married for 40 years
retired Registered Nurse
three adult sons

We purchased the land in 2015 and found that the first 20 ft. had been owned by Placer County for 50+ years and no one knew why... and it required an agenda item on a County Commissioners Meeting to buy it back from them before we could build... this was a surprise, and a big worry, which we were happy & relieved about when we "jumped the hurtle".

Construction started in 2017 and finished summer of 2019. All the significant quantity of boulders and rocks laid against that Eastside canyon wall came from when the foundation was excavated... and it's a good thing, because the slope definitely needed the additional erosion control.

The backside of Donner Lake retains its snow fall... Come March this past year (2021) there was at least 6 ft. of snow-pack; it had stayed for months alongside South Shore Dr. Whereas, at the other side of the lake, the snow which accumulated next to the roadway, kept to about 18-inches deep.

We are hoping this long-term forest snowpack adjoining our cabin home and the firebreaks that follow the railroad tracks as they cross Donner Pass (which runs directly above the cabin) will help to protect us from Forest Fire. AND, DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET AND ONE HOME-SITE DEEP, IS THE LAKE'S SHORELINE.

The Eastside Property line adjoins Tahoe National Forest and a "Topal" map shows us being against the Eastside of a canyon called "Lakeview". The opposite side of this canyon wall has its access protected by a tall cliff which follows paved South Shore Dr. and a steep drop from an adjoining dirt forest road (also called South Shore). These barriers shelter the area from humans. There is a path (WEBSITE PICS) directly behind our cabin which leads straight-up to where our East canyon wall levels and intersects a path running West to East into this quiet untouched area. From here, one can walk Northwards along the canyon wall top and see up-high views looking down on the lake.

I ALWAYS TAKE BEAR SPRAY WITH ME WHEN HIKING INTO THIS AREA.

Below is something which I had clipped from a website article about the unique weather pattern Truckee/Donner Lake has:

"These factors contribute to Truckee’s consistently lower temperatures during spring and fall seasons when the area records the bulk of its “coldest in the nation” readings. High pressure tends to dominate West Coast weather during the summer and autumn months. This large semi-stationary air mass forces vigorous cold fronts to track far to the north, providing California with a sunny, dry climate. The air pressing down on the Sierra Nevada during these dry summer months contains very little moisture. Without much humidity in the air, there is nothing to trap and hold the sun’s heat. As soon as the sun sets, temperatures plummet. The same principle applies to deserts, known for scorching heat during the day followed by frigid nights. This high pressure cell also fosters calm, windless evenings in the Sierra, which inhibits atmospheric mixing. Without breezes to stir up the night air, the dense cooler air settles to the ground with warmer air above. This nocturnal inversion, known as such because air aloft is normally colder than at the surface, keeps Truckee’s average minimal summer temperatures hovering in the upper thirties. In addition, Truckee’s typical cloud-free evening sky allow accumulated daytime heat to escape rapidly back into the atmosphere, a dynamic known as radiational cooling. Another component that contributes to extreme temperature fluctuations is distance from any large body of water. Oceans and large lakes, like Tahoe, heat up and cool off slowly, while land surfaces gain and lose heat much more rapidly. Truckee’s afternoon temperatures are usually much higher than those recorded near Lake Tahoe, but at night plunge quickly, and are often 10 to 15 degrees colder by sunrise."