Sutter Creek and Hope Valley

When I think of road trips with kids my mind automatically jumps to scenes of kids screaming "are we there yet?" while kicking the back of your seat for 4 hours straight. Not exactly a winning campaign message for family road trips. I remember a particular trip with our first child when she was 8 months old that involved a 4 hour drive to visit her new cousin. It was horrible. She cried for the majority of the way there and back. I think our biggest mistake was thinking we could make a 4 hour drive without stopping, and then thinking we could make the drive back home on that very same day (looking back it seems like an obvious mistake...what were we thinking?). Thankfully, we have come a long way since that first trip. So far in fact, that our drives to and from our destinations are turning out to be just as much fun as the destination itself!

Weekend Getaway: Truckee, CA

The first time Truckee landed on my radar was about a year ago when I overheard someone I work with say that she always stays in Truckee when their family goes skiing at Northstar. Truckee? Really? I had never really given much thought to this small town that you pass by on the way to North Lake Tahoe. After doing a little research, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that what I had always assumed was nothing more than a place to fill up on gas, was actually a charming place to settle down for the weekend. It didn't make Sunset Magazine's Top 10 ski-towns in the West without reason.

Nevada City Family Retreat

I was introduced to the Nevada City area this past Spring when a close friend of mine got married in Grass Valley (about 4 miles from Nevada City). I had never been to either towns and was immediately drawn in by the charm and beauty of the area.  When we needed a spot for a holiday weekend away with my family, I jumped at the chance to return to Nevada City! (Just a side-note...the pictures were taken with my iphone, before I got my nice new camera...so they really don't do the scenery justice)