CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH TOWNS: Placerville

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed) Sitting 43 miles due east of Sacramento on highway 50, Placerville is the heartbeat of El Dorado County, which stretches from the eastern edge of Folsom to the state line in Lake Tahoe.

Originally called Hangtown, there is a dummy hanging from the rafters downtown and a noose on town street signs, because of the frontier justice dispensed at the hanging tree where today's ice cream parlor is. That artwork and dummy has caused no little amount of controversy in these politically charged times but the citizens will point out that it is a historical point of order in this town, not something to do with anything racial (you can make up your own mind on that).

(Note: Last week...the last week of April 2021...the city council voted to remove the image of the noose from all city signs, paperwork, seal, etc. - Ed)

It's location on a major freeway also puts it directly in the crosshairs for development and many fear that this beautiful, historic, Gold Rush era town will someday in the near future become yet another suburb of the capitol with thousands of tract homes like nearby Folsom and El Dorado Hills have become.

After a somewhat lawless start in 1849, the city started to settle down and incorporated with its current name in 1854. It was the third largest city in California. Three years later, the county seat was moved here from nearby Coloma, where James Marshall found the nuggets at John Sutter's mill that kicked off the Gold Rush.

The most obvious attachment to the past is the historic bell tower that sits on an island in the middle of Main Street, smack dab in the middle of downtown.

Like many towns of the time, fires frequently burned through the town. One of the solutions was to have an alarm to call the volunteer fire department to arms. A bell was ordered in 1860, delivered in 1865, and mounted atop a wooden tower to be rung loudly whenever a fire broke out.

A more durable steel tower replaced the wooden tower in 1898. Modern sirens enhanced the bell and somehow the tower and bell are still there, anchoring the center of town.

Find a place to park nearby and you can spend some time exploring this old, historic downtown.

Going west, you'll come across one of our favorite dive bars, the Liar's Bench, where Tim and I like to have a beer while waiting for Letty to do her shopping in the yarn shop next door, Lofty Lou's. Keep going and you'll come across one of our favorite casual restaurants, the Buttercup Pantry.

A little mystery is the remains of this fireplace in the parking lot that we've have not found the story to. What home or structure used to be here?

Inside, comfort food rules the day as you browse through the many antiques and knick knacks on display here.

Going back east on Main Street, look for the dummy hanging above the north side of the street. This marks the spot where the infamous hanging tree was. The old stump is still in the basement of the adjacent building. 

Going inside that building, you'll be inside one of Placerville's old saloons but, now, the Hangman's Tree serves ice cream instead of alcohol.

Continuing east on Main, you'll pass several restaurants, a couple more bars and pubs, antique shops, a really great surplus store, the old county courthouse...complete with cannons out front...and you'll end up at a couple of old sodaworks buildings.

Back during the Gold Rush, clean water was not always easy to get. Companies would make soda water to sell as clean drinking water to the locals. Here in Placerville, they also served as ice houses and the walls would be built two feet thick to insulate and keep the ice cold.

Of the two sodaworks building, one is a store and the other is a museum. The Fountain-Tallman Sodaworks is a nice museum of the period, showing how the water was made and displaying artifacts that were found during renovation. 

Placerville was, of course, a gold mining town and you can see some of that history a mile north of downtown at Gold Bug Mine Park and Mine. This is also one of the extremely few places where you can take a wheelchair underground and tour an actual mine shaft from the Gold Rush. Click on that link to get a full story of when we visited and toured the mine.

Just east of town is Camino, more popularly known at Apple Hill. Here, you can tour different farms, pick apples (or just eat them), get some cider, and visit a few local wineries.

We like to go at the end of August to avoid the massive crowds that come here during the peak apple season that starts on Labor Day weekend.

One of the bigger and livelier of the historic Gold Rush towns in California, Placerville is one of our favorite destinations. Good for a day or more, it makes a great base for exploring the region.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2021 - All Rights Reserved 

CALIFORNIA MOTHERLODE GHOST TOWNS: Hornitos

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed) Although the state is criss-crossed with interstates, freeways, superhighways and is home to more millions of Americans than any other state, once in awhile you can find a seldom traveled stretch of asphalt that is actually a time machine.

One such road exists starting at highway 140 in the foothill town of Cathey’s Valley, about 20 miles east of Merced, California.

