First Kottke, then Rex, now me. I don’t belong in their company, but here is my list of cities that I visited in 2007 with the requirement of one or more nights spent in each place.
Albany, MN*
Upsala, MN*
St. Cloud, MN*
Stillwater, MN*
St. Paul, MN*
Las Vegas, NV*
Onamia, MN*
Appleton, WI
Colorado Springs, CO
Sacramento, CA
Carson City, NV
Grand Rapids, MN
Rochester, MN
San Diego, CA
Long Lake, SD*
Kasson, MN
Chicago, IL
It’s pretty obvious I travel around Minnesota, and west. However, it does not appear that I headed East much in 2007. I am confident 2008 will be different – I’ve already got trips planned to Bloomington, IN and Nashville, TN. I’m sure work will mix in a number of other trips. Let the good times roll!
Update: Those cities marked with an * indicate multiple stays on non-consecutive nights.
Today, I made my journey from Carson City, NV to Sacramento, CA. As I traversed around the east side of Lake Tahoe and upwards into Truckee, I was amazed at the elevation. The views as I moved up farther into the mountains, although not as majestic as Lake Tahoe, where stunning. I eventually found my way to I-80 and headed west to Sacramento. As I was traveling, I came upon a road sign for “Donner Pass Road” – I could not resist. My GPS was beeping that I had taken a wrong turn, but I knew I was on the right road! This little windy road was “the historic Lincoln Highway, the first road across America (later U.S. Route 40 and now named Donner Pass Road), that crosses Donner Pass.” In fact, Donner Pass Road eventually connected back up with I-80. So, if you are in the area and looking for a scenic detour from the mundane four lane freeway, take the exit marked Donner Pass Road – you will be glad you did!
Donner Pass Road, as you would imagine, takes you right over the true Donner Pass. A marker on the side of the road reveals this interesting information:
Six of the wagons were left in the charge of two men, and young Moses Schallenberger, near Truckee Lake (presently Donner Lake). Near this spot, with two feet of snow on the ground, they worked the remaining five wagons across the summit of the mighty Sierra Nevada on November 25, 1844.
It marvels me that I stood in nearly the same spot where over 150 years ago, pioneers pushed their way through two feet of snow over the very peak on which I was standing. What amazes me is that they traveled by wagon over some very rough terrain. Even by car, the Donner Pass Road is a windy sometimes very narrow road with steep drop-offs. Imagine traveling by wagon over a mountain that is not level in any direction. At least in a car, the right to left is mostly level when compared to the surrounding terrain. In a wagon, there could have been no easy method to traverse the pass. After the jump, a few photos for your enjoyment.
Today, I’ve got an auction in Carson City, NV. The auction starts at 10am and has only 300 lots. We should be done by 2pm. That means, I’ll have an afternoon commute to Sacramento. The drive to Sacramento is over the Sierra Nevada Mountains and promises to have some spectacular views. I’m hoping I get out of the auction site with some daylight left. Otherwise, it’s going to be a picture free drive. On the drive, I’ll pass within a few miles of where the Donner Party passed through or, rather, attempted to pass through the mountains. I’m looking forward to the trip, and I’m hoping I’ve got some daylight so I can get some cool mountain photos.
