[Number 4]

I'm thankful for the chance to camp near Loon Lake (6,400 ft elevation) just south of Lake Tahoe last weekend with my wonderful wife in a kozy Keystone trailer pulled by a fine F-250 with two kayaks in the bed. About two weeks ago a ringing began in my right ear along with slight pressure and I was afraid the trip would have to be cancelled once we began climbing into the hills. Luckily the altitude didn't cause inner ear issues and the ringing/pressure went away as mysteriously as it appeared two days after we returned to near sea level. Everything went flawlessly with the trailer, truck, kayaks and weather plus we snagged an awesome campsite surrounded by pine trees and ferns. A fun bonus was the trio of mountain/river otters playing and eating in a nearby small lake where we paddled around. Those 3-day getaways are rare as we're still about 18 months away from retirement so I'm truly thankful for that time.