Turning north on Hornitos Road will take you through some spectacular rolling hill country dotted with happy cows. Green in the winter and spring, golden in summer and fall.

Watch the Video!

After about nine miles, you’ll start to see mounds of rocks scattered about the creek off to the side.  Dug up around 150 years ago, these are tailings left by the original Gold Rush miners.  Following that creek, you’ll end up at the little town of Hornitos, which was settled by Mexicans who were kicked out of the nearby town of Quartzburg.

The joke is on them because Hornitos soon pulled much more riches out of the ground than their unwelcoming neighbors.

A collapsed shack sits a few feet from the sturdy jail.  The remains of a brick building stand next to the community hall. Across the street from that is an old brick saloon with sturdy iron doors and a café that saw its last customer half a century ago.  Overlooking all of it is a tiny, white, Catholic church manning the watch over the town’s graveyard which features dirt packed so hard that the original inhabitants had to put their dead in above ground mounds that looked like the ovens the women used in baking.

Because of the appearance of the graves, the town was named after them using the Spanish word for “little ovens.”

You’ll come to understand why Hornitos is listed as a Gold Rush ghost town on many websites, books, and articles.  Although much rough and rowdy history has happened in and around the streets of this village, it’s not quite correct to call it a ghost town…yet.

The Ortiz family still opens the saloon on the town’s plaza. Come in and have a shot of tequila…the bartender would like it if you chose the Hornitos reposado over the Patron…and chat with him. There’s him and one customer as the three of us have our shots.

Manuela Ortiz is the legend who would open the bar when she felt like it and hold court with her shot of brandy. A living link to the town’s storied past, Manuela is now suffering the memory loss of advanced age and living in a home down the hill in Merced. (Note: Manuela sadly passed away in 2018 - Ed)

Her son now stands in her place, giving us the update on her condition and pouring our shots…without lemon or salt…as he tells us he appreciates it.

The saloon sits across the parking lot from the tiny U.S. Post office. That comprises 2/3 of the remaining businesses in town and the post office is on the verge of closing. A gift shop operates out of an old general store at the north end of town.

Over $8 million dollars worth of gold has been pulled out of the ground here. The population grew to 8, 10, or 12 thousand people depending on which source you consider reliable.  Down to 65 now, it does seem the spirits outnumber the living here.

Ruins are mixed in with the private residences and the few commercial buildings. Across from the Ortiz’s saloon…next to an out-of-place looking, very modern handicapped parking spot…sit the collapsed walls of a brick building.  Here, back before statehood, Domingo Ghiradelli opened a store.

He would not be here very long, moving on to San Francisco, but the little plot of land is still owned by the company he and his family founded…the Ghiradelli Chocolate Company.

In the plot next door, whatever building had stood is long gone but a mound in the dirt is covered with assorted boards and corrugated metal. The barrier is to keep people out of the tunnel inside that is a danger for collapsing.

In its rowdier past, the town was full of saloons. Beneath the saloons on the underground level were bordellos. So that the customers could arrive without being seen, tunnels were dug to connect them

A couple of doors north, another old saloon sits. Across the street, a tree grows out of the hole another collapsed brothel tunnel created.

There are two handicapped parking spaces in town. One is a new, state-of-the-art concrete creation with multiple ramps for access adjacent to the Stagg Hall, home of the town's annual enchilada festival each March. The other is across the street at the post office.  We're almost the only people here so we just park in a regular spot in front of the old cafe...I don't think they'll be getting any customers today to block our ramp.

We wander around town. Technically, it’s not too accessible with just a few feet of sidewalk, but the traffic is so light Tim can drive his wheelchair on the road without problem.

It’s a block or so to the north end of town where the gift shop sits. We wander in, buy some candy and beads, and check out the art work. I can believe that we were the only sale that day.

We drive up the hill to the graveyard. Someone at some time must have gotten access to some earth moving equipment because all the graves are now below ground.  The dirt is very hard, though.

There’s an admirable view fromup here high above the town. We spend a few minutes wandering the graves, seeing dates going back to the Gold Rush days along with some wooden markers whose inscriptions have long worn off in the weather here.

Going back down, we navigate through a flock of wild turkeys mingling with the ghosts in the town. Past the old school house on the outskirts of town, and then back towards the highway.

It would be wrong to call it a ghost town now but the town is hanging on the edge.

