Roaming through Gold Country

Raise your hand if you spent time watching the late great Huell Howser exploring California on PBS – his many shows, including “California’s Gold,” “Road Trips,” and “Visiting with Huell Howser” introduced us to all corners of the state.   From our comfy couches we saw islands, beaches, Bassett hound reunions, California missions, and so many points in between.  It was an ongoing adventure and I for one wanted to follow his footsteps.    One could play a very potent drinking game every time he said, “That’s AMAAAAZING!” in his deep southern drawl.    I thought his was the perfect job – roam around the state, meet locals and engage them to share their stories and their expertise…and get paid. 

Last month I went on my own “California’s Gold” road trip.  I shared in a prior post that I have two college buddies whom I travel with each year, and we had recently visited Hawaii.  My friend Laurie’s mom passed away since then, at the worthy age of 96, and I was invited to her memorial service in Columbia, CA.   Yes!  I am going!  Where is Columbia!??  Beverly lived life fully and I want to be her when I grow up.  She reminds me of my former mother-in-law:  curious, generous, talented, outgoing, and made everyone feel special.    The few times I saw her I liked her.  I was honored to be included in the celebration.

Beverly Hayes

So, on a recent Saturday morning, after arranging dog care and talking my other college roommate into joining me in Gold Country for a long weekend, I gassed up the SUV and pointed my car north for the six-hour drive to Sonora.   I forgot how boring the drive up Highway 99 was.  I went to UC Davis, near Sacramento, and I do not miss that tedious drive through the Central Valley.    Fortunately, unlike my travels in the 1980s, I have SiriusXM in my car (shameless plug for my employer), and it was much more entertaining this time.

Reaching Merced, I turned off the highway and after about 10 miles driving through the town, I ended up on a delightful two-lane road meandering through lovely rolling hills, dotted with the occasional cow herd.   In August it was pretty dry, but I could envision its stunning beauty in the spring.  And there was a lake!

I reached Sonora in the mid-afternoon.  Irene arrived shortly after, coming from Stockton, and our first stop was…of course…finding ice cream.   That seems to be a trend in our annual trips.  

Photo credit to the City of Sonora and The Sonora Inn

Sonora, like the other Mother Lode towns in the foothills in the shadow of Yosemite, is quaint, with a main street and delightful shops.  Established in 1848, it still has the charming small-town feel.  We met up with Laurie’s family and friends for dinner at the historic City Hotel in Columbia.  This is truly a step back in time – the wait staff are in period costumes and the bar is original. The food is delicious too. If you want to immerse yourself in 1850s history, go to Columbia.   More about that below.

Photo credit to the City Hotel website

After dinner, Irene and I enjoyed the “Second Saturday” art walk and a classic rock concert in a local park which was next to our hotel.  We got to experience that classic rock concert for many more hours from our hotel room while watching the US men’s basketball team take the Olympic gold medal.  USA!  USA!

Sunday was the Celebration of Beverly.  It was a true celebration, and I was so glad I attended.   I heard story after story from her daughters and her many friends, and I truly got how wonderful she was as a friend, mother, mentor, and colleague. I still want to be her when I grow up.  Hearing who she was in her community was inspiring.   How awesome to declare after a life well lived that your work is done, and you know that you have left a legacy and an abundance of friends.

After a few rousing songs and a good reception, Irene and I bid farewell to Laurie and her family and friends and started to explore Columbia.

Yep, one of our first stops that afternoon was…ice cream.

Columbia is primarily a historical state park and if you want to step into California history, you must go there.  There are several streets that are lined with a mercantile, a livery, candy store, tea house, two churches, school house and other businesses reflective of an 1850’s town.   Gold panning?  Got it.   Stagecoach rides?  Got it.  Candle making?  Yep.  Go there – it’s worth a visit.

The ice cream soda at Fallon House was delicious.

For a brochure and map of Columbia click here: https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/552/files/ColumbiaSHPFinalWeb2015.pdf

The next day was Calaveras.   Many know about Mark Twain’s famous jumping frog story of Calaveras County.  Well, besides frogs, which I didn’t see, Calaveras has an incredible “Big Trees” forest of sequoias, redwoods, pines and other tall, majestic trees.  It’s a lovely spot to hike through – meandering along a flat trail, surrounded by trees that are thousands of years old, one feels at peace. It’s a perfect way to commune with nature. There are more strenuous hikes and according to my travel friend, it’s lovely in the winter after a snowfall.

We ended up at lunch in Murphys.  It’s another charming gold mine town with a cute main street lined with wonderful boutique shops and restaurants.  We ate at the Murphys Hotel Restaurant (lots of history there with famous guests from all over the country) and wandered into the “Books on Main” bookstore – it was great!  I have too many books, but I bought a Shakespeare puzzle and am working on it now. (I am STILL working on it – several weeks later – one of the hardest puzzles I have done with about 500 tiny little people and all the rooftops look alike. Well I do like a challenge.)

Photo credit to the Murphys Hotel website

I never knew Murphys was a huge wine tasting town.   I am cutting out the booze for now, and it was tough to see that every other building was a winery’s tasting spot.   Fortunately, my friend is not much of a drinker so I avoided temptation.

Bottom line – if you want a fun long weekend, head north to Gold Country and ramble through history and tall trees.  It’s worth it.