Off the Topic - Vacation in Lake Tahoe

“If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen.”
Henry David Thoreau

In this post you won't find a tip on Autodesk Inventor or a rendering in Autodesk Showcase.

So this week if you're looking for the usual CAD tip or video, that's not to be found here.  I'm going "off topic" today.

Those of you who follow my Twitter account have probably noticed that I'm on vacation in Lake Tahoe this week.   It's the longest vacation I've taken in about five years.  It's been a much needed rest and recuperation.

Between work, volunteering at Planes of Fame, and maintaining Inventor Tales, I have much of my week planned.  While I enjoy them all, during a hectic week, I might only have a portion of Sunday to "not do a thing".   So when I came up to Tahoe, I decided my plan was to "not have a plan", and simply enjoy my days as they came, and not rush to cram in as much as I could.

I made a point of bringing up my bike, and so far, I've ridden about 30-40 miles around South Lake Tahoe.

My truck and bike

It's been well worth it.   Cycling around, I've been able to stop and see things I never would have noticed at 50MPH in a car.  Slow down and smell the roses, so to speak.

Cold Creek.  I only saw this while pausing on a bridge.  Something I would have passed if I hadn't ridden my mountain bike

Another view that never would have been seen by speeding car.

So what's the point.  Why put this in my blog post here?

Perhaps there is no point.  But I've had a chance to see things from a different perspective, meet some great new people, and clear my cobwebs, so to speak.

And cruising a bike path on a gorgeous day is a great way to clear cobwebs!

So in our fast pace world of CAD, Digital Prototyping, 3D Printing, and so on.  Slow down and enjoy things  once in a while.  You never know what you might see out there that will give you some inspiration!

Sometimes the best thing you can do with a situation, is walk away from it for a while.  This week off has given me a chance to come back to my tasks with a new energy.  

And after putting the bike back on it's rack, I feel the urge to map the suspension of my mountain bike has made me a bit curious.  Perhaps I'll map it in Autodesk Force Effect...

How do you unwind from the pressures of your day job.  Feel free to drop a comment.