Darryl
Copyright 2012 – Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

A Trio of Quick Fall Trips: Bringing the Extended Family Along for Gold and Wine Touring-Part 3

We've come up here to Gold Country to show Letty's mom and brother where we plan on moving to. Today, we're expanding our reach for some quality Sierra Foothill wine tasting.

Watch the Video!

First, we pick up two picnics...breakfast quiches and sandwiches...from the Motherlode Deli in Jackson, California. Next, it's off to our first stop...Drytown Cellars in the tiny speck of a town by the same name a few miles up highway 49.

We set up our breakfast food, well brunch by now, then head into the bar for some tasting. As the wine flows, I feel something hard bounce off my shin.  It's a rock...who threw this at me?

The rock was thrown by Jay, the black dog in the picture above. Jay must have rocks in his head because that's what he likes to fetch. Customers of the winery beware, this dog will find a rock, then find you, plunk you with a stone, and expect you to throw it so he can fetch it.

This is all fine and dandy except the Jay will...not...stop. At some point, Rolo...the red dog...will get tired of it and attack Jay to get him to knock it off for awhile.

That's the life of winery dogs.

We pick out a few bottles and go back outside to eat our quiche.

Next, it's off to see our friends at Amador 360 Wine Collective in the town of Plymouth where we find this sweet Mustang parked out front.

Julie is there, as always, ready to pour and chat about the latest gossip and happenings of the area. Today, we have an extra treat. Thomas Allan, the owner and winemaker of Fate Wines, is there to pour samples of his fine wines.

It's always a treat to catch up on the former underground winemaker of the Sierra Foothills. He tells us that, in addition to making his own wine, he is now the winemaker at Story Winery, where we'll have our second picnic later on.

Off to Bray Winery where Oliver Bray pours a few tastes for us as we buy a few bottles from him, then it's Shenandoah Vineyards to pick up a bottle there and take a bathroom break.

Next, it's off to Shenandoah's sister winery, Sobon, which just happens to be the oldest continuously operating winery in the state (from 1856). We take Letty's mom and Amaury into the museum there to see the old aging cave and ancient winemaking equipment.

Milan Matulich, the Croatian owner of Dobra Zemlja Winery, is there to pour tastes for Amaury and Letty while I just buy a couple bottles of his power wine.

Last, it's off to Story just before closing time where we settle in with a bottle of Rose to go with our sandwiches.

Gypsy, the German shorthair pointer winery dog, comes along to get some ear scratches and to see if she can grab some stray bites of roast beef.

The next day, we head back to Jackson so our guests can explore the old Gold Rush town. After a bit of shopping, it's off to our favorite dive bar there, the Fargo Club, to grab a small Amberbock. We find the bar will be closing soon and moving to the other end of Main Street by the end of the year.

One more stop to see a craft show and get some ice cream in Sutter Creek, and then we head back down.

Across from our hotel, a car show is going on. We drive in...someone forgot to set up cones to cordon off the lot...and find ourselves in an impromptu drive through car show.

I even got this guy...

...and this gal to pose for me.

One more night of rest and then it's time to go home. We have breakfast before the drive across the street at Brookfields where we see a vacationing Santa Claus enjoying the meal with his wife.

Santa's got a sweet 1928 Ford Roadster he drives in the off season.

And that's it for our trio of quick fall trips.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2018 - All Rights Reserved

A Trio of Quick Fall Trips: Number 3 - Bringing the Extended Family Along for Gold and Wine Touring-Part 2

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed) A fitful night of sleep at the Doubletree Suites in Rancho Cordova leads to an early wakeup the next morning. After a breakfast of waffles, eggs, and bacon at Sunrise Waffle Shop near the hotel, we're on the road heading east on Highway 50.

Before Placerville, our GPS tells us to exit and head northward into the hills. Today, we're taking the family to Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Coloma. The three of us have been there many times but it will be a first for Letty's mom and her brother.

We arrive and there are many people. It's the second weekend of October and the new thing we'll learn today is that this weekend is the Gold Rush Live re-enactment. That means many people in period dress set up in tents recreating the Gold Rush days with blacksmiths, general stores, bakeries, and even and honest-to-God saloon. The lady up above had her goats Rascal and Ranger there, too.

All the participants are required to live at the site and only use period correct items. Some are even deep into the character, such as the lady who told my wife she was waiting for her husband to bring her some more vegetables before she could sell what she had to my wife.

