A Tahoe Staycation

A Tahoe workcation

BALANCING WORK AND FUN

BY KATHERINE E. HILL

TOP LEFT: My desk during my workcation with a view of the water and mountains. | Katherine E. Hill BOTTOM LEFT: The Cove East trail. | Katherine E. Hill RIGHT: My workcation headquarters in the Tahoe Keys. | Courtesy RnR Vacation Rentals

As any small business owner knows, you’re never off work. You’re always on call to deal with any issues that may pop up. Text messages from a vendor at 7 a.m., calls from clients at 9 p.m. on a Saturday, a never-ending stream of emails, juggling virtual and in-person meetings. Oh, and then there’s the actual work you need to perform at some point during it all. So, taking a vacation is a bit of a joke. I’ve struggled with finding that balance and discovered that doing a little work on vacation is far less stressful than trying to pack in extra work before leaving on a trip. When I go on vacation, I work in the early morning before anyone else is up, answer essential calls and emails while waiting for lunch to arrive, and send off a few emails in the evening. When RnR Vacation Rentals invited me to stay at one of the properties they manage in South Lake Tahoe to try a workcation, I thought the idea was brilliant. Many of us have been doing this for years – working while on vacation – and many more have joined these ranks as remote working has become a business standard. You can go on vacation and take care of business, too. The concept is simple: book an extended stay in Tahoe of at least a month or longer (I recommend the entire season) and bring your work with you while enjoying time in a vacation destination with your family and friends. Live, work, play. Essentially, you become a local during your stay. I was set up a home in the Tahoe Keys replete with every comfort for a longterm stay and was impressed by the kitchen stocked with every appliance you could need. A dock with boat access was steps away from the back door along with the hot tub. The property also included access to the Tahoe Keys pool and private beach. I settled in and set up for work at the desk with a view of the water, poured a glass of wine and enjoyed the last rays of alpenglow at sunset while birds flew in intricate patterns overhead. As night fell, a chorus of frogs erupted under a star-filled sky. The next morning, I awoke early and explored the neighborhood discovering a cacophony of birds in glorious song along the edge of the Upper Truckee River Marsh only a few blocks away. I reluctantly headed back to the house for a virtual meeting. With a view of the Keys and frolicking birds as my meeting backdrop, I could do worse. Over the next few days, I enjoyed a relaxing and fruitful routine of in-person and virtual meetings intermixed with hikes, meals enjoyed with friends (read my feature on my culinary outings in our Eat & Drink section), time on the beach, calls with clients, shopping, working with our writers and then doing it all again. I also spent more time exploring around the Tahoe Keys then I had ever done before discovering some great nearby things to enjoy. First, the Cove East Trail next to Tahoe Keys Marina is an easy stroll to the beach and you can see one of the large restoration projects underway on the Upper Truckee River Marsh by the California Tahoe Conservancy. It was teeming with birds during my visit and we had the beach almost completely to ourselves. Second, the South Lake Tahoe Bikeway is a true gem. The bikeway provides easy, quick access around South Shore and the off-highway trail with direct access to Camp Richardson, Tallac and Pope Beach was only about a block away. I highly recommend bringing bikes for any trip to Tahoe, but particularly when staying on the South Shore. It really is the best and fastest way to get around. At the end of my time there, I was relaxed and reinvigorated, but I had also gotten a lot of work done. I would have gladly stayed much longer. | rnrvr. com n

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Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Plan Visioning Workshops

Parasol Community Foundation | Incline Village | May 17 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Tune Up Tuesdays

Bijou Community Park | South Lake Tahoe | May 17 & 24 6-7 p.m. Free | tamba.org

Alpine Abundance Parent Cafe

Woodfords Indian Education Center | Markleeville | May 18 5:30-7 p.m. | catalystcomm.org

Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Plan Visioning Workshops

Lake Tahoe Community College | South Lake Tahoe | May 18 11:30-1:30 p.m. | stewardshiptahoe.org

Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Plan Visioning Workshops

LTVA Building | Stateline | May 18 6-8 p.m. | stewardshiptahoe.org

Make & Take

Incline Village Library | Incline Village | May 18 4 p.m. Free | (775) 832-4130, events.washoecountylibrary.us

Puppets with Chris Arth

KidZone Museum | Truckee | May 18 11 a.m. Free | kidzonemuseum.org

Castlerock Workday

Kingsbury North Trailhead | Stateline | May 19-21 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free | tahoerimtrail.org

Bird Watching Field Trips

area venues | South Lake Tahoe | May 20 5:30-8:30 p.m. $75-$ | ltcconnect.com

TAMBA Spring Party

Heavenly Cal Lodge | S.Lake Tahoe | May 20 | tamba.org

Corral Trail volunteer work day

Corral Trailhead | S. Lake Tahoe | May 22 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free | tamba.org

Trash Cleanups

Donner Memorial State Park | Truckee | May 23 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Free | facebook.com

Page Meadows Workday

Page Meadows | Tahoe City | May 25 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free | tahoerimtrail.org

Senior Resource Fair

North Tahoe Event Center | Kings Beach | May 25 10 a.m. | placer.ca.gov