Donner Lake Kitchen

On August 4, 2023, I wrote that we had been camping at Donner Lake for a few days. I woke at 7am that morning in my bag sleeping on a tarp beneath the stars. However, I was lazy until nine because we really had no plans.

I cooperatively got the boys out of their tent, I made them some mush. They had never really been enthusiastic about it. Once again the neighbor, she was from Carson City, walked through our campsite. I noted that she liked to chat.

We washed up and put on sunscreen before walking to the boat rentals. I got us a paddle boat and we rode out to the dog park. I noted that the Private Beach Club Marina had gated off the good beach. I also noted that the rest of the lake side neighborhoods were private so it was hard to identify a spot on that side of the lake to moor the boat. I was also a bit worried about leaving the paddleboat.

Meanwhile, as we walked to our destination, Donner Lake Kitchen, I realized the trip was going to take a while. It was 15 minutes to the restaurant and they were about to close. When we finally made it the staff took our order but we had to wait awhile to eat. I ended up pleased with the experience given the effusive waitress and the pictures of Donner Pass everywhere.

When we were finished eating, we stopped at the corner store for beverages, and I got the boys some water cannons. We had to walk on the highway for a bit in our return to the boat. I was worried the gate through The Beach Club parking lot was locked but the boys got it open easily enough. We found the paddle boat just fine.

As we paddled the boat back to the boat launch my intention was to go swimming off of the boat but we basically ran out of time. Likewise, the current in the lake was compounded by the wind and waves to make the experience frantic. The boys could only pedal so much and at this point I had to manage a beer too.
After floating around the lake with the boys, we returned to the boat ramp. We saw a train go by up on Schallenberger Ridge from the boat dock. It was headed east. I was happy to get out of the boat. By the time we headed for the campsite, my sister had texted and when we got to the campsite we found her setting up her tent.

I was a bit tired, but wanted to go swimming. The boys suggested we just go, so we left and my sister agreed to meet us later. I took us to the lake outlet and we jumped in. I found the rock I had been sitting on the day before. The boys didn’t want to get in but joined me because they had water cannon. I noted that the swimming was better than the previous day because it was earlier in the day.

While we sat on the rock, we watched two ladies and their kids. When my sister showed up, we sat across from the rock where I had been enjoying the sun. The boys and I messed with the kids swimming nearby. The youngest was five and kept spraying us but the boys had cannons.

There were a couple girls he was antagonizing as well. We learned a bit later that my sister knew their mother as they were all from the same neighborhood in Reno.

We walked back a bit later and I got us settled into the campsite. We ate the Mexican food my sister had brought. Later we roasted marshmallows on the butane stove. When the boys finally got in their tent, I was able to chat with my sister for a bit and have a beer.

As I was writing up my day, Amtrak sent me a text saying that the train we had booked for the next day was 2 1/2 hours late.

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.