"Oh, when's he coming back?" my wife asked.

"It depends, he went to Sacramento. If he has a horse, two days. If he took the wagon, maybe three. Hopefully, he won't find misfortune along the way that would delay him more..."

Others, not quite so much as my wife inquired of a lady in the knitting tent, "I love that shawl, could you tell me how you did the pattern?"

"You can download it on Ravelry.com," was the reply.

Before we get over to the encampment, I need to show my mother-in-law and brother-in-law the most important historic spot in their adopted state. Just a bit left of the recreation of the old sawmill that John Sutter owned is a spot...now protected by a wall and no trespassing signs...that mill foreman John Marshal was inspecting after blasting the mill's tailrace to unclog it.

Here is where he bent over, saw a glimmering rock in the water, and found the first nugget that launched California's great Gold Rush.

Suitably impressed, we then head over to the re-enactment chatting with the participants and browsing the wares. We end up in the saloon tent ("we're only selling sasaparilla today because of all the school children here on field trips, tomorrow we'll have beer and wine") where an urchin, dressed in period garb, walks in.

"What'll you have, mister?" the bartender asks.

"How much is a sasparilla?" he asks back.

"Two fifty."

"I have two dollars."

He's cute enough that Amaury and I split the bill and buy him a drink.

It's time to head back down the hill but not before we stop off at the big house. Folsom Prison is hidden behind the houses of the City of Folsom. It's a popular stop for us to check out the tiny prison just inside the wall.

I show Amaury the old nooses, the crafts made by prisoners, and the wall of shanks that were confiscated by prisoners. There's also a display of contraband that was caught by prisoners keestering it in.

Google it, I'm not going to explain it here.

We finish off the day with way more deep dish pizza than we can eat at Chicago Fire in Old Folsom before retiring back to the hotel.

Tomorrow, we'll delve deeper into the Motherlode.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2018 - All Rights Reserved

A Trio of Quick Fall Trips: Number 3 - Bringing the Extended Family Along for Gold and Wine Touring-Part 1

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed) The clock is ticking as we get our house ready to sell. We want to make at least one trip up here with our relatives to show them where we're going once we do. Maybe they'll want to join us L.A. expats.

This trip it's not only Tim, it's my mother-in-law who also uses a manual wheelchair and walker. We now have Tim, strapped in with his power chair, my mother-in-law with her walker and manual wheelchair folded up in the back, my brother-in-law, and my wife.

Our luggage is stuffed under the back seat and our other supplies and bags are stuffed in wherever they fit, here and there. It's a close-knit group in the van for the six hour drive up to Rancho Cordova, just east of Sacramento.

The five of us check into the Doubletree Suites here. Officially, it's four because that's the maximum that can be booked into any room here, including this two bedroom, two bathroom suite that has a king size bed, two queen size beds, and a queen size sofabed. For those of you doing the math at home, that's enough bed for eight people.

I'm not trying to pull a fast one on this hotel, I called beforehand to tell them I had five. They told me maximum was four. I mentioned the vast capacity of this room and told them I wouldn't mind paying the extra person charge. "If you happen to show up with five people for a four person room, what are we going to do about that? Don't worry, it'll be fine."

OK, then...we won't.

We stay at this particular property frequently. It's our go-to hotel for Sacramento and makes for a good plan B hotel in case we can't get a decent room up in the Motherlode, which is what happened this weekend.

It's a good place, gone through many names and formats...the Hallmark Suites, the Hotel Sierra, Hyatt House, and now the Doubletree Suites after an extensive year-and-a-half renovation.

We've got the huge suite, as described above (last Christmas, we had an even bigger two-level suite for the three of us but it didn't quite fit our needs this time), service is even better than last time, and...of course...we get our fill of those fabulous Doubletree chocolate chip cookies. I only wish the breakfast bar was still free.

The room fits us well...Letty and I on the king bed, Tim and his uncle Amaury each get a queen size bed to themselves in the other room, and Letty's mom takes the fold out (we offered her one of the other queens but it was too tall for her). In the middle, we can all hang out, gab, drink, and goof off while watching TV in the living room that separates the two.

The bathrooms are not technically accessible but they're plenty big enough for the two disabled people on the trip and we brought a shower chair along that fits nicely in the tub for baths.

