Day 8: Lake Tahoe, California to San Jose, California

 Sunrise shot from the motel window. The lake is just visible behind the pines.

We started our travel day with a short hike to spectacular views. Even in pristine Lake Tahoe the smoke from the fires ravaging California left their mark. Views were hazy, there was a smoky smell and, when we came back down from the hike to Eagle Rock, ash particles were visible on our silver rental car. Driving through an area with spectacular mountain views, hazy smoke was everywhere.

The drive though the East Bay en route to San Jose was sepia-toned by smoke and haze.

The "mothball fleet" near Benicia, Ca. was a collection of dozens of retired Navy, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine vessels, originally docked to provide spare parts and be put into service if needed. At its peak it had 340 ships. Now only a few remain. Environmentalists demanded the removal of the ships as many of them were leaking toxins into the bay.

Greg's family used to vacation at Lake Tahoe when he was a boy, so we stopped by the Nut Tree, which had been their traditional stopping place on the way. It's changed quite a bit, but we were able to get a delicious chocolate milkshake from Fenton's Creamery and to snap some pictures of the places he remembered, albeit changed by time and Covid restrictions.

Our journey across the country has provided many surprising moments, but neither of us expected to see a downtown San Jose so transformed by Covid and the impact of the fires. It's like being in a ghost town. The Fairmount Hotel, where we're staying, is nearly empty. Our temperatures were taken and hand sanitizer applied before we borrowed a luggage cart to fetch our things. The elevator whisked us up efficiently (the sanitizer dispenser on the elevator wall the only visible change) but when we got out on the 10th floor there was no one in sight, long empty hallways and no sound from any room. 

The view from our room is still nice, but the streets -- even from this height -- look eerily empty.

When we got to our room, we started our normal procedure -- spraying every surface with disinfectant, wiping every doorknob, light switch, faucet and toilet handle. We strip the bed of its cover and use our own blankets and pillows. 

Before picking up some take-out food for a late dinner in the room, we took a drive to the neighborhood Greg grew up in. His elementary school was much changed, but recognizable. 

The house below was 2 houses down from Greg's boyhood home. It's in pretty bad shape, as you can see, but when we checked it out online we discovered that the selling price is $1.2 million. Go figure.

Here's our progress on the map. We drove across the country -- from Vermont to California -- in seven days. Whew! We're here in San Jose for the next few days and, as of now, the Niner game is expected to go on as scheduled. But, with concerns about air quality . . . who knows.