Most weekends start for Lori and I the same as they do for most families that are not tied to weekly obligations – “What do you want to do this weekend?” As normal, I never have any idea, but, as I mentioned in an earlier blog post, I appointed Lori as the relationship cruise director – and she has not failed.
Last week, we lined up two activities. Saturday we were going to find a new restaurant, which we did.
Silver Peak Restaurant and Brewery. Loved this place! Nestled just outside of downtown, surrounded by apartments and other businesses. The restaurant is just off the main thoroughfare of Virginia Street. We saw it on a prior trip and made a mental note to come back. This place has a relaxed atmosphere that made a Saturday afternoon enjoyable. The rooftop eating area is perfect for possible live music and the comfort level on this day was topped off with the Grateful Dead soundtrack in the background.
Our server, James, was on-point with his recommendation of wine and easy conversation.
The food was perfect for a light meal. It felt as if we were on our own patio at home. Just a great place to relax and pass the day.
I see return trips in the future.
Sunday, we drove up to Squaw Valley near Lake Tahoe. This is where the 1960 Winter Olympics were held. Our event today: spectate the Spartan World Championship races.
We are fans of American Ninja Warrior and have watched the Spartan races on tv, but this was crazy.
We left home at 7 a.m. and arrived about 8 a.m., found our parking spot and got mentally ready for what we were going to experience. I forgot to mention that it was 48 degrees and had 60 mph wind gusts, also a chance of snow.
What we saw was waves of participants, at least 200 per wave, lining up and getting whipped into a competitive frenzy for what was ahead of them.
The photo on the left is from behind the finish line, the photo on the right shows the hype guy doing his thing. from in front of the finish line – imagine 200 people yelling “I am a Spartan!”
There were at least 20 obstacles and up to 50 depending on which race you were running. The 50 was scheduled to take 10 hours, “so make sure you have a head lamp”; strength tests, balance, and water obstacles. And lots and lots of running…and burpees. If you are unable to complete an obstacle, you have to do 30 burpees.
The photo on the left is a Spartan going under the dunk wall. The photo on the right is the next to last obstacle and some burpee-ers.
We purchased our tickets with an included tram pass to the upper mountain, so we could get a good look at the obstacles on the way up. However, a morning test run put a hold on the tram for the day. The 60 mph gusts at the top were causing the tram to hit the support towers. Good thing for test runs.
The benefit of spectating is just that. We had a nice meal and cocktails in the warmth of a cozy restaurant and enjoyed watching the events at a much less stressful pace. These men and women are real athletes (all ages, and all body types – including at least 1 man who was missing an arm and another who we saw coming down the mountain on crutches – oh, and don’t forget the blind Spartan – Lori).
We watched the clouds roll in and decided to get down the mountain before the weather changed. As we neared home, we could see it was snowing in the mountains. Another successful weekend complete.
-Al
thehouseofm 