OK, that was a long drive...but we did get to have tacos in Bakersfield along the way. We'll settle in, unpack, and rest up for the long day ahead. We get into the heart of the action tomorrow.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2018 - All Rights Reserved

Lake Tahoe and the Motherlode, California & Nevada

 

On our third day, we ended up wasting a lot of time because some locals told us the best swimming lake in the area was Bear River Lake high up in the mountains above Jackson.  After a two-hour drive, we find out that there is no wheelchair access.  At all.

Back down we went.  Nice drive, but disappointed in not being able to do anything.

Watch the Video!

Yesterday was wine tasting day (part 2) where we ended up spending just about all day at Story Winery.  Not complaining at all because it’s one of my favorite places but we did miss one winery I had wanted to visit, Vino Nocetto.

Vino Nocetto is known for their sangiovese.  They make several varieties and vintages of the grape Italians make into Chianti.  It’s a nice little winery and I love the little hot dog stand statue they rescued and now display.

The wines themselves, however, are ok but not as spectacular as I’d expect someone who specializes in it to be.  The sangiovese we had yesterday at Drytown Cellars is definitely much better.  Still, nice people, good wine, and they press some outstanding olive oil.  We made sure to take some of that with us.

Back in Sutter Creek, we make it back to J&D’s Steakhouse.  This time I actually have some appetite so I split a rib eye with Tim.  What an excellent, succulent, tender, and moist piece of meat that was.  If you’re anywhere in the area, make sure you stop here for a meal or two.   After dinner, we head back to the hotel done with the day.

We’re getting an early start today.  Letty is skipping her morning run so we can go.  It’s just some fruit, coffee, and milk from the hotel’s tiny little breakfast bar, grabbed on the way to the car.

Why?  It’s a 90 mile, two hour drive to today’s destination, the jewel of the Sierras, Lake Tahoe.

I have some history with the lake.  Back in my earlier days, I was a competitive skier.  I’d hit the slopes 2 to 3 times a week during the winter (yes, an expensive habit that turned into an expensive sport).  My buddies and I would always celebrate the end of the season by spending our spring breaks getting a cheap hotel room by the casinos and skiing at a different Tahoe resort each day.

For a time, it was actually my goal to relocate to Truckee when I finished college and live the life of a ski bum.  Then I met my wife to be and got real.

As you can tell from above, most of my Tahoe travels have been in the winter.  Today is two days before Labor Day, the last blast of summer.

From our base in Sutter Creek, you have your choice of two routes.  Highway 88 has some spectacular scenery and goes over a high pass.  Highway 50 is a bit shorter and can handle near freeway speeds for much of the route.  Still a nice drive scenically but has a tight, hair-raising, cliffside descent into the Lake Tahoe area.  50 is the quicker route which is more important than scenery today.

A benefit from spending so much time here in my youth is that I know the local’s shortcut.  Coming into the lake from the south, you’ll hit all the tourist traffic if you keep following highway 50 all the way to the Nevada border.  You’ll skip a lot of that and save a ton of time if you turn east on Pioneer Trail before you get to the airport.  It’s an easy back road that skips all the lakeside traffic and rejoins highway 50 just before it hits the border.

We drive past the casinos and just beyond where the main part of civilization ends.  Our destination is up ahead on the left, Round Hill Pines Beach.

Down a little road through the forest, we reach the parking lot and pay our $8 parking fee (the fee changes periodically due to the expected crowds.  It can range from $7 to $10).  Two handicapped spots are available.

We arrive at 10:00am.  Our plan was to eat when we arrived but an employee tells me they don’t start serving food until 11:30.  The bathroom is tiny, barely accessible, with no privacy at all so I change Tim into his swim trunks in our van. 

Our first task is to take a walk around and scope out the area for things to do and wheelchair accessibility.  There is an accessible pier out into the water.  It is a bit narrow and has no railing or bumpers at all.  You need to exercise extreme caution if you are to roll your chair on it.  At least the water is crystal clear so the rescuers can find your body easily if you go off the side.

On this side, there is no way to get a wheelchair onto the sand but at the other end of the building that houses the bar and snack bar, it looks like there is a driveway onto the beach that would be suitable for a wheelchair.

On the other side of the parking lot from the beach is a heated pool.  At first glance, it does not seem to be wheelchair accessible with stairs leading up to the gate.  On closer inspection, we notice a side gate.  It’s unlocked, so we open it and there is a 3 inch step into the pool area.  Nearby is a wood shed and I find a thick piece of plywood that makes a great impromptu ramp so in we go.

