The Angels Camp Museum is no ordinary small town historical collection, a fact apparent from my first step inside. A fantastically curated exhibit on Mark Twain, the region’s most famous resident, gives way to a hall full of old cars and carriages, which in turn leads to a replica of an old medical office (complete…
Yosemite, land of rock and water, of towering trees and grassy meadows, of deep valleys and their surrounding mountains. It is my happy place. Unfortunately, it is also the happy place for millions of other visitors each year, who clamor to the California icon to hike, camp, and ooh and aah at the breathtaking scenery.…
I found Simon Wheeler dozing comfortably by the bar-room stove of the old, dilapidated tavern in the ancient mining camp of Angel's…Mark Twain, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County The Angels Hotel facade looks much as it would have in 1864-65, when a young Samuel Clemens would have been a guest here in Angels…
Visitors to Oakhurst, California, just outside the south entrance of Yosemite, find a town of 15,000 or so ready to cater to tourists and the lovers of the outdoors. Hotels, restaurants, shops, and supply stores line the streets, all frequented by people eager to see the area. In 1849, at the start of California’s gold…
Rolling hills with huge oak trees stretching up to the bright blue skies give way to mountainous forests of ponderosa pine. The largest caverns in California yawn their mouths at the biggest trees in the world. Rushing rivers feed alpine lakes, while kayakers and skiers vie for athletic supremacy. One place shouldn’t have all of…
The pine forest passes slowly by me. Reclined on a log bench, I stare at the trees and the complex patterns of shade and sun they produce. Birds chirp, and here and there I can spot one overhead as the branches thin. The whistle of a steam engine breaks the forest calm, and all heads…
The exposed wood staircase grabs my attention and refuses to let it go. Beams at right angles, ends sticking out, and a banister that is made of a single piece of wood despite looking like it should be several - these are only a couple of the incredible features of a single part of the…
Blue waters. Big trees. Stunning vistas. Cute towns. California’s northern coast is not as popular as other portions of the state - or as well known - but it delivers on every point a traveler could want. In this guide, we will attempt to distill this huge region down into a manageable format, giving you…
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.Henry David Thoreau, Walden Sunlight trickles down, the huge branches of the…
I am beyond excited for this trip. I have lived in California basically my entire life. During those forty years, I have seen the overwhelming majority of the state. But next week, I get to spend some time exploring a part of the state I’ve never before been able to visit: gold country. At the…