New Tours Highlight Lincoln Highway Across California

By Paul Gilger

The California Chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association will host passenger van tours of the Lincoln Highway in California. The announcement was made at the most recent state chapter meeting in Sacramento on January 10, 2004. Four tours will be conducted this year, each traveling a different leg of the Lincoln Highway in California:

Tour 1 • 1913-27 Central Valley Route • From Sacramento to San Francisco, via San Joaquin Valley and the Altamont Pass (roughly paralleling I-580, I-205, and Route 99)

Tour 2 • Sierra Nevada Southern Route • From Sacramento to Lake Tahoe, via Echo Summit and the Pioneer Trail (the US 50 corridor)

Tour 3 • Sierra Nevada Northern Route • From Sacramento to Verdi, Nevada, via the Donner Pass and Dog Valley (paralleling I-80)

Tour 4 • 1927-28 Central Valley Route • From Sacramento to San Francisco, via Sacramento Valley and across the Carquinez Strait (paralleling I-80)

Each tour will be a one-day trip, beginning and ending in Sacramento at the Holiday Inn "Sacramento I-80 Northeast", 5321 Date Avenue, located off Interstate 80 at the Madison Avenue exit. This inn was the site of the Lincoln Highway Association National Convention in 2002. The hotel has a secure parking lot, with many convenient restaurants and gas stations located nearby.

All tours will begin boarding at 8:45 AM with departure at 9:00 AM sharp. Estimated return time is 6:00 PM. Tour costs are $40 per person, which includes refreshments.

Due to various dietary concerns, lunches are not included. The tours will include a stop at a deli along the way to pick up picnic lunches. Tour participants may also bring their own food and snacks. The tour vehicles will be comfortable full-size passenger vans. No more than 2 people will share a bench seat, leaving plenty of stretch-out room. Each van will have a driver and separate tour guide.

• Sign up for the tours (including tour dates)

• Find out more about the tours

If you are interested in joining us for some good times and some great scenery, please make your reservation now by sending in the order form, which is available on the web, on page 7 of the printed version of this newsletter, or in the latest issue of The Lincoln Highway Forum.

Thanks for your time and interest in our newest project: the Lincoln Highway California Tours.

Paul Gilger is the Vice-President of the California Chapter.