There is no lift or ramp into the pool.  In situations like this, I take Tim in his chair to the edge of the shallow end of the pool and ease him over the side.  It’s a bit of a challenge, but I get his legs through the inner tube we’ve brought along that allows him just a bit of independence in the pool.  Don’t worry, I’m in there with him watching like a hawk.  Thank God I’m strong enough to lift him if need be.

We’ve got the pool to ourselves at this early hour.  It’s kind of dead but I also have room to work and time to do it.  An hour or so of swimming around and then we’ll head over to the beach.

Drying off, we leave the pool and head over to where we saw the driveway to the beach earlier.  Gingerly, Tim takes his chair down the packed dirt ramp to the sand.  On the sand, it is firm enough to drive on for a bit so we head towards the lake until the sand starts to soften.  We get about 15 yards out before we decide that the sand is getting too soft for the heavy power chair.  I think if we had his lightweight manual chair, we could have gotten very close to the water.  No worries, that’s why we went swimming in the pool first anyway.

Letty and I get our beach chairs and towels from the car and set up on the beach.  We’re in prime real estate in front of the grill and the bar.  Slathering on the sunscreen, we get some hot dogs, a sandwich, and some fish tacos & pina coladas from the bar.

It’s a bright, beautiful, and sunny day on this gorgeous stretch of sand on the edge of Lake Tahoe.  The mountains rimming the lake still have a few veins of snow and the water is crystal clear.  I decide to take a dip and get up to my knees before deciding that this glacially provided melt water is just too cold.  Another reason that visiting the heated pool first was a good idea.

Canadian geese mingle among the beach goers while we soak up the sun, watch the boats ply the waters, and gaze out among our fellow visitors to the sand.

If you’d like a bit more shade, large day tents are for rent for $25.  Want some more adventure?  You can rent jet skis and kayaks.  Parasailing is also available and for a more relaxed adventure, you can take a tour of the lake on one of the larger vessels.

To sum up, you can relax on a beautiful semi-private beach…cold adult drink in your hand, swim in some of the purest crystal clear water you’ll ever see, take some laps in a heated pool, and enjoy some outstanding mountain views, all for the price of parking.  At the state park down the road, where you’ll only get half of this, you’ll pay $5 for parking so the three extra dollars are certainly worth it.

Yes, it could be just a little more accessible but if you’re with friends or family, you’ll manage.

We leave after a late lunch and head back down to the Motherlode.  Going back up the grade on Highway 50, we notice that traffic is backed up for miles.  Lucky we started early or we’d never have made it to the beach.

Back in Sutter Creek, we make our way over to the Sutter Creek Gold Mine, about a quarter mile from our hotel.  It’s a still working gold mine here in the Gold Country.  The tours into the mine are generally not accessible but if you call ahead, they can arrange a tour where you’d transfer into a seat in the mine vehicle and stay there for the entire tour.

We’re not here to do that today.  Instead, we buy a couple of bags of dirt from the gift shop and head outside.  A flume of water is rushing by and some pans are lying about.  We grab one and…following the directions in the bag…dump our little baggie of dirt in and fill it with water from the trough.  It takes time but after much swishing in the rushing water, we find a few tiny little nuggets of gold left behind when all the dirt is washed away.  With our second bag, we find a few more and put the 9 or 10 little nuggets into the little test tube full of water that was provided.  With that, our career as gold miners is over.

Since the hotel’s close by, we head back to rest up for our last dinner.

After a rest and showers, we head back to Plymouth to the Dancing Bear for dinner.  In part 2 of this trip, you might remember that the owner invited us back on Saturday to hear the great guitarist he had playing there.  We enter through a back side gate into their lovely patio.  The hostess says no tables are available.  Luckily, the owner remembered he’d invited us and he felt obliged to live up to his word.  Tables were re-arranged and enough room was found so that we could sit and have dinner.

The guitarist was good and the setting sun also set the mood.  A bottle of local wine was brought out and we ordered some samples of their barbecue, smoked for hours on the adjacent smoker.  Brisket, chicken, and wings were all brought out.  Only problem was that they ran out of the delicious, bacon wrapped smoked jalapeno poppers we had the night before.  More were in the smoker but it would be another hour before they’d be ready.

