En Route via Amtrak

Nevada

Just before sunrise, looking back from the rearmost passenger
car across the tops of two freight cars at the rear.




Truckee River, western Nevada, where we leave the desert and begin the ascent up the Sierras.

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The Big Loop

Just east of Donner Pass, the railroad makes a big loop in Coldstream Valley as it climbs up to the summit, at Donner Pass.   The following photos were taken from the train on the upper (western) side of the valley, looking east toward the lower (eastern) side.   The railroad we just traveled is visible in the photos as a line on the distant slope.

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Donner Lake

Once we leave Coldstream Valley, we see Donner Lake to the north.

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Crossing the Sierras

Once we leave Donner Pass, we begin a long slow downgrade across the Sierra Mountains, mostly following the American River valley, before we finally descend into the Central Valley.

Generic Scenery west of Donner Pass.
Click here for a high-resolution view.


American River valley.


Mistletoe.


Interstate 80.


Passing under I-80.