On the tenth day of the road trip, I visited two state capitols; Sacramento, CA, and Carson City, NV. From Lake Tahoe, I descended from the mountains into the desert. Carson City is unique to the state capitols I’ve visited – it’s separated into two different buildings—with the state supreme court between them.
From Interstate 80, I turned south on California State Route 89 to Tahoe City. Along the way I passed Palisades Tahoe Resort– home of the 1960 winter Olympics. I’m not much of a skier so I didn’t stop.
I skirted Lake Tahoe to the north. I’ll not try to describe the natural beauty – I’ll let my poor photography do that. But one thing that I saw that I can describe easily: After crossing the state line – over 40 cars, trucks, SUVs with California license plates—waiting in line to buy fuel in Nevada.
In the spring of 1846, another road trip started in Missouri. That year almost 500 wagons departed Independence for the far west of California and Oregon. At the end of that “train” were nine wagons that belonged to the Reed and Donner families. Their journey, plagued from the start, seemed doomed to end in tragedy. I’ll not chronicle the trials that befell the group and only say that in November of 1846, 87 – 90 members (depending on whose account you read) of the party became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada. Forty-seven survived.
Into the sunrise of day 10 of the road trip, I ventured to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Coloma, CA. In January 1848, James Marshall, hired to build the sawmill on the American River, found gold. Marshall died broke in 1878.
On Day 10 of the road trip – I left San Francisco on I-80 arrived at the state capitol in Sacramento at the first light of dawn. I only spent enough time in Sacramento to add the capitol building to my capital collection. The building was being renovated at the time.
I arrived in San Francisco the evening of the fifth day of my road trip. For the next three days and four nights, I stayed in San Francisco. I attended a conference and took in as many sites around the city as I could.
The Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Warf, China Town, to name three places I visited. And that only scratches the surface of what I saw and what was left unseen. I had a great time and look forward to my next visit.
On the fifth day of the road trip, I drove north from Santa Cruz on California State Route 1. I ended day five of the road trip in San Francisco. Along the Cabrillo Highway section of Route 1, I stopped at Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park, Pescadero, CA.
My Father served in the U.S. Army in the late 1960s. For a brief time, he was stationed at the now-decommissioned Fort Ord, California. What was the first thing my dad did upon arrival at his new post? He went AWOL – so that he could see the Pacific Ocean.
On the fifth day of my road trip, after calling on General Sherman and General Grant, I descended to sea-level—finding my way to the coast—not far from where my dad got his first view of the Pacific. I worked my way north and west and stopped at Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz, CA.
My study of the United States Civil War is a strong influence on many aspects of my life. Among my heroes, you will find the names; Lincoln, Grant, and Sherman. Prior to the Civil War, both Grant and Sherman served in the west. On this trip, I listened to Memoirs of General William T. Sherman. So naturally, when in the Sequoya National Forest, I visited both Grant’s and Sherman’s namesake trees.
Recently, General Sherman, the world’s largest tree (by mass), was in the news. Firefighters wrapped the base in aluminized blankets to protect the tree from wildfires.
Day four of my road trip had many ups and downs. According to Wikipedia, Henderson, NV (where my day started) is 1867 feet above sea level. Badwater Basin is 282 feet below sea level. Vasquez Rocks is 2500 above. Santa Clarita – 1207 feet above. Bakersfield – 404 feet above. And finally, Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park (where my day ended) – 7200 feet above.
My room at the Waksachi lodge was down a flight of stairs. With gravity assist going down the stairs wasn’t a problem. But, those same stairs would also have to be climbed. On my way to my room, I met a group of people in the hallway. Smiles and nods were exchanged, but nothing said.
I dropped my gear off in my room and retraced my path to the stairs. I’m far from being physically fit, but I managed to make it to the top of the stairs without having to take a break. And there, gasping, I joined the group I’d met in the hall. They were also catching their breath.
In their group was an older fellow with silver hair. He was bent over with his palms on his knees. He looked up, smiled, and asked, “Where you from?” Taking a deep breath, I answered, “Four hundred feet above sea level.”
