# Juan in Lake Tahoe

Is it possible to find your "favorite place in the whole world" when you are still in your early 20s?  I have pondered this a little bit, because I'm just now really embarking on my lifetime of travels (considering this is the first time in my life that I've made traveling a priority over whatever the heck else I had made a priority financially (expanding my closet...watching a lot of movies...going to every concert I could get into...etc...).  And although I'm excited to start these adventures and see new places....I'm head over heels in love with someplace already.  That's right....I'm having a bit of a love affair....

With Lake Tahoe.

I was just looking through a friend's photo album from his ski trip to Tahoe, and I'm realizing how much in love I am with it and how much I miss it.  I went and lived in South Lake Tahoe, CA for 2 months with Campus Crusade for Christ a couple of summers ago and this was the start of it all.  We lived in this little shanty town of cabins that Crusade owns about a mile from Pope Beach.  Never heard of Pope Beach? 



This is it! 

Anyways, it was an incredible summer....I grew more in my relationship with God in that summer than I have in my whole life and I made some of the most incredible friends ever.  Too bad they all live in California, Boise, North Carolina, New York, Indiana, Kentucky, and every other far reach of this long and drawn out country!  But you can keep in touch with friends....you know what you can't keep in touch with?  Lake Tahoe!  I haven't been back since and I'm thinking that a return trip is in order for this summer!  You should probably consider visiting there as well.....  Why you say?



Into skiing?  Heavenly is world class and probably has the best view you'll be able to find ever.  I had friends that worked on the top of Heavenly and took pictures of happy tourists as a job.  Pretty amazing little office space.



Emerald Bay is in South Lake and was about 15 minutes drive from where I lived!  Summer projects in the past had students try to swim from the shore to the island in the center....apparently with some failed attempts, because we weren't allowed to.  Not that I would.  My floatie wings might pop on the way out there!



Into biking?  Yeah....you should probably go to Tahoe.  They are very environmentally conscious and love the outdoors, so biking is pretty commonplace.  Some friends biked all the way around the lake, and after see how bad of shape they were in that night, I decided that I would never attempt that.  Mollie and I did bike from camp to Heavenly and back again though....with a lunch break at McDonalds!



Beautiful huh?

And for those of you who are a part of my experience in Tahoe....I miss you and you are in my heart!  Dreaming of this place will never get old!