No problem, we said, it would make a great dessert!  Bring ‘em out when they’re ready.

As the food came out and the music played on, we dined on the very good chicken.  The brisket was good, especially in the fatty ends, but a little bland in the middle.  The smoked wings were incredibly delicious.

A nearby couple had order a bottle of local barbera but only drank one glass and donated the rest to our table.  We traded some tastes of our zin with them and waited for the main event…the smoked poppers.

Finally, after we’d just finished the rest of the food, out they came.  Just as incredibly good as it was a couple of days ago.  Hot, smoky, spicy, and creamy.  We had some outstanding food this week but we crown this item the best we had.

Finishing up the trip, we recount the times we’ve had.  Great baseball in Sacramento; steak and wine at J&D’s in Sutter Creek; wine tasting across Amador County; smoked bacon wrapped jalapenos in Plymouth; a great day at the beach in Lake Tahoe; and finishing up trading tastes with locals at the Dancing Bear. 


(NOTE: The Dancing Bear has since closed)

On the way home, I have a couple of more things I want to take care of.

First, I head out via highway 12 out of Jackson.  After stopping by a local fruit stand, we end up in the little town of Lockeford.  This town is known throughout the state for its little meat market…Lockeford Meats…and their vast array of sausages.  It’s not uncommon for lines to form down the block as people wait to get to the butcher counter.

Not too bad today, I only have six people in front of me.  We get some of their famous Dakota smoked bratwursts, some Bavarian sausage, Italian sausage, jalapeno sausage, and some jerky for the ride home.  The meat goes into our cooler while we head across the street to have big cowboy lunch at the Country Café.

Leaving Lockeford, we gas up and head south to Bakersfield for our last stop.  Whenever we come this way and head home, it’s time to clean up so I have to always stop off at the best car wash in the state, Cruz Thru on Coffee Road.  It’s like having my own pit crew as I pay my $5, the attendant takes my trash and gives us coffee and lollipops, the crews scrubs down our car, and we head home shiny and sparkly.

-Darryl
Copyright 2010 – Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Amador County Wine Country, California

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed)  In Part 1 of this trip, we have a very enjoyable day of baseball and candy in Sacramento before heading up to the Motherlode country for a mediocre hotel, a great little steakhouse, a nice kitchen shop, and a slightly depressing Gold Rush era downtown.

Watch the Video!

Today, we’re heading for wine country.  My pick for the best wine country experience has always been Amador Country.  It’s one of the oldest grape growing areas of the state and is home to California’s oldest continuous operating winery.

Between our hotel in Sutter Creek and the highway lies the tiny town of Amador City, population 213…the smallest incorporated city in California.  It does have a downtown and the five cars that make up the rush hour are parked at Andrae’s Bakery.  Inside, fresh coffee, cooked to order breakfasts, bakery treats, artisan cheeses, fine wines, and Belgian beers await.  We pick up a baguette and a couple of hunks of cheese for later and some coffee for now.

We start off at Drytown Cellars.  Winemaker Allen Kreutzer is pouring tastes at the counter to spell the usual woman who works there while she’s on a little break.  We start with the whites, which are crisp and refreshing and are on sale…today all whites are $10 a bottle.  The lady returns and Allen steps a few feet away and continues to fill the oak barrels from the fermenting tanks.  We start on the reds.  Zinfandel, barbera, and sangiovese.  All are very good and the sangiovese will be the best we have on this trip. 

A couple of dogs wander around and one goads us into a game of fetch.  The other, a Jack Russell terrier, takes exception and steals the ball, growling at anyone who might want to take it away.

A half case purchased and put into the car and we’re off to the next stop.

In Plymouth, we make the right turn to head east into the Shenandoah Valley, the county’s main grape growing and wine making area.  Over two dozen wineries dot the back roads here.

Our next stop takes us off the main highway, then off of the secondary road leading to the bulk of the wineries here, off of a spur at the edge of the Consumnes River canyon, and down a one lane road to the dirt and gravel parking lot of Story Winery.

This is just about my favorite winery anywhere.  In an old miner’s shack…past the sign reminding you to beware of rattlesnakes…is the tiny little tasting room.  That sign is not in jest…last year, Letty and I spent time here when I helped the ladies in the tasting room look for a rattler that was wandering around the entrance.  The serpent slithered under the shack, never to be seen…by me at least…again.

