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Bay Area Loop August 28 - September 5, 2018
Virginia Lakes Road Area
Virginia  Creek
Dunderberg Peak overlooking the Virginia Lakes area
Twin Lakes
Lower Twin Lake
Gas and diesel were over 60 cents a gallon cheaper at the end of Twin Lakes Road than back at the Shell in Bridgeport.
Sonora Pass Area
Leavitt Lake
An off road trailer for sure	Camp along Leavitt Creek
Took a four hour hike from my camp to Leavitt  Lake. About two plus miles and a thousand feet above camp. The lake is about 9,300 feet in elevation still lower than Sonora Pass.
Donnell Fire
Fire Map (32,000 acres from August 2-30)	Fire retardant around the Kennedy Meadows area
I picked up a hitch hiker at Bridgeport who had gone to town for supplies. He was from eastern Washington and had been hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Dunsmuir in Northern California. He had to abandon the trail at Ebbetts Pass because of the Donnell Fire had closed the PCT. I gave him a ride to Sonora Pass. The closure boundary for the fire barely touched the PCT according to the map. When I first went down to check out the Kennedy Meadows area on Wednesday there was a little smoke on the northern ridge of the mountains. Going down to Pinecrest on Friday for supplies I could see the extent of the damage. It had burnt both sides of the road and came close in many places to taking out buildings especially around Dardanelle. I don't think the road has been open for that long. When I punched in Barry's Hospital in San Leandro my car told me to go back to US395 and take 4 over Ebbetts Pass to get there. I've leaned that closures on the system are not that current and the thing  often has me avoiding accidents that are cleaned up and no longer a problem..
A burnt and collapsed pedestrian bridge over the Middle Fork of the Stanislaus River on hwy108 burnt in the Donnell Fire
An unlucky new owner. At least the gas pumps are still standing
Thursday going west from Sonora Pass there was a sign that said no stopping or parking next 9 miles. Friday the same electronic billboard said 17 miles. Coming the other direction up from Pinecrest the sign said 15 miles. All the side roads and campgrounds in the area were closed for the Labor Day Holiday weekend because of the Donnell Fire which had burnt 32,000 acres in the month of August. The Kennedy Meadows resort area was open but much too busy for me even without the dog. Fire fighters were using some of the area but there were still plenty of openings in the Baker Campground. I considered $10 a night for seniors but decided to camp for free on Leavitt Creek on the west side of the pass.
Bay Area
Not much to say except there seems to be a permanent traffic jam around Emeryville to Berkley. Spent a couple days in Vallejo and visiting a hospitalized friend Barry in San Leandro. Left Vallejo via a visit to another hospitalized friend Christy in Napa. Then over to Lake Berryessa  on to Winters in the Sacramento Valley  and up to Chico to visit a grand kid Brenndon for his 21st birthday. (a few days early on the birthday)
Chico
Part of a large fence display in front of a home across the street from a river swimming hole in Bidwell Park in Chico.
Feather River route
Some railroad and highway steel along the Feather River
Walker
Boot Fire from the North on Tuesday	Boot Fire from the south on Wednesday from Dunderberg Peak area
I went 14 miles further down US395 than the detour because they were just in the process of setting it up. Had taken the detour through Wellington Nevada to Bridgeport before when the road had washed out when the Walker River flooded. Turns out it was not far from the Sonora Pass cutoff I had gone over to start the trip. The section of 395 was still closed a day after I got home as well as Sonora pass.
Virginia Lakes Road again
Small body of water off  Dunderberg Meadows Road
Route	Leavitt Lake hike
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