We stayed at Donner Memorial State Park. I had been by there many times on the way to Tahoe or Reno. Our original plan had been to park out on the road and then walk to a hike and bike site which are first come there. We drove up Friday morning, you can park on the nearby roads free, but I found out from two people working there that many cars had been broken into by creeps. They trashed one guys car just for the change he had in his console..nice. I decided to pay more and get a car camp site where I could watch my truck. We hiked to Donner Lake, checked out the museum about the ill fated Donner party of 1846. And I fished a little in a stream. I also hiked up Cold River Canyon and got video of a train going through the pass (I like trains). We drove to Trukee on Sunday for lunch. I saw several people packing big black square looking things on their backs. I did not ask them what they were, but they were huge. My guess, some kind of shelter or raft. They looked like a folding table from a distance? We had a good time, I got to show my family how to use some of our gear even though we did not pack in like we had planned originally. I hope my son's scout troop plans a trip he can do. And I would like to check out that book you mentioned about places to hike. One final note, due to my son's condition we picked up a disabled discount pass. Good for half off on all state park fees.
R