A Break on Donner Lake

On July 11, 2023, I wrote that I woke on the second day of my Trans-Sierra adventure at 7:30 at my coworker’s house in Truckee, CA. My host had made me a coffee and when I was done drinking it, I started packing. I barely made it out of the house before he and his wife had their first meetings, but we made our goodbyes just fine.

I rode my bike to the Legacy Trail and continued towards downtown Truckee. The ride was impressive as the trail was well made and direct. I stopped at a nearby bike shop to get a tune up. At first it seemed straightforward but when I returned to the shop we concluded that my barrel adjuster and the derailleur cable needed to be replaced. I speculated Amtrak was likely at fault but it didn’t matter at that point. A call to a shop across town sent me on my way.

The ride through downtown was a bit difficult because of the traffic and my maladjusted cables but when I got to the bike shop they told me that they had the supplies to help me out.

I swallowed my nerves and walked to the hardware store and grocery across the freeway and got supplies for my trip. I found a nice hat, batteries, fruit and snacks. Then I got coffee from Starbucks and walked back.

Back at the bike shop they told me that they had fixed the derailer just fine and even gave me a spare cable for my trip! I refilled my water, had some delicious tacos at the local corner store next door, rode the bike around and decided everything was just fine.

At this point it was a bit late in the day and I was a bit concerned about my climb up Lakeview Canyon to the tunnels and onward to Donner Pass. However, my estimates said I had enough time though I would probably miss dinner at the lodge I was staying at that night.

I took the new bike path up Cold Stream and then passed through Donner Campground before taking a break on Donner Lake to get some water. Then I followed South Shore Road and climbed up Red Mountain Road through the neighborhood. Eventually I found a water utility footpath which I had identified while planning the trip. Following it brought me, after a lot of exertion up 100 feet of hillside, to a dirt road headed into Lakeview Canyon.

The road was not in great condition but it was level. Following it I reveled in forests below Shellenberger Ridge and the great views of Donner Lake before eventually finding Lakewood Canyon Road. I had trouble climbing the hills due to the altitude so I took my time and didn’t rush. I crossed two streams before getting to the old transcontinental rail route. I rushed over to the Donner Tunnel at Eder then. Unfortunately, there were no trains coming out of the active tunnel on the UP main line but I still ended up taking a bunch of pictures and video to commemorate the event.

From there I set off for the abandoned tunnels which constitute the original route of the rail line’s Donner Crossing. For some reason, because this was the second or third time I’d been through them, the tunnels seemed shorter, but it was probably because the last time I did the trip I had gone through twice. I noted too that it was probably just because I had taken in so much the first time. Either way, I took photos and tweeted.

At Donner Pass Road I went to the Old 40 Lodge and had a whisky to celebrate. After that, I rode to my lodge. I noted that the cook had just made me a hamburger! For the rest of the evening after I ate I was lazy and drank some of the beer the lodge has on offer. I also chatted with the cook and another staffer for a while.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.