The Donner Experience

When I left my pit stop at Merced, CA this morning and headed north, I got caught in a traffic backup due to an accident on the highway. After bearing with it for about 15 minutes, I asked my GPS to find another route to Modesto and got off at the next exit. I did a little shopping at a nice specialty food store called Rodin's Ranch Farmers' Market, then continued on to Truckee, CA. Rather than travel on the interstate over Donner Pass, I elected to take the scenic route on Old Donner Pass Road. There was still snow on the ground, which made for very pretty pictures. I stopped at a viewpoint and looked up at Donner Peak and down at Donner Lake.

Behind me was School Rock...but not School of Rock. Afterward, I drove over the Donner Summit Bridge, originally built in 1925 and restored in 1995.

Down in the town of Truckee, I visited the Donner Memorial State Park Visitor Center. The last time I dropped by the site back in 2008, there was only the memorial statue present. The visitor center has exhibits that tell the story of the ill-fated Donner Party which became trapped at the pass by winter conditions. There were some examples of relics found at the original camp sites, including this tiny salt dish.

Of the 87 people in the group, 48 survived...some by resorting to cannibalism. If you want to read the definitive guide to the Donner Party story, I highly recommend the book, Ordeal By Hunger written by George R. Stewart. I got a used paperback back when I was in college, and I still have it! While I was taking photos of the memorial statue representing the pioneers who made the trek through the Sierra Nevadas, I noticed some golden mantled ground squirrels running around. I took a pic of one particularly well fed specimen.

Tomorrow is my last official day of my road trip...at least the sightseeing part of it. The weather forecast looks perfect for some bird watching! Afterwards, I'll be spending a couple of days with family before heading back to Bellingham.