Lake Tahoe

Truckee, California

We rolled into Truckee, California, just past noon and grabbed a table at The American Bar downtown. Great burger—expensive, but worth it for the atmosphere. After lunch, we wandered through the old railroad town, snapping photos of historic storefronts, weathered brick, and the Union Pacific line cutting through the heart of town.

From there we drove toward Donner Pass, Donner Memorial State Park, and Rainbow Bridge, tracing the route of both tragedy and triumph. At one overlook, five midlife motorcyclists in neon racing leathers were admiring the view before revving their engines and carving down the switchbacks. I looked at Alan and laughed. “Guess their retirement plan’s a little crazier than ours.”

That night we stayed at the Inn at Truckee—not fancy, but clean, affordable, and blessedly equipped with laundry machines, which by this point in the trip felt like luxury.

We were on the road early, reaching Lake Tahoe around 10 a.m.—and immediately discovering that parking for a Sprinter van in high season is basically a competitive sport. After circling for what felt like forever, we finally squeezed into a spot at the Emerald Bay Overlook, rewarded with jaw-dropping views: turquoise water framed by granite cliffs and the tiny Fannette Island shimmering in the sunlight.

From there, the drive south along CA-89 traced the ridgeline above the lake—tight turns, towering pines, and constant glimpses of blue. We looped around to South Lake Tahoe, where the scene shifted from nature to neon as we crossed into Stateline, Nevada, and its lineup of casinos and resort towers. There was great Wi-Fi so I submitted my online application for a Half Dome permit—the legendary climb after Yosemite’s Mist Trail. As I hit “submit,” Alan looked up from the map. “Next stop?” he asked.
“Lee Vining and Tioga Pass,” I said. “The northeast gateway to Yosemite National Park.”

Our adventure was far from over.