We see none today.  One thing I really like about Story.  It’s frequently hot and dry here in the Sierra foothills.  Whenever you walk into to the tasting room, the first thing they offer…before the complimentary tasting…is a free glass of chilled champagne.  Not only does it really hit the spot on a hot day, it gets you in the mood quickly for tasting.

While we all start off with our sips, Letty quickly gets sidetracked talking with the lady behind the counter.  It all goes back to last year, they used to sell some of the best chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever tasted here.  My wife asked who made them and the lady that did wasn’t in that day.  Today, she’s manning the tasting counter.  When Letty finds out it’s her, she immediately sets in to grill her and compare recipes and completely forgets about the wine.

Oh well, Tim and I continue on.  Another aside is that Tim is not a fan of wine tasting, at least until today.  I think that had to do with the fact that in the past when he was a child, he’d have to wait while the adults would have their fun.  Now that he’s an adult, he can join in. 

He starts off a bit bummed but then something happens…this wine stuff actually doesn’t suck!  Soon, he is in a much happier mood and we’re all having fun together.

We make our purchase and take a chilled bottle of their chenin blanc out back to the picnic area with some borrowed glasses.  Just downhill a bit from the tasting shack is a shaded area with picnic tables right on the edge of the vineyard that rolls down the hill into the canyon.  It’s a spectacular sight and my favorite picnic area.

Some bread, cheese, and a couple of those Jelly Belly packets from the ball game are our light meal to go with this great bottle of wine.  We just snack, talk, and generally have a good time just hanging out together in this wonderful place for a couple of hours.

Batteries recharged, we head down the road as the time is slipping away.  Most of the wineries are now closed for the day but we have 30 minutes before Villa Toscano closes so we pull in. 

With Andrea Bocelli wafting over the speakers, this recreation of a Tuscan villa holds the tasting room here.  There’s also a bistro next door, but it is already closed for the day.  The gentleman behind the counter is jovial and helps us with our tastings.  Another group at the end of the counter belongs to the wine club here, so the guy behind the counter quickly introduces us.  Now, he says, we can qualify for the member’s prices on the wines because they extend it to their friends.  Since we were introduced, we’re now their friends.  I get a case of their great zinfandel…usually over $200…for $99.  About $8.25 a bottle.

That’s how it goes here in Amador County.  The winemakers are laid back.  They still offer free tastes of their wines.  Nobody has any pretentiousness and it is no sin if you haven’t the slightest clue about the wines.  Exceptionally good red wines with most wineries willing to cut you a deal if you’re serious about buying.

Next, it’s over to downtown Plymouth where we will spend the rest of our evening.

In the town’s little central park, there’s a farmers market going on.  Actually, there are only 3 stands selling produce, all vegetables with the exception of a few clusters of grapes at one of them.  Another stand sells a buffet dinner for $10 and Sobon Estate winery offers five samples of their wines for $5.

A singer accompanies himself with a CD player and we browse through local honeys, cookbooks, and see if the singer knows any of the songs we request.

Afterward, we walk across the street to the Dancing Bear Bar in the old Plymouth Hotel (1883) and have a Margherita pizza from their wood-fired oven.  It is delicious but we’re still hungry.  We get an order of their jalapeno poppers.

(NOTE - Since our visit, the Dancing Bear has closed. Shame, it was a great restaurant. - Ed)

The server brings our order.  The peppers are just about black, actually not too appetizing, but we give them a try anyway.  Oh my…what great poppers these are.  It turns out that the jalapenos are stuffed with chile infused cream cheese, then wrapped with bacon, and smoked out back for two hours.  Incredibly smoky with that creamy heat coming from each pepper.  I’ve never had a popper taste like this before.

Soon, a tall man comes over and asks how we liked them.  After waxing on about how great they were, he tells me he’s the owner and he takes me out back to see the smoker.  It’s a large, industrial metal oven that he’s feeding oak logs into the bottom.  He opens the door and there’s briskets and chickens rotating on trays over the low heat smoke.

“I’ve got a great guitarist that plays on Saturday night,” he says and invites us back to see that and to have some more of their barbecue.  Whatever we’re doing, we’re going to be sure to be back here at 6:30 Saturday night.

Keep an eye out for the finale of this trip, coming soon!

-Darryl

Copyright 2010 – Darryl Musick

All Rights Reserved