Bear Valley, a rich emerald
green meadow, on the right side of which flows the South Fork of the
Yuba River, and on the left heads Bear Creek, which empties into the
Sacramento at Marysville. Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes are alway
spent here by those who know of this delectable surprise, yet many
come over the road unheeding and are never aware of what they have
missed.

Eight miles beyond Emigrant Gap, at Cisco, one sees a branch road
which leads to the old Meadow Lake Mining District, which in the
'sixties had a population of several thousands. A large town was built
there, which is now totally abandoned.

_Cisco to Summit, 13 Miles_. At Summit a marvelous view is had in
both directions, east and west. Westward the fall of the Sierras into
the Sacramento Valley is apparently so gentle and easy as to lead one
to wonder that he has risen so high, but eastward the descent is
much more steep and abrupt. The rude granite in many places is almost
barren though Sierran trees abound. The grade is easy, and the new
grade and tunnel under the Southern Pacific tracks makes an added
improvement. Almost immediately on emerging from this tunnel the full
glory of the eastern view is forced upon the attention. At one's feet,
apparently, lies the placid surface of Donner Lake, its pure blue
giving one a premonitory foretaste of the richer blues that await him
at Tahoe, while beyond are the mountains that overlook the Great Basin
of Nevada.

_Summit to Truckee, 11 Miles_. Rapidly the road descends, well
engineered and easy to negotiate to any responsible driver, and before
one is aware he is bowling along on the level Donner Boulevard, which
is as perfect a piece of country road as can be found anywhere on
earth. The Monument (not yet completed) erected by the Native Sons
to the memory of the Donner Lake pioneers, and the Memorial Cross,
erected on the spot where the unhappy party camped, are passed and
in a few minutes Truckee is reached. This was once the scene of great
lumber activities but now much reduced, although it is the shipping
point for Hobarts Mills, which is one of the largest lumber camps of
the West.

Here the road to Tahoe turns sharply to the south, and the fifteen
miles run to the Tavern is made in the picturesque canyon of the
Truckee River fully described in another chapter.

The elevations are Sacramento, 32 feet; Auburn, 1360; Colfax, 2422;
Emigrant Gap, 5225; Cisco, 5940; Summit, 7018; Truckee, 5819; Tah