We reach Susanville, CA around 2:00 and are greeted by Emily's dad (David), aunt (Allison), and her sister (Laurie). Predictably, there's very little to do in the town itself, so everyone eats a fast lunch before piling into David's car and heading toward the mountains. We're technically driving to Emerald Lake to swim, but Laurie is more excited about one of the small towns we're going to pass through. It's called Chester, and it happens to be Chuck Norris' hometown.
The owner of a local convenience store says she knows where Norris' house is located, but the map she draws for us is pretty poor and we end up getting lost. It is with great reluctance that Laurie allows her Dad to cancel the search for Norris, and we reach Emerald Lake after half an hour. It's a pretty area with crystal clear water and no one else in sight. One problem, though: the water is cold. Like... ludicrously cold.
"This lake was frozen over," notes David, preparing to get in. "Probably just a few weeks ago, in fact." Then he slides into the water, swims a few strokes, and mutters, "Ooh, that's brisk," before swimming out of earshot. Emily, Laurie, and Allison all follow him, leading me to believe that the Kraft family must share a cold-resistant gene or something.
I stay on the shore, my bathing suit on, my teeth chattering. I step into the lake. This is the kind of water that creates icebergs and sinks ships like the Titanic, but I'm really hoping to some in-law points here.
Emily assures me that things get better the more you swim, and she's right. I'm numb after a few minutes, and the lake ends up being sort of refreshing. Afterward, we pass through Chester and eat at Maria's Mexican restaurant, where the waitress does not ask for my ID until I've already consumed the magarita she served me. Weird. Things are crazy in Chuck Norris' hometown.
- Andrew
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