Day 4: November 6, 2018 Back to Cali Comment via blog

Prev Next

This Carpeteria Genie is a younger and smaller version of the big guys I'm used to seeing at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati. The store it advertised opened in 1980.

In Reno proper, I got photos of the big Greek columns, along with the current and original arch.

This is an important place and there's an important thing in that cage. One sign explains the importance of the place while another explains the importance of the thing. Although it's not exactly on the Highway, the Lincoln Highway Centennial tour group stopped here in 2013. At that time, the historic cast iron obelisk was surrounded only by some rather beat up wire fence. Now it is protected by a nice steel enclosure and a matching fence marks the Nevada-California boundary.

This is perhaps an even more important place. The layers of history at Donner Pass, particularly transportation history, is phenomenal. One of newer layers fills this panel. This bridge is the first ever built with a compound curve on a grade. That was in 1926. I'd already passed the bike rider twice before taking these pictures and I would pass him one more time after. I first passed him shortly before pulling to take the first picture of the bridge. He pedaled past while I was stopped, but I would overtake him in short order for the second pass. I snapped the first picture of him while I stood at the bridge and watched his steady climb. He crossed the bridge himself after I'd moved to a pull-off nearer the summit. He did not pause once during all that time but maintained a slow steady pace to the top.

The first railroad underpass, called a subway, was built here in 1914. The second picture shows it in context with the old road leading up to it. China Wall, built by Chinese laborers to fill in a ravine is shown in the third picture, and in the next it is shown in context with tunnels. The last two pictures show a different view of the subway and road and a look back at the lake.

A sign for Old 40 Bar and Grill caught my eye and I decided it was time for a break. As I chatted with the bartender, she suggested I might be interested in the dirt road leading to "the meadow". I was, and followed her directions to take a look at something different. The road goes through Tahoe National Forest and carries the name Old Donner Summit Road for part of its length.

I stopped briefly at Cisco Grove where things looked pretty much the same as in 2013.

This was my only bear sighting of the trip. I saw the mom and three cubs crossing Norton Grade Road and snapped a quick picture from a distance. Even though they paused briefly to look my way, they quickly disappeared into the trees.

Not long after going through this 1928 underpass, I reached a dead end. The official online LH map shows this properly but Garmin allowed me to route right through it. It was late enough in the afternoon that I decided not to sort out connecting with the next LH segment and simply climbed onto I-80 for the few remaining miles to Auburn.

[Prev] [Site Home] [Trip Home] [Contact] [Next]

democrat