All good things must come to an end and Julie and I knew our northern summer in the western US was on it’s sunset days. But first we had time for more fun in the sun, great walks in the mountains and a very special birthday celebration. And of course it all happened at Tahoe.

The highlight of our entire three month trip to the US was to celebrate my mother’s 90th birthday, a milestone she hit at full speed, as only Mommo can. On her actual birthday we took her out to lunch at a nearby restaurant and raised our glass to all she had done and all she had done for us.

Over the course of the next week family members started to arrive at Tahoe and the crowd got bigger and bigger. We were also visited by my good Aussie mate Chook, his wife Margaret and some of their extended family who were coincidentally passing through the area. That was good fun!

There was time for more splashing in the clear blue waters of Tahoe and to enjoy a few hikes in the mountains that surround this beautiful lake, including sections of the Tahoe Rim Trail, a 165 mile (265 kilometre) walking trail that circumnavigates the lake. Luckily our red blood cells were at maximum capacity to help us as we huffed and puffed along sections of this scenic trail.

Finally the big day came when four generations of the whole mob gathered to surround my Mom with love and thanks. We can all aspire to such a full, rewarding and loving life.

Sometime after the last piece of chocolate cake we reluctantly packed up and headed back down to Salinas where Tramp went back into storage for another northern winter and we trudged back to Australia. We’ve had a fantastic journey through six states, visited amazing places, met wonderful people and had extensive quality time with our American family. And next year we plan to do it all again with plans to explore further afield…much further afield.