Right now the fam and I are in a place referred to as The Mother Lode or Gold Rush Country. It's a beautiful area located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. The hubs grew up in the tiny old gold mining town of Columbia. We made a trek here so I could see what happened in his childhood to make him crazy where he grew up. He doesn't seem like a guy who grew up in an area that has more cows than people. He even worked as an "outlaw" for most of his teen years during the summer. Not many people can say that. What's so funny is that if you knew the hubs you'd never think he would work as a stagecoach robber. I mean NEVER. It's just not in his personality. Seriously.. just imagining him on a horse and playing the role of an outlaw to a bunch of tourists when he was a teenager is a stretch like you can't imagine. We spent a couple of hours at Columbia Historic State Park where the ex-robber committed his crimes. It's more of a town than a park. It's so charming and you can even run into the saloon and get a local made sarsaparilla. A few movies and TV shows were filmed there. Being a big fan of Little House On The Prairie about a bazillion years ago.. that was some exciting news. Here's a couple of pictures for your viewing pleasure.
The mighty stagecoach (thankfully the hubs didn't ask to hop on a horse and rob it for old times sake!)...
And the historic street with original buildings...
We also took a quick trip to Railtown. Again, quite a few movies and TV shows were filmed there. We took a ride on a steam locomotive and checked out the grounds.
You'd think I'd get a picture of a train but I sure didn't. I blame that on being totally and completely thrown off my game by some of the local fashions there. If I had only known sooner that shorty shorts and cougar t-shirts were in style...
The other place of interest we went to was the Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Talk about beautiful. It was still pretty cold there and a lot of snow still hadn't melted yet. That was completely cool for me because I hadn't seen snow in about 6 years. Since I haven't flashed the hubs on here yet I'll let you get a rare sighting of me and my outlaw enjoying the white stuff...
We had a great time taking in all of the beauty and enjoying the crisp cold air. But there was one problem. In true Orange County resident fashion I was tromping along like an idiot in these...
It was one of those times when I was really feeling stupid. In my defense, we weren't planning on going there.. we just ended up there on a drive. Anyway, as I'm trudging my way through the snow while my kid laughed at me.. the feeling of overwhelming stupidity was really starting to weigh on me. Then a group of people walked by me and said.. "aren't your feet freezing?" No, they are warm and toasty! Walking in the snow in freaking flip flops is what I had always wanted to do! At that moment I realized I wasn't the dumbest person there and breathed a sigh of relief.
Let's see where my flip flops take me tomorrow.
Wow! Look's like you guys are having a blast! Our childhood vacations were spent in Arnold (in Calaveras County) and once in awhile we'd get to go to Columbia... it is a pretty tiny town, but very cool! Gotta love CA that it was gorgeous in the Bay Area today and gorgeous with snow up in the mountains at the same time just a few hours away! Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Posted by: irishgirlieknits | April 07, 2008 at 01:21 AM
Sounds like you're having a good time and you both look great in that pic against the snow.
Did I know your had tattoos on your toes?
Enjoy your vaca ;)
Posted by: Jerry | April 07, 2008 at 05:30 AM
Cute shot of you and the "robber." Looks like you guys are having a great time and the weather looks better then here. Enjoy!
Posted by: Cayli | April 07, 2008 at 05:59 AM
I'm happy to see you are enjoying your trip while we are (sniff, sniff) roughing it here at home without you.
Posted by: Gaby | April 07, 2008 at 11:06 AM
I love Columbia!! Wow, your post made me jealous. I love Sonora and Jamestown, Lake Tulloch, all those places. Are you going to Yosemite? Be sure to stop at The 49'er just past Groveland. The owner, Joe is a peach and though I haven't been there is a while, I'll bet the food is still good.
Posted by: MX | April 07, 2008 at 02:33 PM
It looks like you are having so much fun! I LOVE Sarsparilla. Have one for me!! And now I know what the summer fashion is, I am off to stock up on leaopard t shirts, white socks and new docksiders. Luckily I have the running shorts, otherwise it would break the bank. :)
Have a great time!
Posted by: Jennie | April 07, 2008 at 05:30 PM