Nomad Life - Day 93

This morning started like all the other work days while I've been living in the Pacific Time Zone - I was up at 0430 (alarm needed) and started teleworking.  I had lots of meetings and phone calls initially but there was a break at 0830.  I headed to the gym (the pool was still closed) and rode stationary bike for 20 minutes (4.55 miles) and then used my Starbucks gift card to get some late breakfast (ham and Swiss baguette) at 0915.  After that, I went back to teleworking and continued with that until noon.  From my room, I could see Lake Tahoe (behind the Golden Nugget tower) and noticed white capped mountains beyond the water.  I could also see lots of birds from my window and my curiosity was aroused by observing buses driving near the hotel - I wondered where they went.  One of the big downers of my entire day was that I had to make a lot of travel reservations for an upcoming trip to DC (first week of December) - I'm not a fan of interrupting Nomad Life right now...  Meanwhile, back to the present, I consoled myself that the main reason I was in the area was to attend a Holiday Inn Club Vacations "sales pitch".  In fact, I was staying at the Bally's with their discount - that motivated me to stay focused on the potential for additional good things that might come from the kind of time share Holiday Inn Club Vacations touts.  My "interview" was scheduled for 1330 today and, since it was going to take place at the nearby Tahoe Ridge Resort, I figured I could work until about 1300.  Before that, though, I got a call that it would be possible for me to arrive earlier.  As a result, I headed out of my room at 1215 and drove the five miles to the Preview Center.  The weather above 7500, where the Tahoe Ridge Resort was located, was very nasty (foggy, cold, snow on all the roads).  At one point, I noticed a sign that was talking about Carson River Watershed and realized I had crossed the ridge...  I arrived at my destination by 1230 and was able to meet with my sales representative (Thomas) within 10 minutes.  There were snacks and drinks and I made the best of missing lunch.  The sales pitch was supposed to take two hours and I wasn't committed to buying anything.  However, the opportunity to get a few more perks (free nights and discounts at some fancy reports) made me stay beyond the planned ending (1430).  Instead, I asked lots of questions and negotiated with the staff until, by 1530, I'd decided to buy an introductory package.  While waiting for the paperwork to be completed, I got my rewards (on top of the hotel nights at Bally's): a cash gift, 20K IHG bonus rewards and a cruise offer from Holiday Inn Club Vacations.  Frustratingly, though, I ended up having to wait for almost two more hours to finish up the paperwork.  The lady (Desiree) working with me and Thomas was very organized and thorough - I did appreciate this but wished I'd anticipated the longer delay.  In the end, too, the paperwork was very extensive and I realized very soon that I'd never get back to the hotel or Lake Tahoe before dark.  This irritated me a bit because I'd hoped to get some outdoor walking.  That was not to be and I finally left the Resort at 1715.  I was able to see lights in the Carson River Valley below the Tahoe Ridge Resort - amazingly good visibility after a few days of nasty weather...  Unfortunately, I got a call shortly after I'd driven away (1720) that Desiree needed me to come back to sign another page. Reluctantly, I retraced my route - along the way, I had to go back above 7000 feet and into the clouds again.  Once all the paperwork was signed, I was on my way again (1745) and I reached my hotel just before 1800.  There was some kind of event going on at Bally's so I had to park much higher in the garage (Level 4) than I had the day before.  On the way to my room, I thought I might be able to make food there - when I was already salivating over the dinner I'd prepare, I realized I didn't have a microwave.  In the end, I decided to skip dinner.  Later, when I thought about it, I recalled that I only had snacks all day.  With food (mostly) out of my mind, I finished the last remnants of my telework day requirements and then shifted to watching the Mandalorian Season 3.  Later, I caught up on finances, blogs, eBird entries and other paperwork.  Since I hadn't gotten anywhere close to 10K steps for the day, I headed out of my room again at 2000.  To accomplish my goal, I spent time walking around inside the Bally's Casino - it took me quite a while but I was satisfied with my step count by the time I returned to my room.  To wrap up my day, I watched movies until bed time (2215).  I've got a brand new "Timeshare" and can't wait to try it out - hopefully, it will led some additional fun to my Nomad Life and, even better, to the vacation time with my daughters!