We needed a break and decided to do a timeshare trade that will also allow us to see Olivia. After a brief time in Oakland we arrived in Calaveras County, nineteenth-century Gold Rush country. Our first couple of days were hot (pool weather), but we’ve settled into more typical temps.
Our first adventure was to the Calaveras Big Trees park, and it lived up to its promise with trees that are the most massive on earth:
Definitely a BIG tree
This park had to close for a bit in the winter because the trails couldn’t be cleared: they ran out of places to pile snow! In the midst of the trees there is a wet meadow, now holding much of the snow melt.
I loved this part of the park
Angel’s Camp, California, is our home base and a perfect place to zone out, catch up on reading, and explore a few wineries. We bought a couple of bottles from Twisted Oak and then enjoyed the view of their vines:
Twisted Oak has a focus on bold red wines.
and then we got lost:
A refuge is always welcome…
Pretty sure we were trespassing, and we didn’t see any gypsies, but this was a lovely and mysterious detour and we eventually made it back to the road.
The best food we’ve found in town reminded us that the Gold Rush attracted people from all over, especially Mexican miners whose heritage probably explains the menu we enjoyed at lunch -Chile rellenos and agua fresca.
More adventures await!