Donner Pass & Old Sacramento

This morning we ended up sleeping in, well Thomas slept in. It was after 11:00pm when we went to sleep last night and Thomas was really tired from his marathon cross country trip of flights and airports. I woke up around 6:30am and took a shower and dressed and then decided to play on the computer. Thomas was up around 8:30am and we were both ready to begin our day at 9:20am.

Donner Lake

From the hotel we took L Street to I5 and then to I80 heading east. On the eastern side of Sacramento we stopped for breakfast at Brookfields Restaurant. We had a delicious breakfast and some good coffee and we were ready for our adventure for the day. We drove on I80 for about an hour and then exited at Soda Springs. Here we took Donner Pass Road which is also know as US40 and Lincoln Highway. We drove this road from Soda Springs to Truckee. It was so beautiful with fantastic views and some interesting places. Of course, this is the area where the Donner Party was stranded for a while and cemented them into the history books. At the beginning of the road you can stop at the Soda Springs General Store or the Donner Summit Historical Society to get information or a snack for the road. There are also lots of information online to help you learn more and enjoy the drive better. Here is a list of online resources . . .

Donner Summit's Old Highway 40
Donner Pass Road Bridge
Old Highway 40 over Donner Summit
Many Crossings of Donner Summit
20 Mile Museum
Donner Summit, An Introduction
Donner Summit
The Lincoln Highway

There is a lot to see along the way: Donner Pass Road Bridge, Donner Memorial State Park, Donner Lake Overlook, Donner Lake and some different side roads that you can explore.

South Yuba River

This was a nice relaxing way to spend part of a Saturday. Along the drive we did stop and find one letterbox - we found LCAB's Bench Warmer at a pullout at the end of the Donner Pass Road Bridge. I stamped in while enjoying the beautiful view of Donner Lake in the distance. After stamping in we continued our drive to Truckee and I80. Here we started our drive back to Sacramento. When we reached Kingvale we exited onto Rainbow Road and drove a short distance to S. Yuba Drive. We parked a short distance up near a small bridge that crossed the South Yuba River. Here we found Canadian Maple ~ Mini Box planted by Captain Slick Kitty and carved by deniserows. This was a fantastic spot - it was so peaceful and beautiful. We enjoyed our short stop here and if you are ever traveling I80 near Kingvale make sure you stop for this box.

Old Sacramento

When we arrived back in Sacramento we made our way to Old Sacramento. The area was really busy and it took us a while to find a parking spot. Then we just went walking. I was here for a short time on Thursday and I had found one letterbox. But there were others but I hadn't figured them out and so I didn't find them. But this morning while Thomas was still sleeping I read through the clues and had that 'aha' moment and knew where three more boxes were. So as we walked we found the spots and looked for the boxes. We found two of the three - Sherlock Holmes on the Trail of the Gypsy Curse and Old Sac Box #2 - Bit O'Heaven both by Da Kool Kats. The box we didn't find is actually missing. The clerk at the store where the box was said that someone came in and asked for it and never returned it. The clue states unknown but the clerk says it is gone so Old Sac Box #3 - Up, Up and Away is missing. After finding boxes and doing some window shopping we decided to grab some dinner before heading back to the hotel. We ended up eating at Ten22. Unfortunately we were disappointed. The place was nice but the meal is already prepared and the just heated up and brought out to you. I am assuming this because the food came out really fast and when I took my first bite of the chicken I had ordered it was cold. I had to send it back mostly because I was worried it wasn't cooked. It came back quickly but at least it was hot. Also I thought that it was too expensive for what we got. Anyway, we did get something to eat and that was good. One thing we noticed while walking around the area was that there was an abundance of candy stores. So we headed over to one to get something to take back to the hotel. After getting snacks for later we walked back to the car and then drove to the hotel. We dropped some things off in the room and then we decided to go for a walk in Capitol Park just across from the hotel.

Well it was a great day and we learned and saw a lot of things and had a wonderful time. But I have to say I am exhausted and looking for a good nights sleep. We have one more day in Sacramento and we haven't made plans yet but I will worry about that tomorrow.