I hope I won't dream about it night after night. That's what I did in 2000 when I left Santa Teresa, the home of 15 years. 

So, I wrapped up South Lake Tahoe by skiing Heavenly for a couple of hours in the afternoon. I'll now ski Northstar for a few days before trekking north to Whistler. I might first have to wait in Reno for snow storm in BC. Whistler got rained out a week ago and its snow is not in the best condition; It needs a fresh coat of powder to make it worthwhile for me to drive North a thousand miles. And Reno is the cheapest place to wait out.